If it says carry-over funds...it means there is too much there -- in total they had $17,407 million in Carryover of which $3.976 million went to Commissioner's offices according to Miami Today.
Maybe we don't have money to distribute to charities right now. $175,000 to support the Children's Museum? $106,000 to add a position to the Human Rights and Fair Employment Practices staff? Come on! Rebeca Sosa is saving her share "for a rainy day." Rebeca it is raining on us all out here in the County! Our salaries are going down and our expenses are going up (my homeowner's insurance just went up 20%). Sally Heyman is sitting on close to a million dollars. What is with that? Give over ALL that money folks. With a budget hole the size of Hialeah this money belongs plunked in it. We all have to sacrifice.
24 comments:
Surprised Lynda Bell has so much left. Her constituents have come to her for help with their projects, needs etc. and her response is that "Katy spent all her budget" for the year. Of course, check out her new office in Palmetto Bay with marble floors, leather couches, elegant office furniture and new landscaping. Someone paid for the remodeling from some budget. Is Farmshare getting a budget this year?
Carlos Gimenez, you listening?
All the money that remains should go back to the General Fund.
While Gimenez is putting money back he should abolish all the CRAs. They are nothing but slush funds used to funnel money to insiders.
They should have to call these balances "Campaign Funds"
In my experience, the Commissioners handle this money as if it were their own hard earned dolars.
Just watch when the next round of recall petitions get filed. Every one of them will start spending money in their districts. Remember when Seijas tried to dump over $200,000 at the last minute? Given the battle Sosa is in with the nurses and interns at Jackson, she may all of a sudden think the rainy day has arrived. A tracking report of these expenditures should be posted after every Commission meeting. Good catch GoD.
The Mayor needs a line item veto so he can take this garbage out of the budget. If the governor has one, so should our mayor.
Remember it is the commission that has authority over the budget, not the mayor. If they want those funds, there is nothing we can do.
No commissioner should be able to carry-over any monies, in fact the
amount of monies received should be cut by 3/4th the amount set.
Additionally, Bell is telling everyone she has no monies that Kathy spent it all - I guess she thinks we are all stupid - nice job on the luxury offices with mable floors - this is terrible - people wake up nothing has changed!
We should have a smaller commission, term limits of 2 terms 4 years each, give them a salary but take away the right to work anywhere else! Take Executive Benefits away for the entire County! No more slush funds - no more carry-over funds and make them use the offices DOWNTOWN - yes they ALL have offices there no more excuses that they need to spend money to be close to the community - it does not matter they do not listen away's - so take it away!
I agree that all money should go back to general fund. Under the circumstances, these are terrible times calling for extreme measures. I know this will be controversial, but so will the rest of the budget be.
The above information is incorrect and Miami Today newspaper, the publisher of the article, will be issuing a retraction either next week or the week after as several Commission offices are balking over its accuracy.
The carryover balance associated with District 8 was applied to former Commissioner Katy Sorenson’s operating expenditures for the period of time she was in office during Fiscal Year 2010-11.
Furthermore, if not all carryover balances are spent they revert to the general fund and are not applied to the incoming Commissioner.
Commissioner Lynda Bell’s Office did not receive ANY carryover funding. Morreover, as a result of a change in budget policy during Fiscal Year 2008-09, Commissioners offices no longer receive discretionary funds.
Gimenez would pick up savings of $50 MILLION or more by terminating the Community Development Agencies.
Probably much more.
It would be impossible for Bell to have carry over funds, she just started some months ago. If you remember, Katie Sorenson gave out all of her money the last month she was in office, like VNS. Katie gave something like 40,000 to Homestead and about 200,000 to other groups.
The new Commissioner like Bell, Montestime, Bovo, an Suarez don't get any carryover or discretion money. It's the older Commissioners that have all that money saved up from when they used to get money. It should all be sent backup the general fund.
Gimenez should cut GSA, he would save the county like $200,000,000 they charge people like $200 for a trash can.
If the commissioners use the downtown offices they won't need so much money.
District office's yearly lease is approximately $40,000 to $50,000 each, excluding utilities, etc. District offices are not for the community, they are for the commissioner's convenience so they don't have to travel downtown, has anybody ever asked how many citizens actually visit the district offices?
Gimenez should terminate all the District offices immediately. Bite the bullet. Save money. Reduce staff.
If the commissioners don't like it they can quit.
SURFSIDE’S INDEPENDENCE DAY LAMENT
Since the birth of America, men and women have fought and died to protect our nation, our democracy, and our right to vote. On July Fourth we celebrate our national independence, and we salute and remember those who have sacrificed to enable our citizens to live in a free society. Our community here in Surfside has traditionally recognized Independence Day, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day and honored our nation, its military and veterans, through times of both war and peace and we are proud of our town’s long standing ideals. If only they weren’t being disrespected by our own town government.
On this day in 2011 we must sadly recognize that right here in our own community, the Town of Surfside, we are being denied the right to vote. Denied the very rights that Independence Day is all about. Town officials have adamantly refused to comply with the Town Charter and as a result we have not been allowed to have a referendum - no public votes - on critically important matters such as:
-- dozens of no-bid contracts given out, siphoning off & depleting the town’s savings
-- the needless demolition and destruction of the beautiful, historic Community Center
-- the expenditure of millions of dollars of town savings (far more than is being admitted to by Town Hall) for demolition and to build a new and smaller Community Center with no Auditorium or Library, to be run on a deficit basis
-- the sell-out and complete changing of the Town's zoning code to vastly increase allowable development, density and congestion
-- the Town going into debt for 16 million dollars plus 9 million in interest and fees to replace the entire water and sewer system to expand capacity for future
development in Bal Harbour and Surfside while simultaneously soaking Surfside residents with enormously increased, oppressive water and sewer bills
Surfside is being run far more like a dictatorship than as a participatory democracy. Town officials provide cover for the drain of town money, and they let developers write zoning laws to suit their agenda. Special interests reign and manipulate all official decisions. It is a disgrace that voters have been denied the right to vote on such crucial issues. The community has been permanently damaged as a result. Taxpayers' wallets, and quality of life, are being ripped off!
Commissioner Linda Bell should not have spent taxpayer dollars in the new office space in Palmetto Bay.
She should have continued to use the South Dade Government building space that had been used by Commissioner Sorenson and Commissioner Moss.
This is totally inappropriate at this or any time.
One reason for the move that nobody seems to want to recognize was safety.
Many constituents had issues with parking and being approached by panhandlers. It also houses a courthouse. Stairs are tough on the elderly also.
As usual all of the experts opine about things they know nothing about.
How many people would go to the downtown office? NONE - you have to pay for parking and take a day off work for that.
Lynda Bell broke a BIG campaign promise by moving out of the government center.
We could get rid of commissioners and save us all money and aggravation. Can you imagine what the Mayors race would be like then?
The county just spent millions on elevators and other ADA improvements in the last 4 years. The only issue with parking at the building is that employees park in the main lots.
And again, any planner will tell you that in most buildings and even cities, the lack of parking is not an issue... the lack of commitment on the part of people to walk to their destination is the issue. Everyone wants a princess spot.
Bell wanted to worm her way into palmetto bay. she has Starbucks on one side and Offerdals on the other. She is happy.
I parked in the main lot and was approached for a handout for gas money!
Katie agreed to provide Homestead with funds to help develop a citizens plan for the downtown area as long as the city provided a match equal to the funds provided. The agreement was nearly a year in the making.
An earlier comment was correct: neither Bell nor Monestine had carryover from 2010 since they werent there. Commissioner Rolle spent more than he had in his budget before he lost his seat so Monestine started off in the red.
Fear of panhandlers??? Move downtown people, you will get out of that fear quickly. They are everywhere.. You can't sanitize everything. Maybe Bell should see the underbelly of her district not the Starbucks set.
Who goes to these district offices except the staff?
why not have the commissioners meeting "virtually", like a conference call? If they want to keep their district office, they don't need one downtown. All that money would be saved...no office, no parking.
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