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News
Classifieds and Directories
City commission hikes tax rate 12.3% As result of a millage rate lower than the one the city manager sought, Salerno informed the commission that the city would have to cut an extra $1.2 million from the budget by eliminating an additional 23 full-time and 2 part-time positions. This comes on top of the 48 full-time and 16 part-time workers the city already has announced would lose their jobs in the upcoming fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
Coral Gables taxpayers will be billed at a rate 12.3 percent higher than last year and 89 city employees will lose their jobs as result of the city commission’s actions Tuesday night. Comments
Don Slesnick/Salerno only think about their personal interests. Why don't they restructure the employee benefits? i.e., PENSIONS/SICK LEAVE DAYS, etc.
Let employees contribute 100% to their individual pensions.
said yolanda gomez at 30-Sep-09 07:45 AM
We now know where the city manager's priorities lie. Cut 12 cops before the cell phone and car allowances perks for his lieutenants??? Huh? Notice none of the senior management in City Hall got the axe, just the lowly worker bees. How come none of the richly compensated employees in the DROP weren't offered severance packages?
said Pat's pets at 30-Sep-09 08:23 AM
I suggest that we source out the Legal Dept. as many small cities do. Hire a top gun firm that will work for the City. Our City Attorney has transformed into a Politician.
said Mike leavy at 30-Sep-09 08:51 AM
Mz. Yolanda Gomez, you are obviously an odiot!!! So we should work for free, contribute all of our salary to pension. Your taxes only went up $300-600 max. Employees have been laid off or have lost thousands of dollars of income. Your lack of knowledge and stupidity is only out done by your weight. I never have known a girl named Yolanda that isn't as big as a house. Stop eating so many twinkies and ho-hos, and you could save enough to pay your taxes.
said UR AN IDIOT at 30-Sep-09 12:05 PM
Don't be surprised if it becomes obvious in the next month or so that Salerno intends to reorganize City Hall top to bottom. Wages for current employees have been cut. Pension formulas as well have been cut. It's only logical, now that the budget dust begins settling, that Salerno will start replacing David Brown's Lieutenants and consolidating Departments, including outsourcing some services. Give it two years and most of the primary faces will be new.
said time will tell at 30-Sep-09 12:14 PM
to ur an idiot ---- your pay scales and benefits are WAY out of line with the private sector. employee wages and benefits are 80% of the budget. why should the taxpayers of coral gables pay more to MAINTAIN YOUR SALARIES AND PENSIONS WHEN OUR SALARIES AND PENSIONS ARE GOING down? take note of what happened to detroit and the auto workers---if you are economically way out of line it will get adjusted. if it doesn't make sense economically it doesn't work. pissed off resident
said laura at 30-Sep-09 12:42 PM
I BET UR AND IDIOT DOESN'T PAY PROPERTY TAXES THAT'S WHY "TAXES WENT UP $300 - $600 DOESN'T BOTHER HIM/HER. ALSO BY THE ARDENT DEFENSE OF THE "POOR" EMPLOYEES I BET IS EITHER A FIREMAN,POLICEMAN
OR GENERAL EMPLOYEE. ALSO SHOWS VERY LOW CLASS AND EDUCATION WHEN HE/SHE STOOPS TO SUCH LANGUAGE AND ATTACKS. DON'T WORRY YOUR PENSION IS STILL INTACT.!
said pay through the nose at 30-Sep-09 12:47 PM
Un real, but believable from the city of CG..... Raise taxes to pay for their mismanagement WITHOUT regards to the residents.....and the residents did complain, but to ears that need hearing aids.
Why could they not collect what is owed to tham....Biltmore, Coral Gables Country Club, stop the MUSEUM (big wste of money when the economy as they say is bad). THe economy is bad, but the leaders of this city contributed to the cities financial problems. We must then try and bring our property assesments down, since the city is in financial trouble because of MISMANAGEMENT, by a corrupt admisnistration.
said CoralGablesResident at 30-Sep-09 02:20 PM
administration.....
PS Lastnight I was watching the Coral Gables channel on TV....and they put the pasrt that the City of Coral Gables declered BANKRUPTCY in 1928....MAYBE....it should also be done in 2009....Has to be.
said CoralGablesResident at 30-Sep-09 02:22 PM
Everyone in the drop should have been dropped....No Directors are receiving pink slips. Cabrera was right about Don Nelson it is his responsibility, plus the original Finance audit was released in 2007. Look for it. Fire the Finance Director.
said Mike Leavy at 30-Sep-09 02:35 PM
Ur an idiot, should stick to the topic and stop calling people name, if that's. all u can dish u should be fired. I too am an emloyee and willing to do what it takes to get the city leveled first. Those big mouth resident- are loser, city employees are residents TOO!
said Anonymous at 30-Sep-09 02:35 PM
Who's to blame for the Country Club, Biltmore? The Finance Director who is also on the drop. My son who's in six grade could have balanced the budget. Stop the corruption and you could have kept the same millage rate and employees.
said Elaine Z. at 30-Sep-09 02:55 PM
Wasn't there an election not too long ago, and what was the voter turnout? The problem is that it is the same people ranting and raving. The bulk of the Gables residents are too busy living in their own little sheltered world's and are either not informed or do not care. When was the last time that there was over a twenty percent turnout for an election? It is sad when only a couple of thousand votes gets you into office. We all have friends who live in other parts of the county and I have done my research, Did you know that are police department is the only one that requires college education. They have three board certified attorney's, one Dr. and a great majority who have master's degree's. That is why I live in the Gables! My family and my home are my most prized possesions. I am glad I do not see the Gables on the news everynight. I have looked at the Police blotter and I see that there is plenty of crime in Coral Gables. But it seems these days the only MAJOR crime has been at City Hall. We as residents MUST inform, educate, and get others involved. It can not be handled by the same few who speak up. It must be a contstant effort. That way when election time comes around again we have people's ears! Until more people stand up and unite other than the same five who write here it will continue to be the same crap, different day!
said same crap different day at 30-Sep-09 03:58 PM
Residents want a city that is the shining star on the hill,” said Commissioner Chip Withers...pay more taxes and shut up if you want a nice city bitches!
said LOL, yeah.......keep dreaming! at 30-Sep-09 04:14 PM
Bottom line is these residents are spoiled brats that have the money to spare and just out of mere aragence dont want to pay the extra money to give small employees like me an opportunity to atleast be able to keep a roof over my family's head and feed them everynight. $600 more a year is roughly $1.64 a day, you have that amount of money sitting in the change holder in your bentley.
I am a hard, honest worker thats trying to do one thing, and thats support my family like you are. How would you like to come home with me when i have to explain to my family that i got laid off, and that i dont know what's going to happen to us now just because the residents of the city beatiful did wanna raise their taxes by a rotten $1.64/day
said pissed off employee at 30-Sep-09 04:55 PM
You tell em "pissed off employee" !!!!!!!!!!! They are a bunch of cry babies !!!!!! Move out of the Gables if you don't like it!!!!!!!!!!!!
said Anonymous at 30-Sep-09 05:17 PM
We may not have as much money as you or live in these fancy houses but we do have one thing in common, and thats we both deserve the opportunity to survive
some, not all of the residents are very cold hearted and thoughtless when it comes to us " lower class people" as i've heard them say. But regardless of how you feel about us personally, you will never go in another city and find it as beautiful as we keep yours, or have the luxury of having your garbage picked up behind your house, or having your roadways being keep flawless. These are some of the minor things that make a difference in your city. Compared to other cities, you are being treated like royalty. The people up top do whatever they do to get us in this situation, and who pays for it, just the mere old worker thats trying to make ends meet.
said pissed off employee at 30-Sep-09 05:17 PM
Pissed off, I'll pray for you. These residents don't know how good they had it.
said also pissed at 30-Sep-09 05:42 PM
Thank you i' ll pray for us all i guess i just needed to vent, this seems so unfair that people have the power to just play with your livelyhood like it means nothing just to stick a pacifier in someone else's mouth. These people think that they have struggles when i reality they dont know anything about a real struggle. Its almost like they are playing a game of checkers and we are the checkers. "well lets fire this one and see what happens, Oh thats not enough well lets move this way and fire this one and see what happens". It's a wonder if any of th ese people even sleep with a clear conscience.
said pissed off employee at 30-Sep-09 06:12 PM
Lets be honest with our selves we have good jobs but you can see waste of funds though out the city and in all department. The problem is that they are getting rid off the ones that are not responsible for what has happened. But that will stop I'm going to take pictures of what is really happening at City Hall. I lot has changed since the new City Manager came on board. But most Directors were gone by 3:00PM and almost all day on Fridays. Only the peons would be left behind. Second floor at City hall was always empty. I see people in the elevator that I have never seen before.
said Fustratedl Employee at 30-Sep-09 06:23 PM
There are a lot of other alternatives than to see people without jobs but their so afraid to piss off the "cry babies". I just pray to god that these people never get in to real financial trouble they probably would'nt know what to do. what they are not realizing is that our property taxes go up as well. But there is s big difference between them paying more money in taxes which they probably could afford, and if they cant just downsize and us not being able to afford more money and going into foreclosure
said pissed off employee at 30-Sep-09 06:27 PM
guess what? If we had elected Sanabria versus Anderson there would have been NO TAX hike, maybe not even a fire tax or an ambulance charge. Soooooo, what do we get for being sooooo stupid? We get Anderson leading the charge to tax, tax, tax, as she made the motion each and every time teamed up with Withers and Slesnick BUT THEY NEEDED FOUR VOTES TO INCREASE TAXES and thus, history comes to bite us in the ass because we got Anderson and we got HIT,
How stupid are we? Do the math people
said DO THE MATH, WE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE at 30-Sep-09 06:47 PM
Ur right frustrated, that's what i was saying earlier. They screw up and we get screwed. The old saying," the rich get richer and the poor suffers" is a very true statement. I am more dissapointed in the residents though. For the simple fact that as hard as we bust our butts for them, they dont think we're worth an extra $1.64 a day ($600.00) per year and half of these people blow their noses with that amount of money. The services that we render to our residence will never be found in any other city. I understand that the economy is all screwed up, but in our case there is something that can be done other than getting rid of people that had nothing to do with the problem at hand. Half the people in city hall get paid for doing absolutely nothing and im talkn big bucks. The corruption is occurring right in our faces, yet the residence and others are either oblivious to the fact or just know that if the sh--t hits the fan, the have us available to take the fall
said pissed off employee at 30-Sep-09 06:59 PM
do the math is right but come on man $600.00 some of these residences' toilet seats cost more than that bottom line is for what reason we're in situation to begin with is one thing , the damage is done. but for them to not care about us enough to give up $1.64 a day to save some of us should tell us what kinda people we're working for. Its really degrading!!!!!!
said pissed off employee at 30-Sep-09 07:06 PM
You go pissed off employee, years of service serving the SPOILED residents of this city, if it wasn't for the general employees their trash wouldn't be picked up, their streets not cleaned, their buildings falling down and or constructed wrong. We serve them every day and do everything but wipe their butts. We too have families to support and bills to pay so give us a break, we need to live to but not in the Gables, we can't afford it but you but most of you residents can. We work hard everyday and as for your Fireman, the hardest thing they do all day is going to Publix to by lunch or dinner and as for the cops,a friend who is a coral gables cop said cops are the most lazy employees we have including him the less we can do and stay out of site the better off we are, I quote....
So to all you spoiled white glove Boca wanna bee residents go screw yourself.
said At your service at 30-Sep-09 07:27 PM
Some of you employees who are being laid off- we the residents are on your side. Some of the people being laid off actually do something to make our city better. The ones who are NOT being fired but continue to suck up huge amounts of taxpayers money in salaries, pensions, sick days and perks are the fat cat bureaucrats. THEY are robbing us, the taxpayers,and you, the lower level employees.
Plus, I resent the implication that we taxpayers do not work hard. Most of us have worked extraordinarily hard, and are creative,have taken risks with our own money and employ many people in the businesses we create. This bashing of the productive members of society ( and yes, some of us have been successful) is counterproductive. We employ people and produce. The municipal governments mainly just suck up our hard earned money to support their fat salaries and pensions which are WAY out of line with the private sector. Look at the budget for Coral Gables and do a little comparison research. The facts are all there.
said SIck of the misguided at 30-Sep-09 07:55 PM
To the City of Coral Gables employees that are complaining of the residents....Keep in minda that the RESIDENTS DO NOT have anything against you. ....the problem is with the cities UPPER MANAGEMENT...yes why should we pay higher taxes???? Maybe, you the employees that think e families also that are the residents do not appreciate you, should start speaking the truth of what is really going on inside the city and maybe yours and ours the residents problems might be solved....OR maybe the very best thing to do is for the city to go bankrupt....and stop raising taxes to pay off MISMANAGEMENT of the cities administration. Not all residents of the city are rich and spoiled....many are very hard working and have families that are suffering all these tax hikes....garbage, property taxes, FEES for anything they can raise, call it a fee and not a tax. (They think the residents are dumb). NEXt ELECTION....EVERYONE out.....
CITY mANAGER SHOULD DO AWAY WITH ALL HIS new fringe benefits....and the next city manager should be a Coral Gables resident....maybe then we can have better respect for the residents....Thank you all, and God bless.
said Coral Gables Resident at 30-Sep-09 08:18 PM
Read the papers, watch & listen to the news. The city of Coral Gables, it's residents and the people that work there are not the only ones being affected. It's an epidemic, it's affecting other municipalities, and many other employees and hard working people.
said Anonymous at 30-Sep-09 08:25 PM
Sick of the misguided, I think we resent the fact that the residents think we were overpaid. Some of us have worked hard for you with perpetually inadequate resources. We do things that aren't in the private sector so it's impossible to get an accurate comparison. We get paid less than other governments. We're not stupid. We know it takes some effort to own in the Gables. I'll pray for you too.
said also pissed at 30-Sep-09 08:29 PM
"Do the Math" is totally right. Had we thrown out Anderson and hired Sanabria two things might have happened. The first is that we wouldn't be at odds with employees at the lower tier of government service as all the vanilla cream the top executives get on top of their fat salaries would have vanished well before this budget cycle, along with ridicilous car allowances and overused cellphones and high automatic pay raises. Don Nelson and Liz Hernandez would have been gone by now and the Biltmore would have been declared in default and efforts to collect that $2.5 million would have started back then. The infamous TEN MILLION DOLLAR RESERVE that Anderson used to fool us and lie to the voters would have been unmasked and Salerno would have had to contend with a hands on new commissioner instead of a golf-addicted incumbent. The supra majority (4 votes) would have been gone with Sanabria (or Mr. Pardo four years ago) and now we wouldn't be faced with $5 million in new taxes with no real changes other than to fire unfortunate employees. Look at the monster IT dept and its $4 million plus budget, thats insane and inappropriate for such a small city. Look at Enews being now used for self-serving propaganda purposes for the incumbents. Thats inmoral. Look at the Coral Gables Museum and its idiotic verbal agreement that commited the City to fork out money in the millions upfront at the leadership of Chip Withers, thats basically fraud and misfeasance. Look at Anderson's attempt to have Spanish Village's sales center bought for $5.9 million during the elections. Thats smacks of an unmentionable manipulations. Look at the Biltmore getting permission to go to Washington and get their (really ours) parking lot developed into condominiums to earn millions and millions while they weren't even paying the City their bills. That is shady and just plain beserk logic. Keep looking and the chain of events point to a total void of leadership starting with the Mayor and the others with the notable exception of Commsr. Cabrera, who could have had an ally elected to the Board had not the voters been lied to in such a gross and misleading manner.
Now we all pay, residents, business owners and employees alike and we will be paying even more next year as the financial storm clouds will get darker, louder and much larger. If you think the worst is over, think again, teh deficit will double while our values will continue to decrease dramatically and our personal incomes will take a huge hit. Thats the collective price all of us will pay for having the worst body of elected officials (except Commsr. Cabrera) and administrative ineptness that has ever existed in Coral Gables. Yes, the City went bankrupt in 1928, mostly due to the '26 Hurricane but now we are in virtual bankruptcy thanks to a leaderless and clueless lack of direction from officials we elected and re-elected just a few months ago. Budgetr Watcher
said "Do the Math" Why we didn't react at 01-Oct-09 09:09 AM
1 employee at Public Works? Does this it include the married man caught screwing in the public Works Building? How can good employees be let go while this degenerate gets a green light to continue wrecking marriages on the clock. Shame on the administration for not getting rid of the bad apples.
said Anonymous at 01-Oct-09 02:20 PM
Fantasies about what may have happened had the last election had different results, are just fantasies. One must live in today's world, and not in some fiction. Substantive structural change takes a bit of time. Salerno has cut the "easy" excesses. He can now start focusing on fixing the bureaucracy. Yes, the tax base will be lower again next year, threatening a need for higher rates just to stand still. But, with a full year under his belt, he will be in position to impose long range fixes. Have faith.
said optomist at 01-Oct-09 05:27 PM
NEXT YEAR, WILL BE THE SAME MORE CUT AND MORE LAY-OFF! CAN,T YOU SEE THAT? THIS IS THE FIRST MOVE AND IT WILL WORK ON YOUR MINDS SO BE ON YOUR TOES! AND STOP PLAYING WITH TAX PAYERS MONEY, THEY ARE WATCHING YOU!!!!
said Anonymous at 01-Oct-09 07:52 PM
To the residents, I understand excactly where ur coming from, But the facat still remains that the ball was in ur court to save jobs, maybe not everybody's job, but a substantial amount for just pennies. And as far as management and commissioners etc. whos so called the blame for all of this, were not elected by us (the employees) they were elected by you the residents. However we are taking the fall. I understand that the economy in it's situation does'nt help, but something could have been done about this a long time ago
said pissed off employee at 01-Oct-09 09:37 PM
I wonder how many readers have noticed the time of day that many of these posts are occuring. Looks to me like some city employees are reading the Gazette and commenting on line during business hours rather than doing their job that they are being paid for. And for this, I should be required to pay for your life-time pension?
said watching how my tax dollars are spent at 02-Oct-09 12:50 AM
To "pissed off employee," a long time ago is a long time ago. Folks need to deal with today's problems. What may have been passable a long time ago is unacceptable now. Saving jobs is not the objective. Rather, the objective is to get the right government structure in place, in the same sense that the private sector is adjusting. It's unfortunate but there is pain everywhere, and it's likely to continue for quite some time. I ended up shutting a business, laying off several employees and losing my investment in the business. We all have to adjust. Life is just that way.
said money bags at 02-Oct-09 07:03 AM
Answer to; Commissioner Maria Anderson acknowledged the new for systemic change but queried, “At what point do we become unrecognizable as a city that we love?”
When you got elected, over and over again by the same half truths and half lies tha you use over and over again
said Fed Up in CG at 02-Oct-09 11:53 AM
said Slesnick. “ And that includes having good employees provide good services and a reasonable price.”
Are you kidding me? Go to the B&Z Dpt and ask the same question to five different employees and you will get five different answers.
said Fed Up in CG at 02-Oct-09 11:54 AM
B&Z is broken, no doubt about it. So is Historical. Probably so are Legal, HR and - certainly - Finance. Let's push Salerno to make the necessary changes. Tax rates, all and of themselves, were never the real issue. The real issue is how the money is spent. In the Interim, that's likely to mean bringing in more people and more costs, until Salerno is ready to cut the old. Unfortunately, it is all a bit like changing lightbulbs. If you replace them all at once, they eventually fail all at once. Right now, our government is struggling with a bunch of dim bulbs. Expect Salerno to change them out, one by one, consolidating where possible. Hopefully the new bulbs will last a few years before they too begin to dim.
said searching for the end of the tunnel at 02-Oct-09 02:42 PM
Today some of my co workers some that I have never met lost their jobs to Directors making $150,000 on the drop(additional $112,000) plus car allowances. I don't think this is what the Coral Gables residents were looking for.
said Wow at 02-Oct-09 06:45 PM
To "watching how my tax $ are spent" - - - lots of city employees, and some let go today, don't work M - F/9-5, lots of services are open 7 days in our city. That's just a naive dig you attempted.
Cutbacks in areas that might have less work, perhaps processing fewer permits, etc. may be justifiable, but I wonder about the 3 jobs in Parks & Rec mentioned in the story. Don't residents need and want their parks now more than ever? Gables residents have the best programs and parks in South Florida. And with everyone watching their spending at these times - they're such a value!
said citybeaut at 02-Oct-09 08:15 PM
To money bags: I'm not talking about pain everywhere i'm talking about pain here. Regardless of what you say, coral gables is one of the richest cities in south florida and you cant use whats goin on around us as an excuse. Every one is blaming all of their B---Sh-- on the economy. Its easy for you to say what ur saying cuz u probably still have a legitamate surce of income. Its funny how easy people can tell you about pain when their not feeling it. your pain is having to lay people off, my pain is tryn to figure out how i can feed my family and keep a roof over their heads. So dont tell me nothing about feeling the pain. The people that should be feeling the pain, are the same ones that ur making excuses for. We are not responsible for what has taken place but we are being held responsible. My job might not be the most important thing to you, but it is to me. While you restructuring your little "all most important" government, i'll
be trying to keep my head above water
said pissed off employee at 02-Oct-09 08:56 PM
to watching how my tax dollars are spent: we bust our asses for you and we deserve a pension plan at the least. No one told you to move to cg if you dont like whats going on hit the freaking road. How dare you to say that we dont deserve compensation for busting our asses for the majority of our lives. That is so damn ungrateful. By the time we retire, half of us could hardly stand up straight
said pissed off employee at 02-Oct-09 09:09 PM
"Pissed off" needs a hug.
said Barack Obama at 03-Oct-09 06:57 AM
yeah i do a big one cuz this is some b.s. how can people not see whats going on these people are rippn us a new a__hole. they are living this big high life in which i dont blame them for that by the way, but the only problem is its our expense. and by the way i dont just need a hug i also need a job
said pissed off at 03-Oct-09 08:44 AM
To all the spoiled brat employees who think they have an absolute right to 40% benefits, bump raises, sick day credits, cellphones and car allowances.....guess what.....we the city taxpayers don't care what your face looks like or how you have been able to milk us for so long. ITS OVER MY FRIEND.....DONE....HISTORY...get used to it, like really working a hard honest day, getting a fair wage and your 401K.....if you dont like it......MOVE ON....we got lots of people who'll line up and do the same or better than you for a reasonable compensation package. THE BLOODSUCKING IS OVER
said There are lots of replacements out there at 03-Oct-09 11:11 AM
"replacements"...you sir are a moron. I bet you were one of the many out on his front yard crying for help after hurricane wilma went through. When the same city employees you so cowardly bash behind a computer screen were out helping cut trees off of your house, i bet you werent quite as bold then.
You have no idea what raises employees get, that the majority of employees dont have a city cellphone and that only directors get a car allowance. You must be the same person that stood at city hall and clapped as the city manager read off the names of postions being cut in his politically motivated city budget. I guarantee you won't be clapping this year when you call for service and the service doesnt come. The facts are that Coral Gables doesnt have an administration or commission it can trust. Most people except for Richard Namon have no clue what the budget even says or how to read it. He is the lone single voice that spoke out against these ridiculous and politically motivated job cuts, pointing out they weren't necessary. The facts are that the city commission and city manager wanted these cuts to impress the tax payers into thinking that they are really "doing something" about this crises... One has to wonder how much effort they really put into solving this problem when- 1) At a time when city finances are said to be at their worst, the city manager decides to put together a $13 million dollar improvement budget. 2) The commission turned a blind eye to the continued building of the coral gables museum when it didnt have the money to pay. Flashback to the mayor and this same commission tearing down the administration building...they didnt seem to have a problem with walking away from contracts then did they? 3) They decided to "solve" the problems alone without partnering with the employees unions except for fire, who graciously decided to walk away from a five percent raise they were due this month. Instead, they chose to engage the police department in an embarassing impasse hearing and then totally ignore the general employees union. They failed miserably...the results are on the way.
said Anonymous at 03-Oct-09 01:54 PM
It's time to allow a fresh breeze blow through all of these discussions. It's unfortunate that some must lose their jobs in this environment, but it's also just a sign of the times. Most of us are overspent, including City Hall. The next two years, as a minimum, are going to be challenging for all of us, as we try to recover. Trying to do this collectively is extremely difficult. It's going to be interesting to hear what Salerno has to say at the next several Commission meetings, as this City's problems are not solved just by setting a millage rate and laying people off.
said Fresh air at 04-Oct-09 06:22 AM
How great to get this news first as proven by the posting date! As a Gables resident, this is important information and short of attending the meeting personally, cggazette.com is th best resource I can rely on! As soon as the meeting was over and I took my naughty little self srtaight to cggazette.com for the full story. Thanks!
said Andria Hanley at 04-Oct-09 09:15 AM
And now for the rest of the story ... this nation is in recession, and it is getting worse (from the perspective of most individuals). This story won't end for a while, quite a while.
said Hug-a-li-cious at 04-Oct-09 05:20 PM
You Gables citizens talk about people losing thier jobs like its nothing. The CGPD is about to loose a Communications Manager...she has been with us 21 yrs and worked here way up from a communications operator..she has two small kids and all of you citizens care about is not paying a few more hundred bucks a year in property taxes. You should all be ashamed...if you cannot afford a few hundreds bucks a year more you shouldnt be living in the Gables. Stop going to Starbucks and Einstiens all the time and actually make your breakfest at home and brew your own damn coffee. Thats ten bucks a week or $520 a year. there you go!!!! You just saved a good person her job.
said UPDATE at 05-Oct-09 09:16 AM
I don't think anyone is taking lay offs lightly. But neither is anyone spending freely. I'd be surprised if Starbucks or Einsteins are doing as well as they used to (I wouldn't know as both have been outside my budget for quite some time). Coral Gables citizens can't print their own money and are cutting back across the board. As it is, the City Budget raises taxes on my home about $300 a year, plus the new and higher fees (over $100). To lightly suggest raising City taxes per household another $300 to $500 a year is just outrageous.
said darned if you do, darned if you don't at 05-Oct-09 01:05 PM
thats what i've been saying the whole time update. what i dont think these residents realize is that our taxes are going up as well. These people are so freakin inconsiderate. its not the employees' faults that they are in this situation we didnt elect not one of those people that got us into this mess, they did. Yet if you listen to some of these residents, you would think that it was because of us . Those that do keep thier jobs probably wont give these people 100% of their effort after knowing how the residents feel about us. Honestly, Im quite shocked at all the negative reponses that we've been getting. These people dont care about nothing but their money. But there is one facat that they must remember , they cant take that money to the grave with them even though some may try
said pissed off at 05-Oct-09 05:37 PM
"NO ONE IS INDISPENSABLE"
When we go to the final budget hearing and find that our seats are taken by city employees, thats right, "our seats" and we have to stand while Salerno uses the "cop card" and Kerdyk caves in once more it becomes very irritating to think we the taxpayers get no respect and we are the salvation of all those who continue to demand irrational wages, benefits, raises, vacation pay, overtime and a ridiculous attitude to boot. For and FYI, OVER TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE APPLIED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR'S JOB", thats right, 200 !!! So, don't come take my blood and raise my taxes and fees so you can earn a ridiculous amount of monies thousands of other folks will take a more reasonable and realistic wage and benefit package....and stand up and give your seat up to a taxpayer next time. This is not a time for compassion, its a time for reality to come into a picture that the most inept Mayor has ignored for so long, still does, the nincomput
said Spoiled Employees need Reality Check, or no Check at 05-Oct-09 05:42 PM
i asked a city employee how long he had been working for the city---he said ever since they threatened to fire me.
said get real at 05-Oct-09 06:19 PM
I am sure there are some that are hardly working, some that pick up the slack, and some whose jobs are mostly "make work." A reality among cities and utilities is that, in emergencies, folks step up. Fortunately, emergencies are few and far between. Now that the new year's milage rate is set, it's Salerno's job to further cut out the "make work" and trim the excesses. Some good people will be lost in that effort and that's a shame. But it will also provide an opportunity for fresh new blood to join the team.
said Is there any change to believe in? at 05-Oct-09 06:45 PM
Chaos, Panic Disorder My Work Here In Coral Gables Is Now Done
said David Brown at 05-Oct-09 08:34 PM
Dear Short-Sited 5:42 PM Poster: HOW DO YOU KNOW THOSE EMPLOYEES sitting at the budget hearing WERE NOT RESIDENTS TOO and/or WERE NOT ABOUT TO LOSE THIER JOBS??? I used to hold high esteem for residents, but I can no longer say that about all of you. You've really shown a VERY UGLY, ECCOCENTRIC, AND EXCCEEDINGLY SELFISH SIDE OF YOU! We NOW work in fear of Salerno and NOT, I repeat 'NOT' because we think all residents deserve the best we can offer them. You say employees are despensible, REALITY CHECK -- SO ARE YOU!
said Congrats on DeMotivating the Good Apples at 06-Oct-09 02:55 AM
Obviously there are a lot of morons out there, starting with some pissed off employees, etc. First of all, people, learn the facts. Living in Coral Gables may have its benefits, but these cost $. When people live on fixed incomes and the cost of living goes up, you are in trouble! Also, who the @(#&$%#@^& do you think pays your salary?!?!?! If it were up to me, well you probably don't want to know... I'm sick of whiners that at least have jobs. I will agree, however, that the higher-paid employees may be making un unreasonable amount of money.
What really needs to happen is that people stop whining like immature little children, and start coming up with some ideas. I know that a lot of you have really good minds, start using them!!! On the subject of ideas, I have a few questions. What would happen if garbage pick-up was only once a week? If people put their garbage out for easy pick-up, then it would take less time for the garbage men to collect. I remember when recycle was not collected, but rather we the citizens would take our recycle to collection points. What was wrong with that? I know that there are some lazy people out there, but too bad!!! We are in a near-crisis situation! Also, from what I have read in the past, it is costing us to recycle, which is rediculous!! Another question: how much does our annual Christmas Park (and party) cost us and who pays for it? I'm not trying to be a Grinch, I really enjoy the season, but I'm not made of money, and I don't think many people are. We as a society need to start looking for ways to help, not tear down. I agree that there has to be complaining because otherwise, how would others know about problems out there, but some of the personal attacks are just WRONG!!! Grow up!
said ct3 at 10-Oct-09 11:29 PM
Pissed off employees should really be careful with what they say (write)!!!
If you want to keep alienating those that appreciate you, KEEP IT UP!!! By the way, you do realize that all these comments, even though you may think that they are annonymous, THEY'RE NOT!!! They CAN be tracked, so watch what you say!!!
said ct3 at 13-Oct-09 08:53 PM
Wrong!!! Comments posted to this site CAN NOT be tracked. There is no digital info recorded - only number of unique visitors, duration of stay, etc. This is a custom site, not a cookie cutter, that does not record IPs for posters and their postings.
said Webmaster at 14-Oct-09 06:53 AM
I think that's too bad (to Webmaster) because that means that anyone can post anything that they want. truth or lies!!! It also means that I can claim to be anyone, and there's no way that that can be confirmed as true or not!
Talk about POWER!!!!! Talk about being able to literally destroy someone's reputation!!!!! By the way, we all know that this is not true. Everything is traceable!!! When on the web, there is always a record somewhere.
said ct3 at 14-Oct-09 10:28 AM
Wrong again. The only way it is traceable is if your provider wants to trace or you’re on someone's network and they are tracing you. In a city where corruption is rewarded and whistle blowing is punished, you need an avenue in which to openly discuss - and that's what we have here.
said Webmaster at 16-Oct-09 07:56 AM
In some ways I'm glad that there is anonymity because, like you pointed out, we need to protect the whistle-blowers and I feel strongly that this is important.
However, what about the liars, misinformed, deceivers, people who want to make others look bad, etc.? Should'nt we be able to protect the innocent? How do we protect the innocent???
said ct3 at 16-Oct-09 02:51 PM
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