Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez on This Week in South Florida talking about his proposed County Budget including libraries. Script below: ONE OF MIAMI DADE MAYOR CARLOS GIMENEZS MOST IMPORTANT TASKS IS PREPARING A BUDGET TO RUN COUNTY GOVERNMENT. IT HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY HARD FOR HIM TO DO IT THIS TIME BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT STARTED OUT IN THE HOLE, A $208 MILLION HOLE SOICHLT WENT TO COUNTY HALL THIS WEEK TO FIND OUT HOW THE MAYOR IS GOING TO MAKE UP THAT DEFICIT AND WHETHER IT WILL MEAN JOB CUTS AND FEWER COUNTY SERVICES. MAYOR GIMENEZ, YOUVE BEEN WORKING ON YOUR BUDGET NOW FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. YOURE GOING TO RELEASE IT IN A FEW DAYS. ITS GONE THROUGH SEVERAL ITERATIONS, A WORK IN PROGRESS MENT BUT YOUVE ALWAYS SAID THERE WILL NOT BE A TAX INCREASE. IS THERE A TAX INCREASE ON THE BUDGET? NO. THERE WILL NOT BE A TAX INCREASE. BUT THE LIBRARY MILLAGE MAY GO UP A LITTLE BIT. WELL, THERE WILL BE AN OVERALL-- THERE WILL NOT BE AN OVERALL TAX INCREASE. YOU KNOW, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID IN FISCAL YEAR 11/12. WE MAY MOVE SOME MILLAGES AROUND BUT THE OVERALL NUMBER WILL NOT INCREASE. AND SO WERE LOOKING AT A WAY TO INCREASE THE LIBRARY MILLAGE BUT DECREASE OTHER MILLAGES TO COMPENSATE FOR IT IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE OUR LIBRARIES ARE OPEN, THEYRE OPEN THE SAME TESTIMONY OF DAYS AND HOURS. BUT WITH FEWER EMPLOYEES. WITH FEWER EMPLOYEES. WE HAVE HAD A PRETTY MAJOR BUDGET CRUNCH. WE ARE DEVELOPING THIS BUDGET UNDER A WORST-CASE SCENARIO, ANTICIPATE NOTHING CONCESSIONS FROM THE UNIONS. ANTICIPATING NO CONCESSIONS IN TERMS OF OUR COST FOR HEALTH INSURANCE WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, EXTREMELY HIGH. AND SO WITH THAT, WHEN YOU HEAR THESE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT WE MAY HAVE TO LAY OFF T IS TAKING IN CONSIDERATION THE WORSE CASE SCENARIO. WE HAVE NOW, WERE DOWN TO ABOUT 65 MILLION DOLLARS. WE HAD IT FROM 208. YOU STARTED AT 206 MILLION. WE STARTED AT 208. WE WERE DOWN TO ABOUT 65 MILLION, WHICH NOW THE 65 MILLION MEANS DIRECT SERVICES. THIS IS WHERE YOU KNOW THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD AND WHERE SOME OF THESE CUTS WILL BE PAINFUL. ALL RIGHT, WELL SOME OF THE PAIN IS GOING TO BE IN THE MIAMI DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT. YOU ARE LOOKING AT CUTTING ROUGHLY WHAT, 255 POLICE OFFICERS. WERE DOWN TO ABOUT 230. AND BUT THE ONE THING I DID TELL THE DIRECT CERTIFICATE THAT I WANTED NO PATROL OFFICERS TO BE-- WERE GOING HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF PATROL OFFICERS ON THE STREET. NO SPECIALIZED UNITS. THEYRE GOING TO BE DISBANDED. FEWER PEOPLE IN SOME OF THOSE UNITS. ROBBERY INTERVENTION DETAILMENT BUT THEY ALL HAVE-- THEY WILL STILL BE IN OPERATION. THEY WILL HAVE FEWER PEOPLE IN THEM. WE WILL ALSO HAVE PEOPLE WERE THAT WERE BEHIND DESKS. PEOPLE THAT WERE SUPERVISING FOLKS THEY WILL NO LONGER NEED TO SOUP VICE. THEY NEED TO GO BACK ON THE STREET. THAT IS HOW WE ARE HANDLING THAT. AGAIN, MICHAEL, AT THE END IT WILL BE UP TO-- THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS. THE COMMISSION DOESNT RAISE THE TAXES, WHICH I HOPE THEY DONT BECAUSE IM NOT GOING TO PROPOSE IT. AND THEN THE UNIONS DONT COME TO THE TABLE WITH SOME CONCESSIONS THEN ITS REALLY GO BE TO BE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LAID OFF, REALLY UP TO THEM. YOU STARTED WITH A POSSIBILITY OF 700 LAYOFFS. YES. BUT YOUVE KEPT CUTTING THAT DOWN BUT THERE ARE STILL HOW MANY PEOPLE THEORETICALLY WOULD BE LAID OFF? THERE ARE MORE THAN 700. THEORETICALLY NOW UNDER WORST-CASE SCENARIO NOW THAT WE ARE DOWN TO ABOUT 65 MILLION DOLLARS, WERE ABOUT CLOSE TO 800. PEOPLE MAYBE LAID OFF. AGAIN, THAT WILL ALL AT THE END WILL BE DICTATED BY THE CONCESSIONS THAT WE CAN NEGOTIATE WITH THE UNION. YEAH. AND YOU AT ONE POINT HAD SAID IM GOING TO ASK ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES TO GIVE US A 10% PAY CUT. YOUVE PULLED BACK ON THAT AND YOU SAID I WANT BENEFIT CONCESSIONS ON HELP. WHAT ARE THE CONCESSIONS YOU WANT? WELL, IN THE CONTRACTS RIGHT NOW THERE ARE CONCESSIONS THAT THE EMPLOYEES HAVE GIVEN US FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS. NOW MIND YOU THE EMPLOYEES HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, 9% BACK IN TERMS OF AT LEAST THEIR HEALTH CARE CONTRIBUTIONS. THATS ELIMINATED. THEYVE GOTTEN AT LEAST A 9% RAISE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS BUT THERE ARE SOME OTHER CONCESSIONS THAT REMAIN. BUT THEY ARE SCHEDULED TO END OCTOBER 1s. WHAT IM ASKING IS THAT WE EXTEND THOSE CONCESSION, IN OTHER WORDS, IM NOT ASKING TO TAKE ANY MORE FROM THE PAYCHECK AND THAT THE UNIONS WORK WITH THE ADMINISTRATION TO REDUCE THE COST OF HEALTH CARE BY 15% SIMPLY BY A PLAN WE DESIGNED. AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WAYS THAT WE CAN REDUCE OUR EXTRAORDINARY COST IN HEALTH CARE THAT WILL NOT HURT THE EMPLOYEE. THAT WILL GIVE THEM EXCELLENT HEALTH CARE BUT WE REALLY HAVE AND IVE SAID IT OVER AN OVER AGAIN, WE HAVE A ROLLS-ROYCE PLAN. WE REALLY NEED TO GET DOWN TOO MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVE, A CHEVY T COULD EVEN BE A CADILLAC OR-- A ROLLS-ROYCE. RIGHT NOW WE PAY OVER $400 MILLION IN HEALTH CARE. I SAW THE OTHER DAY THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF POLICIES THAT ARE IN PLACE THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR A WHILE ABOUT THREE BUS DRIVERS COULD BE PAID WHILE ONLY ONE DRIVES A BUS. OTHER REALLY JUST OUTRAGE US KINDS OF POLICIES THAT ARE IN EFFECT. I MEAN HOW CAN THESE GO ON? THEY CANT. THATS WHY ALSO A PART OF THE CONCESSIONS OR THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE THESE ARE MANAGEMENT RIGHTS THAT WERE GIVEN AWAY A LONG TIME AGO. BY THE COMMISSION. BY THE COMMISSION. AND BY PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS. THEY WERE MANAGING RIGHTS GIVEN AWAY A LONG TIME AGO. THE UNIONS WILL SAY YES, WE GAVE UP SOMETHING FOR THOSE CONCESSIONS BUT THEY DONT-- IF IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE T DOESNT MAKE SENSE. SO THOSE THINGS THAT DONT MAKE SENSE FROM A MAGAZINE PERSPECTIVE WERE GOING TO BE ASK TO ROLL THEM BACK AND GET SOME SEMBLANCE OF SANITY IN THE WAY THAT WE RUN OUR GOVERNMENT. LOOK, FOR ME IT IS SERVICE OVER SELF.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 14:22:57 +0000
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