There is a Sewage Injection Wells permitting hearing on July 18, 2008 at 10:30 A.M., at the North Miami Beach Public Library, 1601 NE 164th Street, North Miami Beach. This is a meeting about injecting partially treated sewage underground even though they have found it migrating upward towards our drinking water. (This was previously reported July 7th). Also:
The County Commission is having a Special Commission Meeting on July 18 to discuss recommended changes to the Miami-Dade Home Rule Charter (see our Post July 6th) that includes recommendations from the charter review committee and the ethics commission task force. The Commissioners are going to try to decide what they want to put on the ballot for us to vote on. This is the County’s last meeting before the break so there might not be a quorum. They might have thrown together this meeting just for show. It is scheduled for 9:30, at 111 N.W. 1st Street (2nd Floor). You can all Friday to see if it is still happening: 305-375-2035.
One of recommendations is to unify the Fire Departments. Some Cities have their own Departments and the County want to merge them all. The Cities are not happy about this. The Fire Union wants it and they raised a bunch of money for Natacha Seijas. However, the Hialeah Fire Department is one of the oldest autonomous Departments. I don’t think they would want to merge. This puts the vile one in between a rock and a hard place. I would take odds that she won’t show or the meeting will not have a quorum, so the Commissioners can put it off till after the election. They wouldn’t want to anger their subjects at election time by rejecting changes we want.
18 comments:
Unification of Fire Departments is not going to fly. There is no reason. The City of Miami, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Village of Key Biscayne, all have their own fire departments, which are actually better than the County Fire when it comes to utilizing resources.
I checked the Agenda for the Charter Review items. Seems like Gimenez is sponsoring more than half of the recommendations. Wonder why that is.
...because most of recommendation are good perhaps?
The charter review committee finished their work many months ago. Why is the BCC just now taking action, such as it is? Genious is right. The meeting will either not happen or decisions will be deferred until after the election. Seems like we've been there before.
I agree with your last point Genius. As to the date of the meeting, the Chair, Mr. Bruno "Don't call me Eddy Munster" Barriero, has scheduling duties, and I am sure he placed it on this most inhospitible of dates. The BCC is on vacation for the month of August (unless they call for a Special Meeting, which is unlikely), so, the next available date is in early September. I believe they would still have time to add the questions on the ballot. Someone should ask the Department of Elections, but, I believe the cut-off is 45 days prior.
OFCOURSE IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE SMALLER DEPARTMENTS ARE BETTER AT UTILIZING THERE RESOURCES, THE MAIN REASON IS THAT THEY HAVE MINIAMAL RESOURSES!!! THE SMALLER YOU ARE THE EASIER IT IS. THE BOTTOM LINE IS WHEN THE CITY OF MIAMI IS DONE UTILIZING THE MIAIMAL RESOURSES THEY HAVE AND STILL NEED MORE WHO ARE THEY GONNA CALL?? COUNTY FIRE!!!!
Unification of the Fire Departments will save approximately 15 million dollars of duplication, without losing a firefighter nor fire truck. Radios will be on the same frequency and there will be automatic Unified Command. Gimenez used to be the Fire Chief of City of Miami and obviously wants to see them become the one of the largest Fire department in the nation. Chief H. Lorenzo comes from City of Hialeah and Broward Fire and is keenly aware of benefits and complications of mergers.
Ironically, no one has really asked the firefighters what they want...this proposal will go to the voters (maybe). Sadly, many have drank the Kool-Aid and will scream and shout about quality of service, when Joe Citizen doesn't give a damn who responds, just that they show up and get the job done. In the end...this will be a decision based on the bottom line.
Hurricane season is here! Let's see how has the stronger house.
None of you have a clue. The duplication of fire services is robbing everybody blind. Don't forget 5 truck repair shops, 5 911 systems, 5 sets of administration and so on. Dade County fire is the six largest in the nation and considered top notch. Over 20 years ago Duval County and Jacksonville City had the foresight to consolidate with great success and course don't forget about Los Angeles County Fire.
Wake up voters.
What would make you think that Hialeah doesn't want to merge with the county? Raul treated those guys like crap. Dwindling revenues and the need to keep fire trucks operating must be answered with innovative ideas. So easy it is to knock the county. Especially when the other city fire departments are cherry picking the richest areas. There are many essential governmental services. There is plenty of money being spent on redundant fire rescue systems. It is hard to ignore the millions that can be saved by consolidating the fire departments.
The proposal to unify the fire departments must be a slap at Pinecrest for having the audacity to consider swapping their fire service coverage to Coral Gables.
I don't think a vote for unity would pass either.Would you want to vote for decreasing your level of response by voting for County service?
And what is up with the "every which way possible" amendments to give the commisoners a raise?
Clearly there are a few Union members here making their case. I say that you are out too lunch boys. The County is the worst local fire department. Response times suck, the administration is too big, and the trucks are Yellow.. I mean, Yellow fire engines.. That should be enough to not want to consolidate...
Seriously now, those numbers of savings are being provided by the County. I don't buy it, especially when you look at the current proposed budget, and see that all those who live in City's are going to be forced to pay for fire service in the UMSA. You guys are nuts. County Fire is big and inefficient enough. No MORE!!!
This is a very interesting article from the Miami Sun Post:
Burn Notice
Residents of five Miami-Dade cities may have to pay for fire services they don’t receive and they could even lose their fire departments
By Angie Hargot and Ben Torter
Miami and Miami Beach firefighters at the scene of a blaze. File photo by Angie Hargot
Falling property tax revenues are putting a major squeeze on Miami-Dade County’s ability to provide fire and rescue services to citizens in unincorporated areas.
Now, under two proposals being considered by the County Commission, residents in five cities with their own fire departments could end up subsidizing a portion of county fire services that they don’t receive or they could lose their own departments altogether.
On Thursday, July 17, county commissioners will consider setting a millage rate for fiscal year 2008-2009 that would result in taxpayers in Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah and Key Biscayne shouldering a bigger portion of the county’s cost of providing fire and library services to residents in unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County.
Then, on Friday, July 18, the board will consider County Commission Chairman Bruno Barreiro’s proposal to put a home rule charter amendment to consolidate fire services countywide on the Nov. 4 ballot.
However, representatives from the five cities that have their own fire departments — Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah and Key Biscayne — are burned up by the mere suggestion. They contend that the first measure would double-tax municipal residents for services they already pay for, and the second measure would destroy their autonomy.
Double taxation
Under Mayor Carlos Alvarez’s proposed 2008-2009 budget, residents living in unincorporated Miami-Dade — those areas not in cities, also referred to as the Unincorporated Municipal Service Area, or UMSA — would pay the same millage rate as they do now: 9.2121, or $9.2121 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The proposal would lower the portion of that rate dedicated to fire rescue services from roughly $2.20 to $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value, and would slightly lower the rate for countywide library services (even though Hialeah has its own library system).
However, the proposal would increase the countywide millage rate from roughly $4.60 to roughly $4.90 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Although residents of the county’s unincorporated areas will pay the same overall tax rate, the rise in the countywide rates will, in effect, shift the burden of funding fire (and some library) services to residents of the five Miami-Dade municipalities that have their own fire departments — which they already pay for — in effect, taxing them twice.
“What a coincidence. Exactly the same millage as last year,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, who opposes the proposal and spent the week lobbying cities to publicly reject the mayor’s plan. “It doesn’t pass the smell test.”
Gimenez warned Miami city commissioners July 10 that Alvarez’s proposed county budget increases the countywide millage rate by more than three-tenths, and shifts more of the burden onto a handful of cities “under the premise that there are some countywide services that the Miami-Dade County Fire Department provides.”
“Unfortunately only 44 percent of [Miami-Dade residents] live in UMSA,” he said. “Everybody else lives in cities, so if you live in a city, you’re going to be paying more than you did last year. The irony is, the fewer county services that you receive the more you’ll pay.”
The city of Hialeah, which Gimenez called “the biggest loser” under Alvarez’s proposed budget, would get hit with a double whammy since the city has its own fire department and its own libraries.
“We think it’s very unfair,” Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina, who is lobbying county commissioners to vote down the measure, said Monday. “It’s double taxation on our citizens.”
‘Everybody loses’
Although he hesitated to express support for either measure, Stan Hills, president of Metro-Dade Firefighters, the union that represents Miami-Dade Fire Rescue workers, disagrees. Miami-Dade firefighters protect the 1.8 million residents who receive county fire services. However, Hills says, they also protect the Everglades and provide support — a trauma helicopter, a fireboat, an anti-venom unit, hazardous materials and technical response teams and extra manpower — to the 800,000 residents of Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah and Key Biscayne.
“We back up the little cities that don’t have adequate staffing levels,” Hills said. “If you have a fire in a high-rise building and it takes 100 people [to fight it], only Miami and we have 100 people on duty.”
Although some city officials argue that countywide taxes cover those support expenses, residents of unincorporated Miami-Dade have been “subsidizing those cities’ departments for years,” Hills said. “It’s fair that everyone pays for them.”
Gimenez vowed to “take a closer look at those services, to make sure that they are correct.”
“We need to send a clear signal to the manager and the mayor that we are not in agreement with this,” Gimenez said.
Whether or not the item passes Thursday, county commissioners will have to approve the final budget and millage rate in September, which will require a two-thirds vote of the commission since the recommendation exceeds the state maximum levels.
According to county documents, the proposed millage rates are expected to generate roughly $1.1 billion for the countywide general fund, nearly $140 million for the UMSA general fund, more than $286 million for the fire rescue district and more than $75 million for the library district.
“That budget is unfair because the people in unincorporated Miami-Dade County are getting a free ride,” Miami Commissioner Tomas Regalado said. “Maybe because [Alvarez] lives there,” he joked.
The Miami Commission passed a resolution opposing the plan.
Regalado pointed out that on Aug. 26 voters will decide the fate of Mayor Alvarez and six commissioners up for re-election: Barbara Jordan, Audrey Edmonson, Bruno Barreiro, Dennis Moss, Joe Martinez and Natacha Seijas.
“All the residents and voters in Miami do vote for the county mayor,” Regalado said. “And I think it’s important that he knows that his voters in the city of Miami are very upset with this situation, which the whole thing is unfair.”
Officials on the other side of the bay agree.
“To me, it’s like double taxation,” Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower said. “Because if we already pay, why should we pay for someone else’s department?”
The bottom line, Gimenez said, is that “everybody loses out — even the people in UMSA, because the proposal asks us to go above the state-mandated limits. So if we just went back to the state-mandated limits, everybody would get a break, including the people of UMSA. Everybody is getting the short end of the stick; you’re just getting a shorter end because you have your own fire department.”
Consolidation
Barreiro’s proposal to let voters decide whether or not the five municipal fire departments should become part of one big Miami-Dade County Fire Department also has drawn vocal opposition from union leaders and politicians in those cities.
“It’s an out-and-out power grab by the county on local municipal government autonomy,” said Adonis Garcia, president of the Miami Beach fire union.
The issue is making strange allies.
It’s no secret that Garcia and Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower don’t often agree. The Miami Beach fire union didn’t back Bower’s bid for mayor last November, but the Miami-Dade firefighters union did. Although Barreiro, whose district includes most of Miami Beach, supported Bower’s campaign, in this case, Bower agrees with Garcia.
“I’m against it,” Bower said of Barreiro’s proposal. “We have a good fire department and we would like to keep control of our destiny.”
The Miami Beach Commission voted 7-0 Wednesday to send Bower to County Hall to speak out against the plan. City Attorney Jose Smith is also studying how to best fight the proposal.
Barreiro argues that consolidating fire services would save money and improve service for residents throughout the county.
“I think it’s for the board to consider putting everything under one unified fire district,” he said. “It would save money through economies of scale and hopefully in improving services and so forth.”
Barreiro also gave examples of how Miami-Dade residents have benefited from improvements in other unified services, such as the library system (except in Hialeah) and the county’s water treatment facilities, which sell bulk water to the municipalities.
“We’ve done this in the past and there have been benefits to the citizens at the end of the day, which is what we need to accomplish — both in service and reduction in cost,” he said.
Hills, who lives in unincorporated Miami-Dade near the border of Coral Gables, agrees that one department could improve response times. In the event of an emergency, for example, the closest response unit wouldn’t respond to his house because it’s in another jurisdiction, he said.
“It’s unconscionable not to send the closest unit,” he said. The county and cities “have to be smarter and work together. County leaders and city leaders need to look at the entire system. … Fifty million dollars is squandered annually by duplication of services.”
Still, municipal leaders don’t believe the effort would save taxpayers any money or improve services. In fact, they are concerned that service levels in their cities would decrease.
“This is a union-driven initiative,” said Hialeah Mayor Robaina. “The drive is to get more members paying more dues.
“Two years ago, I conducted a study to see if it would be less expensive for my residents if the city used county services,” he said. “We found that my residents would receive fewer services and have no savings.”
For instance, Miami Beach Fire Rescue, which has four stations, maintains an average response time of less than four minutes.
However, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, according to its 2007 service scorecard, averages an eight-minute response time for life-threatening emergency calls.
“Miami-Dade takes care of places way out west that sometimes can’t have [the] response time” of municipalities, Barreiro said. “We are not a highly urbanized area. Consolidation by no means will degrade in any respect the level of service in the municipalities.”
City leaders are also concerned that if they lose their autonomy, the county may later try to take over other municipal services.
“It’s really sad to think that a county can wield that type of power to say we’re going to have an election and take over fire services,” Coral Gables fire union president Mike Chickillo said. “Today it’s the fire departments. What’s it tomorrow?”
State Rep. Luis Garcia, a former firefighter, said the measure was proposed out of desperation. He explained that 94 percent of the county fire department’s budget comes from property taxes, so they’ve been hit harder than other fire departments.
“What they’re doing,” Garcia said, “is fighting for their survival.”
Regardless, Miami fire union President Robert Suarez doesn’t think there will be much support for the takeover, and questions the legality of county residents telling city of Miami residents they’d have to cede control of their 110-year-old fire department.
“If the residents of the city of Miami made the decision, I’d have to live with it,” Suarez said. “But it’s definitely concerning that the residents of Kendall or unincorporated areas could decide what the city of Miami can do with its fire services.”
Comments? E-mail letters@miamisunpost.com
After years of rural fire districts and fragmented service, Collier County is now considering merging all fire districts and county EMS into one Fire Rescue department. The increasingly less rural county has had enough of duplicaton of services. A few proposals have been floated but the most recent seems to be taking root.
If it is effective there, why not here?
Instead of rhetoric, show the numbers. I have heard upwards of $50 million of initial savings just in duplication of services with even more potential. Merge them all then hold the players accountable.
My neighbor is a fireman and he showed me his check and it was alot more than my husband and I make in a month. Just look at what firemen make and you will be sickened as I was.
yet our police officers are having to share cars because many stations do not have spare cars if one goes into the shop. the cops have to ride double or are forced to sit on the desk and answer calls, that helps alot with they their calls holding doesnt it? The radios dont work all the time and they have to provide their own bullets on the police range to qualify to use their weapons that they have to carry. I say, let's just cross train the cops, give them fire rescue responsibilities and maybe that will save even more money.
Wake up people. Just look at how all county services are: Transit, Airport, Water and Sewer. The county is only known for one thing WASTE . Have you driven by that huge lot on 72st filled with green fire trucks just sitting there. And have you ever noticed how much bigger and fancier looking the green fire trucks are compared to all the cities fire trucks. The county is experts at wasting money. Who are they kidding. The only reason MiamiDade wants to be the only service available is because they are under scrutiny. Can you say MONOPOLY. No thanks, the county needs competition to keep them in check. Say no to COUNTY MONOPOLY
What a bunch of b.s. The county wants to say that it can provide fire service for less. Look at their salaries. Their union boss made over 180,000 last year and they are suppose to be cheaper
I agree that there are a few on this blog trying to spin and influence. As for me give me facts. I hear "duplication of service"....5 911's and 5 service centers. Each individual city pays for and funds their own department (self sufficiant). The 60% of tax payers that live in unincorporated dade do NOT pay for these services. We residents within those cities pay for both our services and county services so only the city residents pay more. Why would we be okay with this situation...simple. 1)When I call our fire dept. they are there within 5 minutes (3-5 min average). County's average 8-10min. 2)our cities departments ISO rating are 1 therefore I pay less for insurance (more savings). By the way, both those facts lead to savings in both LIFE and PROPERTY. Why do we pay for county fire service also? We pay for things that the county provides such as, air rescue (by the way this service goes on a limited number of calls per year, definately NOT in the thousands. Yet the county insist on having 4 or 5 choppers). We pay for extra manpower in the event of a major fire. Fact: in the last 20 years that I've been a FF in Miami I've seen the county at a fire twice, the Woolworth fire and the ship on the river just the other day (oops waite, that ship was in their territory to begin with so we were at their fire not providing back up as they do but putting it out). By the way KUDOS to the crew of MDCF Sta. 2A for the job that night I'll fight fire with you guys any day. OUR RADIOS DON"T TALK TO EACH OTHER: Please.. this is tired and old. A few years back all of our local departments attempted to get on a common channel. Miami Dade County Fire has been the most vocal about common communication "OUR RADIOS DON"T TALK TO EACH OTHER". Then why while the other departments switched to the same frequency did MDFD decide not to. (FYI since the change to 800mhz the other five are very satisfied with communications; no system is perfect but because of our tall buildings the added power has been great). Every one of MDFD's arguments has holes.
Consolidation is Savings? Who pays for updating radios, and 911 center, uniforms, bringing all the Hialeah chiefs up to county staff levels pay wise. FYI: did you know that when Palm Beach consolidated in 83 by 85 citizens where up in arms because in the first two years the department ended up having to give over 100% worth of raises to bring pay levels up...look it up on the Herald archives under consolidation. The most perfect statement made here has been that every county agency has proven through the years to the present to be bloated and miss managed, and unfortunately none of this will take place fast enough to save the jobs of 300 county firefighters who will be let go by their department instead of trimming much needed fat from the top. Bottom line is that MDFD is in dire need of money and they want the Fire Department budgets of the other five cities. What will these managers that got them in this situation in the first place do with all the new money? I'm sure they'll manage it correctly this time...and where will MDC get money next time they need it...and there will be a next time. (police, broward, palm beach, georgia)
Split Classifications
When ISO develops a single Public Protection Classification (PPCTM) for a community, all of the community's properties receive that classification. In many communities, ISO develops a split classification (for example, 5/9). Generally, the first class (Class 5 in the example) applies to properties within five road miles of a fire station and within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant. The second class (Class 9 in the example) applies to properties within five road miles of a fire station but beyond 1,000 feet of a hydrant. ISO generally assigns Class 10 to properties beyond five road miles.
For more information . . .
. . . on any topic related to the PPC program or the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule, click Talk to ISO Mitigation, or call the ISO mitigation specialists at 1-800-444-4554.
Let me start by saying that I am a MDFR firefighter and very proud of it. To address some comments: Above are the facts of ISO rating. The fact is that the City of Miami Fire Dept. want voters to believe that taxpayers will pay more for insurance, among other things, if consolidation happens. Not true. All areas in Dade County will be reclassified with a "split rating".
The fact that our response times are "8 to 10 min.”, not true. Response times vary within each area. Times are going to be different in Aventura or Sweetwater compared to the Redlands. If you research the numbers, you will find that most communities within the County have response times the same as the City of Miami.
When the average taxpayer looks at our salary, which is only a small part of the big picture, what is left out is the loss of health and life expectancy that firefighters suffer, all firefighters. Training also contributes to additional pay. If you break it down by Fire Dept., the County is not the highest paid. Let me add that more than 50% of Dade County firefighters have less than 5 years on and are on the lower side of the pay scale.
Some believe that firefighter will lose jobs with a merger, not true! Look at the facts for yourself, don't buy the lies. Mergers have taken place within the County and across the Country with great success.
Do not be mistaken, I am privileged to serve the citizens of Miami-Dade County (all citizens). I would also fight fire side by side with any City dept. I would hope they would do the same, and I would suggest is stop the County bashing by all City firefighters. At the beginning of very shift we serve all our citizens the best we can.
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