Okay, so we’re not Aventura. We get that. Oh, boy, do we get that! But what I find extraordinarily interesting is the fact that with all of Aventura’s expensive high rises, two malls (including the world-renowned Aventura Mall), high end shops and restaurants, beautiful parks, well maintained roads and a fancy schmancy City Hall, its entire budget for the fiscal year 2011/2012 is a “whopping” $49.9 million (see Aventura budget comes in at 2 percent less than last year http://www.miamiherald.com/
Despite the fact that Aventura was one of the few cities in Miami-Dade County where the property tax values increased, “Tax rates will remain the same at $1.7261 per $1,000. For a $300,000 home, the city’s median value, taxes would be approximately $473, after subtracting the $50,000 homestead exemption. The city’s taxes represent about 10 percent of a resident’s tax bill.”
WAIT A MINUTE! How can it be that a homeowner in Aventura whose property is valued at $300,000.00, which is MORE THAN THREE TIMES what my house is worth, is only paying $473.00 in city taxes? Well, for starters, Aventura only takes 10% of the homeowner’s total tax bill as opposed to the approximate 20% we pay to North Miami Beach. On top of that, our millage rate is 6.60360 compared to Aventura’s 1.7261.
SO FOR ALL THE COPS WHO BITCHED THAT I “ONLY” PAY $250.00 IN TAXES – SCREW YOU! If my home were in Aventura, I’d pay HALF THAT!
How does the City of Aventura manage to squeak by on such a meager budget? Apparently, they have a city manager who has the cojones to keep a tight rein on the spending and a council that supports his decisions! How novel.
According to the article, “City officials said Aventura residents will receive the same services as last year. The city will save about $450,000 by getting lower bids on contracts for landscaping, road and park maintenance, recreational events and the city’s shuttle bus. The savings will help limit the city’s operating costs to a 1.1 percent increase over last year.
Read the article for all the gory details.
But the bottom line is they cut the fat, cut the spending and outsourced as many services as possible by taking bids. Somehow, I don’t hear the residents of Aventura screaming that they’re not getting the services they expect because of privatization. Do you? I didn’t think so. THEY’RE TOO BUSY ENJOYING THEIR SERVICES TO COMPLAIN!
It’s just so infuriating that the residents in North Miami Beach have to go through the ordeal that we’re experiencing just to get a balanced budget passed. What the employees don’t realize, and they’d better understand this reality, is that if the city doesn’t pass a balanced budget by the end of this month, THE STATE OF FLORIDA WILL STEP IN AND TAKE OVER OUR CITY. If that happens ALL the employees will be finding themselves on the unemployment line. And, believe me, that’s nowhere near as fun as standing in the STFU line.
You gotta love the Mayor of Aventura, who was quoted as saying, “We run a very, very, very tight city here,” said Aventura Mayor Susan Gottlieb. “We are able to do a lot of things based on the fact that we outsource so many of our services. Fortunately we have been able to negotiate contracts in our favor, and we have taken advantage of our opportunities.”
To the three council members of North Miami Beach who are stonewalling the budget process for political purposes, I suggest you stop acting like idiots and start acting like responsible, adult elected officials. Consider this: You three helped get us into this mess, and I’ll make sure the voters know this next time you run for re-election.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
So, the Aventura Police is not threatening their residents with a “Go SLOW” plan, which means “Stop” south of 159th St. except for Washington Park, as the NMBPD has promised us in writing?
I would say we get GPS tracers for the police cars. When there is a call for an officer and they chose to hide under a tree in one of our parks or donut shops, we would know. Police officers who want to work, our city need. The loafers can leave. I heard others are choosing to outsource the police service. Two years ago some of us fought against this, asking for reforms in salaries and pensions instead. Two years after, the unions nor the non union workers, budged. That is unfortunate.
We knew for sure, greed melted Wall St. Would greed melt our police department?
Warmest.
I say yes to the GPS trackers, cameras and live internet access. We could even go on NMB TV while we are working our shifts. Big brother is watching. What a great idea. Maybe we can get remote controlled cars so you can drive the car while we are looking for bad guys.
Would should brng back the red light cameras too. That way everyone is beng watched. Except for kazahn though, he complains he doesnt see us then we he does he claims were harrassing him. Looosseerrrrr!!!!
I think the NMB police force is one of the finest anywhere. There are a few hot-heads as there are on any force but that is the nature of the beast. No one in the city wants a reduction in force but the city’s financial issues are real and all the false claims of hidden monies and cooked-books are absurd. The entire nation built budgets based on an economy balloon that went “pop”. Teachers, nurses, postal workers and just about everyone else in the public sector has had to accept the current fiscal realities and make huge concessions. Why does the police union think we will believe that the City of North Miami Beach somehow escaped the economic downturn? We were so well managed that we are secretly sitting on a money pit? Doesn’t anyone remember what happened when the union “went to the mat” for the proud employees of Eastern Airlines? “Eastern who?” It is not a matter of whether or not you are valued, it’s a matter of what the market will bear.
The article says Aventura borrowed a “bit from its reserves” and depending on who you listen to NMB either has 4 million in reserves or over 10 million. The article also says that Aventura gave a merit pay increase…NMB officers have had NO RAISES since 2008. No cola,nothing.
Now the city is going to fire 17 junior officers, 5 of whom are on a 1.5 million dollar Federal grant. This will mean the city will have to PAY the grant monies back and loose the ability to get grants in the future. The question is why would the city pay so much to loose these officers when they have made no attempt to get rid of the top paid employees who are close to retirement. There were at least 7 from the top including some Sgts a Capt and several topped out officers willing to leave that could surely save the young guys at the bottom. Not to mention they would not enter the drop. An early retirement window would save the City in the end, allowing them to save the officers AND money.
Aventura does say it “borrowed a bit from its reserves.” I will assume they have sufficient reserves from which to borrow. I have not looked at their budget, so I can’t say for sure.
As for the firings, it has been suggested by several people that some of the police “old timers” should retire to save the young cops’ jobs. The question that’s arisen is who has the right to tell someone to retire? From what I can tell, this would be a win-win situation for everyone because the younger officers (in my opinion, of course) are much more suited for police work than the “AARP crowd.” I am taking liberties by saying that because I’m one of them myself. However, I’m guessing that no one can be forced to retire if they don’t want to. Offering them an “incentive” would probably not be a viable option because if there was money to do that, there would be money to keep everyone.
A bigger problem the city is going to have to contend with is pension reform. Since all contracts in existence must be honored, the policy must change for those who have not yet vested. Right now the city is in debt for approximately $70 million dollars on pensions they are already paying out, so there has to be a way to start paying that down while not incurring more debt. I would not even begin to know how this could be done.
As for the city’s current reserves, I don’t have that figure, but I will find out. Either way, it should be in black and white in the budget, so I have to ask a few people who I know have studied the budget to death, and see what they come up with. If I forget to come back to you with an answer, please remind me. Old folks like me tend to forget stuff.
What if the city builds a DD south of NE 159 Street? They could put cameras in DD and citizens could watch the cops “liming” around at DD. This city is the best! I just heard that we have a budget problem? What happened? Can someone please tell me what is going on?
What’s a DD?
No, there’s no budget problem. Are you spreading rumors?
Dunkin Doughnuts. Cop lingo. Rumors? That’s a song by Fleetwood Mac?
Ooooooh. Glad you cleared that up. Great song!
Will a bake sale help?
Not if you expect me to do the baking. I’m semi-retired from the kitchen.
So I dont have the time to dig in here.. but I just biked to starbucks in aventura and bike.. I covered 4 miles of different routes..
Weve been over these issues many times..
The chamber of commerce here isnt exactly going to win awards..
The doughnut hole, the high school, undeveloped areas, welfare housing etc..
I have stated for a while that the mall is a pox.. look at the shooting for proof
That shooting at the mall could have happened ANYWHERE. And it has. Just last night there was a shooting death in a nightclub in Miami. Whenever you live in a cosmopolitan area, such as Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, you are going to have crime. The larger the population, the more criminals you’ll have. Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas any more.
Nmb though is small… the issue is the overblown school (how many kids are bussed in? how many non resident kids are roaming nmb?!)
The mall
The roads…
Any ideas are quickly shot down because “the county will never go for that”