Wow. So glad to see true leadership on the Board of County Commissioners. Not only does he explain what really happened to the library budget but he aimed to fix the problem. Thank you Commissioner Suarez!
Commissioner Suarez explained clearly why the library came up so short of funds this year - the systematic slashing of the millage rate over the past few years resulting in a 50 percent cut to its budget. What other the department that provides essential services has suffered such an assault?
It does not take a PhD to figure out if you take money away, the service will go away. Let's look at it this way- 2 -1=1. A pre-kindergarten toddler can figure this out.
I am truly grateful to Commissioner Suarez for this statement. It offers a glimpse into the Gimenez administration. Department Directors are squelched from debriefing the Commissioners. The whole atmosphere feels threatening and the Mayor's office now micromanages departmental decisions. This has slowed down county government. What looks like a watchdog acts like a tyrant.
Yes, but what he said had not been said by anyone else, including the Miami Herald in its many, many reports. Suarez showed the courage and took the lead on funding the library system. His statement right then, turned the fate of the libraries around in a long night of twists and turns. After he spoke, others came forth and also spoke up for libraries and our community's future.
Once the tax gets back in place and they work out a pay back plan, may be the library system and all of the county property which houses its facilities needs to go on its own. Without it, they still will have enough to say grace over, and it is one less pot of money for them to muck over. If the county goes broke, we will still have a functioning library system.
He gets it. The effort is not to increase the library millage but to RESTORE it. The library, of all county departments, had been singled out for crippling reductions to their millage for a few years now. Smart leaders recognize the need to right this wrong in order to serve the citizens of this county and to attract new business & tourism.
Many thanks to Commissioner Suarez for his dedication to keeping essential services for this community.Library's Millage Rates: .4860 in 2005 .4860 in 2006 .3842 in 2007 .3822 in 2008 .3822 in 2009 .2840 in 2010 .17950 in 2011 Gimenez came into office: 300 employes laid off, hours cut. .17250 in 2012
The proposed .2993 is not a "tax hike," it's a partial restoration of funding for a library system that has already been bled dry.
Thank goodness the library advocates informed the Commission of the truth the Mayor's office employees and dept director were forbidden from telling about the library budget. Whew! This is no way to run a government.
Let me try to go at this another way. Basic logic dictates that in many things in life, if you do X, then Y will follow. You know from the very beginning that Y will automatically follow. When Y happens, it is not a surprise. If you reduce money (X), staff will be layed off and services will be reduced (Y). It is not a surprise. To accomplish X, the reduction of funds, the Mayor needed a lot of help.
We have to seriously think about a divorce of the library system from the county. What are you to do when the person you have been married to all these years, cuts your money in half, throws you out the house on the street as was done with the Main Library, and throws all your stuff on the lawn? Should you stay there and take more abuse? Or move on?
The Commissioners are very aware that they've been lied to, misled, the Mayor hates county workers, has embarrassed the county in the national news, and wants to destroy libraries under the guise of some vague new futuristic plan he never intended to fund in the first place.
Electing Carlos Giménez as Mayor was the biggest mistake the electorate of Miami-Dade County ever made.
How dare he talk about closing libraries and laying off firefighters when he has five "deputy mayors" and a staff with more bloated salaries and perks than anyone before him?
We have to get rid of the Strong Mayor form of government, and bring in a professional manager. It is too big of an operation to be managed by the caliber of political operatives we have here.
Lets take a look at this, X is a Harvard educated professional versus our current fire fighter mayor..... I wish X would run, but people foolishly believe that he went of the rails years ago. For that impression, we must thank the herald. We love to empower fools and destroy people with integrity.
Impressive speech. It shows that there is a disconnect between our commissioners and this strong arm mayor. It is as if the Commissioners were set up to take a fall for Mayor Gimenez's lack of judgement and inability to be a manager. The county needs a manager again.
25 comments:
1. The most honest member of the Miami-Dade BCC.
2. The smartest member of the M-D BCC.
Wow. So glad to see true leadership on the Board of County Commissioners. Not only does he explain what really happened to the library budget but he aimed to fix the problem. Thank you Commissioner Suarez!
Commissioner Suarez explained clearly why the library came up so short of funds this year - the systematic slashing of the millage rate over the past few years resulting in a 50 percent cut to its budget. What other the department that provides essential services has suffered such an assault?
I agree, when it comes to brains Suarez has them, when it comes to smarts -- he needs prodding.
It does not take a PhD to figure out if you take money away, the service will go away. Let's look at it this way- 2 -1=1. A pre-kindergarten toddler can figure this out.
I am truly grateful to Commissioner Suarez for this statement. It offers a glimpse into the Gimenez administration. Department Directors are squelched from debriefing the Commissioners. The whole atmosphere feels threatening and the Mayor's office now micromanages departmental decisions. This has slowed down county government. What looks like a watchdog acts like a tyrant.
The real question on everyone's mind is WHY does the Mayor and his conspirators want to shut down the library system?
Yes, but what he said had not been said by anyone else, including the Miami Herald in its many, many reports. Suarez showed the courage and took the lead on funding the library system. His statement right then, turned the fate of the libraries around in a long night of twists and turns. After he spoke, others came forth and also spoke up for libraries and our community's future.
Once the tax gets back in place and they work out a pay back plan, may be the library system and all of the county property which houses its facilities needs to go on its own. Without it, they still will have enough to say grace over, and it is one less pot of money for them to muck over. If the county goes broke, we will still have a functioning library system.
He gets it. The effort is not to increase the library millage but to RESTORE it. The library, of all county departments, had been singled out for crippling reductions to their millage for a few years now. Smart leaders recognize the need to right this wrong in order to serve the citizens of this county and to attract new business & tourism.
Many thanks to Commissioner Suarez for his dedication to keeping essential services for this community.Library's Millage Rates:
.4860 in 2005
.4860 in 2006
.3842 in 2007
.3822 in 2008
.3822 in 2009
.2840 in 2010
.17950 in 2011 Gimenez came into office: 300 employes laid off, hours cut.
.17250 in 2012
The proposed .2993 is not a "tax hike," it's a partial restoration of funding for a library system that has already been bled dry.
Thank goodness the library advocates informed the Commission of the truth the
Mayor's office employees and dept director were forbidden from telling about the library budget.
Whew! This is no way to run a government.
Let me try to go at this another way. Basic logic dictates that in many things in life, if you do X, then Y will follow. You know from the very beginning that Y will automatically follow. When Y happens, it is not a surprise. If you reduce money (X), staff will be layed off and services will be reduced (Y). It is not a surprise. To accomplish X, the reduction of funds, the Mayor needed a lot of help.
We have to seriously think about a divorce of the library system from the county. What are you to do when the person you have been married to all these years, cuts your money in half, throws you out the house on the street as was done with the Main Library, and throws all your stuff on the lawn? Should you stay there and take more abuse? Or move on?
$25 MILLLION Dollar a year or more has gone to the general fund from Water & Sewer, thats why your water bill is going up!!! It's just a game to them
The Commissioners are very aware that they've been lied to, misled, the Mayor hates county workers, has embarrassed the county in the national news, and wants to destroy libraries under the guise of some vague new futuristic plan he never intended to fund in the first place.
In reference to the Water & Sewer comment:
TRUE - $20 to $25 Million is taken every year from the M-D Water and Sewer Department to plug holes in the general fund.
Of course there are pipes bursting all over... sewage problems, etc.
And now they have the gall to raise our rates.
By the way, then Commissioner, now Mayor Carlos Giménez has known this since his first day on the Board of County Commissioners.
Commissioner Xavier Suarez is moral and decent and honest. No wonder Mayor Carlos Giménez can't stand him!
Electing Carlos Giménez as Mayor was the biggest mistake the electorate of Miami-Dade County ever made.
How dare he talk about closing libraries and laying off firefighters when he has five "deputy mayors" and a staff with more bloated salaries and perks than anyone before him?
Do you think Xman would run?
For what? Mayor?
Carlos Lopez-Canter the Property Appraiser is being encouraged by many to run against Gimenez.
We have to get rid of the Strong Mayor form of government, and bring in a professional manager. It is too big of an operation to be managed by the caliber of political operatives we have here.
Lets take a look at this, X is a Harvard educated professional versus our current fire fighter mayor..... I wish X would run, but people foolishly believe that he went of the rails years ago. For that impression, we must thank the herald.
We love to empower fools and destroy people with integrity.
Impressive speech. It shows that there is a disconnect between our commissioners and this strong arm mayor. It is as if the Commissioners were set up to take a fall for Mayor Gimenez's lack of judgement and inability to be a manager. The county needs a manager again.
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