What are the powers of the County Commissioner, in other words, what do they have to do to earn that hefty $6,000 a year?
Following are their duties (some have been left out/edited for space -- from the Home Rule Charter):
Provide and regulate arterial, toll, and other roads, bridges, tunnels, and related facilities, develop and enforce master plans for the control of traffic and parking.
Provide and operate air, water, rail, and bus terminals, port facilities, and public transportation systems.
Provide central records, training and communications for fire and police protection; provide traffic control and central crime investigation; provide fire stations, jails, and related facilities.
Prepare and enforce comprehensive plans for the development of the county.
Provide hospitals and uniform health and welfare programs.
Provide parks, preserves, playgrounds, recreation areas, libraries, museums, and other recreational and cultural facilities and programs.
Establish and administer housing, slum clearance, urban renewal, conservation, flood and beach erosion control, air pollution control, and drainage programs
Provide and regulate or permit municipalities to provide and regulate waste and sewage collection and disposal and water supply and conservation programs.
Levy and collect taxes and special assessments, borrow and expend money and issue bonds, revenue certificates, and other obligations of indebtedness.
Establish, coordinate, and enforce zoning and such business regulations as necessary for the protection of the public.
Adopt and enforce uniform building and related technical codes and regulations for both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county.
Use public funds for the purposes of promoting the development of the county, including advertising the area’s advantages.
Enter into contracts with other governmental units within or outside the boundaries of the county.
Exercise all powers and privileges granted to municipalities, counties, and county officers by the Constitution and laws of the state, and all powers not prohibited by the Constitution or by this Charter.
Adopt such ordinances and resolutions as may be required in the exercise of its powers, and prescribe fines and penalties for violation of ordinances.
Perform any other acts consistent with law which are required by this Charter or which are in the common interest of the people of the county.
Supersede, nullify, or amend any special law applying to this county, or any general law applying only to this county, or any general law where specifically authorized by the Constitution.
Retaliate against citizens whenever possible, give massive raises to staff, go on junkets (call it a trade mission) to waste tax dollars. (just seeing if you are paying attention)
3 comments:
"Prepare and enforce comprehensive plans for the development of the county" should read:
To better serve the interests of developers and their lobbyists.
And the last is the function that commissioners are more dedicated to fulfill -annoy and abuse the citizens of Dade County!
County Commissioners do just make $6,000 per year. They get much more. They report taxable income of $42,000 to $50,000 per year. They also get many benefits that they probably do not report as income. The Commissioners exploit many loopholes to boost their "pay" over the statutory $6,000. They get free health benefits, they get "expenses" reimbursed, they get money for "travel and entertainment", they get a free car and driver, they get free foreign trips... They get a massive slush fund to pay off groups to help insure they get re-elected... They get to make stupid decisons with no fear of voter backlash. They get a pension. There is a reason those dopes refuse to leave once elected.
I wish they could be term limited!!!
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