Breaking: "For an election year, eight days of budget town halls squeezed into one" Miami Herald
If Miami-Dade voters have complaints about the 2017 county budget, it will be much harder to take them to the mayor this year.
With weeks to go before a reelection vote, Mayor Carlos Gimenez broke with past practice when setting up legally required budget town halls this summer. Last year saw eight town halls on eight days, with Gimenez personally taking questions at each location. ...
"But the spending plan also includes fodder for rivals: unfilled positions in the police department, a 9 percent spike in water rates (since shaved to 8 percent) and a park budget that critics say continues to underfund the system."
The sharp change in public engagement by Gimenez on the budget front overlaps with his avoidance of debates on the campaign trail, where he faces a challenge from school-board member Raquel Regalado and five other candidates.
Gimenez skipped Wednesday’s League of Women Voters debate, a Kendall Homeowners’ Association forum in July, and declined a debate invitation from Univision, his campaign confirmed Friday. So far, only one face-off between Gimenez and Regalado is scheduled: a joint appearance on a taping of WPLG’s “This Week in South Florida” on Aug. 14, according to co-host Michael Putney. ...
In a statement Friday, Regalado said: “Carlos Gimenez can’t be trusted. He is dodging debates and budget discussions because he can’t defend his record or his budget.”
A 2013 county ordinance established requirements for town halls when an administration’s proposed budget includes higher tax rates (which this one does not) or higher fees (which this one does). The ordinance says at least six public meetings must be held, “at locations and times which are accessible and convenient to the majority of residents in the County.” It also says the meetings must “afford an opportunity for maximum participation by the diverse population of the County.”
If Miami-Dade voters have complaints about the 2017 county budget, it will be much harder to take them to the mayor this year.
With weeks to go before a reelection vote, Mayor Carlos Gimenez broke with past practice when setting up legally required budget town halls this summer. Last year saw eight town halls on eight days, with Gimenez personally taking questions at each location. ...
"But the spending plan also includes fodder for rivals: unfilled positions in the police department, a 9 percent spike in water rates (since shaved to 8 percent) and a park budget that critics say continues to underfund the system."
The sharp change in public engagement by Gimenez on the budget front overlaps with his avoidance of debates on the campaign trail, where he faces a challenge from school-board member Raquel Regalado and five other candidates.
Gimenez skipped Wednesday’s League of Women Voters debate, a Kendall Homeowners’ Association forum in July, and declined a debate invitation from Univision, his campaign confirmed Friday. So far, only one face-off between Gimenez and Regalado is scheduled: a joint appearance on a taping of WPLG’s “This Week in South Florida” on Aug. 14, according to co-host Michael Putney. ...
In a statement Friday, Regalado said: “Carlos Gimenez can’t be trusted. He is dodging debates and budget discussions because he can’t defend his record or his budget.”
A 2013 county ordinance established requirements for town halls when an administration’s proposed budget includes higher tax rates (which this one does not) or higher fees (which this one does). The ordinance says at least six public meetings must be held, “at locations and times which are accessible and convenient to the majority of residents in the County.” It also says the meetings must “afford an opportunity for maximum participation by the diverse population of the County.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment