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Financial Responsibility is Necessary, but not Sexy, Fun, or Particularly Popular

2/15/2013

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I ran into an opinion piece from The New York Times.  It was published yesterday and is a little critical of Florida Senator Marco Rubio who had his start right here in Miami-Dade County.  I attached the opinion below.  Mr. Krugman, who is a professor at Princeton and won a Nobel Prize in Economics, makes some important points about handling an economic crisis.  


We don't have an economic crisis here in Miami Springs but we are closer to one than we were two years ago or even four or six years ago.  Our City Council has mistakenly believed that cutting taxes and using reserves is the proper balance for our community.  However, as has been noted by many candidates throughout the years, the solution to many of our problems is, without a doubt, increasing our income.  One of the ways we can do that is to improve our commercial tax base.  The few building owners who have invested in their buildings on Westward Drive have not seen a return on their investment.  In fact, because of the lack of an understandable code and the lack of code enforcement, our downtown is in as bad a shape as it has ever been.


I live and work here in Miami Springs.  I made the choice to do so.  I eat lunch here everyday.  When I have clients at my office, I send them into our community to eat and shop.  I don't own a building downtown, but as a public official and a resident, I do have an interest in making our commercial district appealing.


Our community needs to stop spending money out of designated reserves, and instead start putting money INTO designated reserves.  We are never going to have a new pool, new signage downtown, or new lighting if we continue to spend what little money we have saved on our day to day bills.  We just can't continue saying, "everything is going to be OK" without a plan for our future and an economic plan to get us there.  Doing so is foolish and irresponsible.  
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At My Chair: September 12, 2011

9/13/2011

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    If you have not guessed by now, I really don't like to receive materials on the day of the meeting.  I understand when there is an emergency, but when I ask that something be put on the agenda, I ask days, if not more than a week, in advance of the materials being distributed and uploaded to the City website.  
    My husband suggested that I include a short description of what was included -- great idea Bill!  The documents attached here were either provided the day before the meeting or at the meeting:

        Agenda item 10F:  Purchase Order for PBSJ for production of plan to address DERM concerns on the golf course.
        Agenda item 10G:  Recommendation that Council waive competitive bid process and approve expenditure of $9,900 for a consulting service to develop a master strategic plan for the City.
        Memo from Mike Aldridge to Jim Borgmann, with documents attached, discussing the request to review the possibility of having vanity gift cards for our golf pro shop and golf department.
        City of Miami Springs analysis of Millage Changes (prepared by Finance Director).
        Draft GIS Zoning Map prepare by Calvin, Giordano & Associates, Inc.
        Powerpoint of Update on Redevelopment and Revitalization Activities from Calvin, Giordano & Associates, Inc. 

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At My Chair: August 29, 2011

8/30/2011

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As promised, here are the items we recieved during the workshop meeting last night.  So many things have been happening, I have a long list of blog posts.  I will work on catching up very soon. 

Click Here to Download.
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    Beautiful Miami Springs.  There is no place like it.  THANK YOU for re-electing me to our City Council in April 2011.  It is going to be difficult to share information with our residents during or after Council meetings.  As a result, I will post to my blog often: Council items, neighborhood happenings, local events.  Please subscribe, bookmark the site, and visit often.

    CONTACT JENNIFER HERE.

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Jennifer J. Ator, P.A.
901 Falcon Avenue
Miami Springs, FL  33166
jennifer@jenniferator.com