Saturday, July 20, 2019
"Special?" And a "Workshop?"
This coming Wednesday, July 24, there are two Commission events. The "special meeting" at 6:30 is a quickie, and it is to approve the millage for the coming year. The proposal is to keep the millage at 9.7
As I have said many times, this kind of proposal-- keeping the millage unchanged-- in itself has no meaning. The number of mills is the same, but the number of dollars isn't. Property values change (they usually increase, but sometimes, they decrease), and those who have the Homestead Exemption discount are almost always behind the assessment, so they almost always pay more each year. In a case like this, it's 9.7 mills on an underassessment. But it's not enough so that they're not undersupporting the Village. And our expenses aren't the same, either. Not only do costs generally naturally increase with inflation, and yearly raises, and increasing costs of things like health care premiums, but this year, we are in the unusual position of having legal expenses that are comparatively going through the roof. It appears our mayor has developed the habit of making very liberal use of private legal advice she doesn't share with anyone else, and for which we have to pay.
So, saying our millage should remain at 9.7 is irrational. The most that can be said is that a budget will be proposed that doesn't spend more than the revenue. In that sense, it's a balanced budget, which they all are. And we can choose to spend/do more, if the revenue is higher, or we will spend/do less, if the revenue is lower. But since the Village is not able to meet its responsibilities as a municipality, and our current mayor is blowing considerably more money than have mayors ever before, on her excessive need for legal advice, hand-holding, or hiring legal henchwomen, there is no reason to think a continued millage of 9.7 is enough. It's not been enough for the past several or many years, and there's no reason it should be enough now. And this discussion is expected to be quick. One thing that will make it quicker is, once again, the Village's refusal to provide back-up so that other Village residents can see if any mistakes or mischief is being made.
Then, at 7:00, there is another meeting which is supposedly for the purpose of discussing "Meetings Policies and Procedures," and devising a tighter structure for the meetings. The problem here is that the mayor-- Tracy "Big Mama" Truppman-- and her stooges on the Commission have already locked down meetings, so that they exclude Village residents as much as possible, and accomplish as little as possible. And the proposal for new structure was simply cut and pasted, as they say, by Will Tudor from municipalities that are not Biscayne Park, and are considerably larger and less agile. This part of the second meeting is completely nonsensical, and it does not apply to us. Further, the problem the current Commission-- mostly Big Mama-- is seemingly trying to solve is one that this Commission-- mostly Big Mama-- has created. If we could get rid of this Commission, we wouldn't have the problem, and we wouldn't need a solution.
I myself won't be there. I have another commitment, which I am unmotivated to change in order to watch myself and my neighbors get further sidelined. But I'll find out what happens, apart from what is entirely predictable, and I'll let you know.
Oh but there's a second item on that second meeting agenda. Big Momma wants to tighten up the rules for boards and committees. One of the many ways she is so generous with our money and giving it to the attorneys is the ordinance she had them craft and put on this month's regular commission meeting agenda. Whe it finally got through to her that you just can't do that she had to pull it. They had to have commission discussion first which is what this new meeting appears to be about. And speaking of the attorney. Rebecca is some spin doctor. She insisted this ordinance is only about public records law. Yep, you bet Rebecca. Can't wait for her to explain what not allowing anyone who resigns from a board to apply for any board for a full calendar year has to do with public records law. And that's just one example.
ReplyDeleteWe must be Gray Robinson's most generous client.
Who's "we?" It's just Big Mama who's generous. Although she's generous, as they say, with other people's money. Our money. The rest of us only pay. Big Mama gets herself paid. And she looks after her girls, and her boy, Krishan, too.
DeleteDo you remember how Big Mama a year or two ago wanted to slip Krishan an extra $5000? And the Commission said no? I really wonder if she found a way to skim it somehow, so that he would get what she promised him, and what he earns by being her good boy. I do not know Big Mama to take no for an answer. Like when she was told she couldn't be the Village manager, and guess who the Village manager is now.
From Chuck Ross, whose internet security protection does not allow him to post stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe meetings potion of the workshop discussion turned to public comments. According to Tracy with the support of Betsy, it is the Public that is the root cause of endless meetings that can’t complete an agenda. Plus, personal attacks on the Mayor and some Commissioners bog down the meetings and Tracy just doesn’t wish to listen to it anymore. It’s troublesome and it bothers her to have to listen to the public. So, with the assistance and support of Betsy and the teenage attorney Rebecca, Tracy insists in order to have more productive meetings, that rules be instituted to restrict public comment at the beginning of the meetings to agenda items only and G & W be pushed to the end of the meeting. After waving my hand in the air for some time, Tracy, the Queen of Darkness, allowed me to speak. I pointed out that in my opinion it was not the public but the Commissioner’s that cause the meetings to bog down. They should put some time limits on their discussions and the meetings are not run as tight as they should be, the public is not the problem.
What I should have added is that most of the comments are critical views or reviews of Tracy and her minion’s behavior towards the public, the lack of any meaningful response, if any, from the Manager or the Commission, the Clerks incompetence and let’s not forget the numerous blunders by the attorney. These types of comments are not personal attacks and should not be pushed to the back of the bus.
My guess is, despite the fact I didn’t hear any consensus on this, it will be bundled in the ordinance if it is ever brought to a first reading.