A county official asked me Friday, “If we don’t use the 1/2 penny transit tax (meant for new projects -- funding mass transit) for operational needs (not how it was sold to us), how are we going to fix transit? Should we build new on top of bad infrastructure? Where are we going to get the money for transit if not the tax?” Let’s call this official Natacha for lack of a better name.Let’s set the stage first, and ignore the fact that transit has a budget set by the Commission:
Natacha, you knew in 2001, because of the Grand Jury, that Transit was in a shitload of trouble. You should have known before WITHOUT the grand jury as you have eyes and ears. You collected the highest taxes ever from property taxes from the period 2001 to 2007 or 2008 (right after the grand jury). So why didn’t you add to the funding for transit and fix it during those years? Why didn’t you look at their budget? Why didn’t you see the ballooning of their staff? Why didn’t you talk to Burgess about Bradley? Why didn’t you ask for reports?
No. 1: You were in a position of power to do something and didn’t. You let a bad Grand Jury report dust over. You should have been asking for status reports or goals to rectify the problems identified by the Grand Jury (a grand jury that spent 6 months to compile their report).
No. 2: Somehow Wackenhut over-billed transit for millions for no-show Guards. And, now I heard they just secured a new contract with the Commission's approval never having reimbursed the County for the doctored books to the tune of maybe as much as $100,000,000 in damages (because fraud was involved).
No. 3: It is not up to me to find the money to fix transit, although I would do away with all your junkets Natacha, that costs us millions. I am sure I could find other pork expenses. That is why we vote for Commissioners and pay our taxes: to pay for experts. However, there was a letter to the editor that said pension should be converted to 401K's for new employees. The bloated workforce is eating up too much money. The pension was once a perk for low wages, but the wages at the County are pretty competitive so the perk is not needed and should be phased out.
No. 4. I think of our 1/2 penny tax as a will. We citizens wrote the will and designated the money for a certain purpose. Let’s say it was to supply a house for Pedro. When we die, and the will is executed, Pedro is using drugs and wants to use the money for his habit. The money was not to be used to bail Pedro out of his bad decisions. We meant it to be used for the security of his future and for the well-being of his children. Pedro gets the house when he has gotten his affairs in order and is in a position to accept it just as the county should get their funds when their affairs are in order. Only with this move will our children have viable mass transit in their future.
That is how I feel about the transit tax. Get your affairs in order county because we are sick of bailing you out of your stupid boondoggles that are repeated and repeated and repeated (see our boondoggle file with 46 entries). Transit and Housing are two cases of severe mismanagement. And what about that million dollar cell phone scam at water and sewer, I could go on and on.
The gross waste of our tax dollars by Miami Dade County is unconscionable.
8 comments:
I flail my arms in disgust every time I read about what the county has NOT done for transit.
I am fully supportive of the facts as given in the blog, but I think you are being to nice to the people who are screwing the public. I do not think it is the abject stupidity claimed. I believe there are people who pay to have just what happened, happen. A lot of someones are not honest.
i agree that there is more than meets the eye mensa..sadly.
Couldn't agree more. The real litmus test of political will for transit is seen in the crap list of projects Miami-Dade submitted for the 'Main Street Recovery Wish list'. Not a dime for system expansion. I just don't get it. If we are asking the feds for money to maintain the existing system, and the transit tax is also going to maintain the existing system, what gives?
Then there is new commission Chairman Denis Moss and a letter to the editor published a few weeks back:
"A 'new day' for public transit in Miami-Dade
As the new chairman of the Miami-Dade County Commission, and in response to the Dec. 21 story, Gravy train, I am committed to working with the county's mayor, commission, administration and partners to continue to right-size the transit program and to deliver an efficient, financially feasible and expanded system to residents.
The recent Transit Summit that Mayor Carlos Alvarez and commissioners sponsored was a good start. It brought together more than 600 residents, community leaders and transit partners and helped the community become better informed about the realities of our transit program. This will allow us to chart a new direction based on the requirement of the Federal Transit Administration that we show that we can maintain and operate our system and that we have a financially feasible way to expand.
I will work with the mayor and county commissioners to create a working group that will help the transit program progress. In addition, I plan to name new committee chairs. The chair of the transit committee will be responsible for providing leadership and ensuring that the transit department continues to run in a transparent and efficient way.
It is important for the new federal administration to prioritize transit as a way to reduce residents' carbon footprint, pollution and traffic congestion. It can be an economic stimulus, too. But the rules and funding formula have to change in order to provide incentives that will allow the expansion of transit systems in highly congested areas like ours.
This is a new day. My tenure as chair will be one that moves this community forward in a positive and responsible way. We will work hard to restore residents' confidence and provide a public transportation system that the entire community will be proud of."
Right sized system?
The realities of our transit system?
Promises, promises, promises but at the end of Moss' term as Chair of the dysfunctional BCC, the same crap will be in place.
This is one of your best. Clearly thought out and spelled out. Thank you!
Question-does transit have any "shovel ready" projects that might get a financial hand from the trillion about to be spent getting America back to work? I sure hope so...
The MIC/Earlington Heights Connector Project is probably one of the most "shovel ready" projects in the country. I hear they will be breaking ground in March. I also heard it was among the list of requested projects. I think the list you saw was compiled for the benefit of the National Conference of Mayors, and/or by the Capital Improvements Dept. I don't think that list is the end all be all of what has been requested.
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Miaexile: Gulp, I have never received such a compliment. I accept it with honor and a blush.
Although you should look at my Lennar posts, my "101 posts." They are pretty interesting on clarity.
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