Real EstateTaxes are going up in North Bay Village!

Residents of North Bay Village if you missed yesterday’s budget meeting do not despair, next Wednesday September 25, 2013 at Treasure Island Elementary School Auditorium/Cafeteria at 6 PM is the final budget meeting; be there! We had new faces at the meeting but the turnout was not large enough to make an impact.  To those that were at the meeting I thank you. Please attend the next meeting September 25 and bring as many neighbors as you possibly can.  If you cannot afford any tax raise I urge you and implore you to be there and plea your case. Once the millage for the 2014 is set it cannot be changed nor turned back.

Commissioner Wendy Duval was impressive and expressed her disapproval with the presented cuts. Commissioner Duval and Commissioner Chervony were the only ones asking for further cuts. The police budget continues to be a big item. Commissioner Gonzalez, Vice Mayor Lim and the Mayor used their time to make useless comments and really did not offer much. One thing that really bothered me was when Mayor Connie Leon-Kreps attempted to defend the roughly $ 500, 000.00 increase to the Police Budget and alluded to wanting to keep crime down. Like anyone of us wants crime to go up. Here is an idea Mayor, lets keep crime down and still cut the increases to a reasonable millage rate!

The questions of having performance measured for each of the department heads that are measurable and accountable attached to the budget was too much for Commissioner Gonzalez, Vice Mayor Lim and Mayor Leon Kreps to understand and support.

Our Interim Village Manger Frank Rollason and our Finance Director Bert Wrains were absolutely transparent, clear and detailed on their tentative 2014 budget presentation.  If there was ever a chance in North Bay Village Budget History to make things right it’s now. I am sure that with the continued leadership of Commissioner Chervony, Commissioner Duval, Finance Director Burt Wrains, and Interim Village Manager Frank Rollason and his North Bay Village staff we will come up with a 2014 budget and performance measures that we all can live with! North Bay Village residents you can make the difference be there Wednesday September 25, 2013.

Honestly Opinionating

PUTTING NORTH BAY VILLAGE FIRST!

MARIO GARCIA

September 18, 2013