Commission Gets Do-Over
Announcing:
Announcing:
SECOND & FINAL READING (ONCE MORE WITH FEELING!) OF THE IRB BUDGET: Tuesday, September 30th at 7 p.m., IRB City Hall Auditorium.
Due to a procedural error, the SECOND and FINAL reading of the IRB budget for FY 2008-2009 must be held AGAIN…would you believe?
On September 18th, just a couple weeks ago, the commission voted 4-to-1 to approve the budget. This approval set the millage rate, the formula by which our property taxes are calculated, at 2.0. The new millage rate your commission set was SO HIGH that it easily hit the percentage of increase requiring a UNANIMOUS (5-0) commission vote. No one caught it until it was damn near too late. The 4-to-1 vote previously rendered doesn’t cut the mustard, so it’s back to the drawing board, folks.
Just when we thought it was safe…our cops are, once again, IN DANGER OF BEING CUT. If you attended the now-defunct September 18th meeting, please be there again THIS TUESDAY NIGHT to support your police all over again. The attendance at the last meeting was impressive enough to result in only a minor reduction in police protection in IRB. We’re anticipating even more butts in the seats for Tuesday night’s “Déjàvufest” as many citizens were out of town or on vacation for what residents only thought was the final reading of next year's budget.
Erase. Erase. This community has another shot of convincing our City Commission not to make ANY REDUCTION WHATSOEVER in our police.
Attend Tuesday night’s meeting and…
…SEE IF your commissioners address why they feel the need to jack the millage rate up so high, well above the staff-recommended rate, in view of current reported bank balances of nearly $1.6 million.
…SEE IF Commissioner Torres sticks to his guns, insisting the millage rate be lower than 2.0, or if he caves to the Mayor’s characterization of "his balls" as “holding the commission hostage.” (The lone Torres NO vote didn’t count last time; this time it’s the key to providing tax relief for many strapped IRB taxpayers. No pressure though, Dan.)
…SEE IF IRB resident David Pearson’s can of black spray paint gets put into use. He graciously donated it at the September 18th meeting for the purpose of masking out the “The World’s Safest Beach” slogan from the City seal, in the event police services were compromised.
…SEE IF IRBeHEARD’s “20 Questions” get answered. (An upcoming posting will include a recap of the questions we posed, which you can print out, add a few queries of your own and use for a handy reference at Tuesday night’s meeting.)
If the dress rehearsal was any indication, Tuesday night’s “show” should definitely be worth the price of admission. It’s your opportunity to, once again, let your elected officials know that cutting essential services in IRB, while using our tax monies to further pet projects and pay for non-essentials during financially difficult times, is not something this community plans to take sitting down.
Be sure to check back on IRBeHEARD over the next couple days for additional postings on this latest comedy of IRB errors.
Nancy Obarski
Beach Trail/IRB
Due to a procedural error, the SECOND and FINAL reading of the IRB budget for FY 2008-2009 must be held AGAIN…would you believe?
On September 18th, just a couple weeks ago, the commission voted 4-to-1 to approve the budget. This approval set the millage rate, the formula by which our property taxes are calculated, at 2.0. The new millage rate your commission set was SO HIGH that it easily hit the percentage of increase requiring a UNANIMOUS (5-0) commission vote. No one caught it until it was damn near too late. The 4-to-1 vote previously rendered doesn’t cut the mustard, so it’s back to the drawing board, folks.
Just when we thought it was safe…our cops are, once again, IN DANGER OF BEING CUT. If you attended the now-defunct September 18th meeting, please be there again THIS TUESDAY NIGHT to support your police all over again. The attendance at the last meeting was impressive enough to result in only a minor reduction in police protection in IRB. We’re anticipating even more butts in the seats for Tuesday night’s “Déjàvufest” as many citizens were out of town or on vacation for what residents only thought was the final reading of next year's budget.
Erase. Erase. This community has another shot of convincing our City Commission not to make ANY REDUCTION WHATSOEVER in our police.
Attend Tuesday night’s meeting and…
…SEE IF your commissioners address why they feel the need to jack the millage rate up so high, well above the staff-recommended rate, in view of current reported bank balances of nearly $1.6 million.
…SEE IF Commissioner Torres sticks to his guns, insisting the millage rate be lower than 2.0, or if he caves to the Mayor’s characterization of "his balls" as “holding the commission hostage.” (The lone Torres NO vote didn’t count last time; this time it’s the key to providing tax relief for many strapped IRB taxpayers. No pressure though, Dan.)
…SEE IF IRB resident David Pearson’s can of black spray paint gets put into use. He graciously donated it at the September 18th meeting for the purpose of masking out the “The World’s Safest Beach” slogan from the City seal, in the event police services were compromised.
…SEE IF IRBeHEARD’s “20 Questions” get answered. (An upcoming posting will include a recap of the questions we posed, which you can print out, add a few queries of your own and use for a handy reference at Tuesday night’s meeting.)
If the dress rehearsal was any indication, Tuesday night’s “show” should definitely be worth the price of admission. It’s your opportunity to, once again, let your elected officials know that cutting essential services in IRB, while using our tax monies to further pet projects and pay for non-essentials during financially difficult times, is not something this community plans to take sitting down.
Be sure to check back on IRBeHEARD over the next couple days for additional postings on this latest comedy of IRB errors.
Nancy Obarski
Beach Trail/IRB
2 comments:
The City Commission is treating IRB citizens like "mushrooms"; keeping us in the dark and covering us with manure.
The citizens deserve answers to all the questions being posted on IRBeHeard.
Facts are:
--IRB is spending too much this year and what is being spent is directed toward low priorities;
--So-called "loans" still not documented in either the General Fund budget as a “receivable” or the Sewer Fund as a “payable”. Are we sure all this extra cash will be spent on paying off loans or will it be forgiven and diverted?;
--Actual fund balances not certain or documented;
--Anticipated carry over, or loss, from the current year not accounted for (given the absence of a CM this past year there should be substantial carryover, unless all the money spent on consultants used up any current year savings);
--Property insurance coverage not factored into size of fund balance, etc. (City assets historically very well insured which reduces the need for excessively large fund balances.).
It is interesting that the City Manager recommends a millage rate substantially lower than that approved by the Commission? Usually, it is the other way around. Why do the City Commissioners need all this extra cash in its coffers? What will the Commission spend this cash on and the cash that will become if they decide to forgive the loans? Why not forgive the loans, now, and lower the sewer and solid waste rates? Why not approve the millage rate recommended by the City Manager as sufficient to run the City? What happened to IRB’s longtime "pay as you go" strategy?
One year ago three members of the current Commission voted for the current budget and Jose failed to help derail it when he had the chance because of his lack of knowledge regarding parliamentary procedure and failure to hold fast to reductions that he, and I, both generally supported. On first reading last year, when only four Commissioners were present, he caved. On second and final reading, if Jose had been truly interested in cuts, instead of grandstanding, he could have made motions, which I could have seconded, to force a vote on numerous individual items. He and I could have forced reduced spending, but he flipped.
I voted against this year’s current budget and millage because I feared reduced taxable valuations (which came to be) and a tougher year economically as a whole for the City and for individual citizens (which came to be), and because many expenditure items were nonsense and self-serving for a few (A2K/USF Study, etc.). City Commissions prior to the last and current prepared this City for a soft landing when times got tough.
Anybody believe assessed valuations will not continue to fall or that times will not be tougher next year?
Equally disturbing is the concerted effort by City government to keep or delay information from those who request it.
A re-vote on the millage? How can the City's brain trust overlook the basic parameters and requirements adopted as a result of the welldocumented property tax revolt? Notice and advertising of the proposed budget for this upcoming meeting may not meet the notice requirements for millage and budget adoption.
The Mayor needs to make sure four questions are answered and well publicized before proceedings begin:
1. What is the highest possible millage rate that can be adopted with a 4-1 vote?
2. What is the highest millage rate that can be approved with a 3-2 vote?
3. At what millage rate does the unanimous vote requirement kick in?
4. What is the default millage rate if the Commission is unable to adopt a millage rate? I had the former City Attorney answer these and similar procedural questions, in advance of the meeting to minimize political posturing.
Bill Ockunzzi
Gulf Blvd./IRB
Thank you for keeping us informed about the happenings with the IRB commission, in their latest "mistake" as quoted by the IRB Mayor; because the Commission voted in illegally the huge 2.0 Millage Rate.
But have no doubt about it, this was not a mistake! An analysis was presented at the July 22, 08 meeting of the necessary votes needed at all levels of increase. This was clear and concise and approved by consensus in the minutes on August 12th. Thus all of the Commission knew of the votes needed to pass the 2.0 millage rate; as well as the staff. Yet no one said anything in their rush to pass this huge tax increase, except Commissioner Torres who voted against it. They approved this tax increase without the votes needed-an illegal act.
Why would they do such a thing? Was it an act of omission again showing the incompetence of staff, and the ineptness of the Commission; or something more sinister, an act of commission, where they wanted the tax increase approved so badly that they closed a blind eye to the state requirements for approval? It will be interesting the excuses we will hear. I hope Daniel Torres holds out for the 1.89 rate.
For the Commission to listen, everyone needs to turn out at Tuesday's meeting to express their thoughts. I hope they will do so.
Regards,
Victor Wood
510 Harbor Drive
IRB 33785
Post a Comment