money and services ARE related

"...but with all the shut downs you want to start that will not help anyones taxes. As much as you try to scare people into thinking that cutting services will affect the tax rate you and I know that is not the case." If taxes and service cuts are NOT related then somebody needs to tell our very own Gymbo. He is predicting a 1.3 million dollar deficit and suggested in the Gazette that would require either another tax increase OR a cut in services. Talk to Gymbo, as I am sure he would be glad to explain the logic involved there. Putting people to work is one thing; paying them THREE times what the work is worth, or more, is something else. Some might even say its criminal. I would have a hard time arguing against them, even if I wanted to, which I dont. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

The Oracle Speaks?

At 2:50 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones industrials were down 318 points, or 4.1%, to 7,458. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was off 34 points, or 4.2%, to 782, and the Nasdaq Composite Index had slumped 55 points, or 3.6%, to 1,490. Remind us again, o wise one, how no matter what happens to the rest of the world, we here in Miami Springs will be immune to those problems and they will have NO effect on us! Explain to us how we can overpay and disappear hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on each and every construction project we undertake by paying TRIPLE the costs, and more, and it will have NO EFFECT... on the Mayor, Council or City officials! The residents, yes those residents actually pay the City's bills, will be unhappy with the increases in taxes and fees, that is true, but that is so negative! Lets focus on the HAPPY contractors who will make a LOT of money from all the change orders and cost overruns! Those who write open letters to the public in the Gazette or cheelead a new gym project without telling us they stand to make a LOT of money from the project, are masters at positive thinking. They are POSITIVE they will make a LOT of money from these projects, and they really dont care that it is an abuse the public trust. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

one more time

"Given out information and or numbers that are wrong, and or missing information in order to make his point is a lie." Okay, lets try this ONE MORE TIME. WHICH information or numbers are wrong? WHAT information is missing? I have provided my numbers on numerous occasions, and nobody has shown them to be in error yet. IF information is missing, provide the missing information HERE, for all to see, and explain how and why it is important in explaining where our tax dollars have been going. Feel free to provide YOUR explanation of where our missing tax dollars have gone. You can start by explaining how bathrooms that SHOULD have cost 140k wound up costing us 415k instead! While you are at it you can explain how a 100k Country Club project cost us almost 500k. When I asked Gym in his office he had NO explanation, no accountability, or transparency. That needs to change. NOW. Dr.Mel P. Johnson

interesting questions

...shouldn-t that "safety" include the safety of our children in a rundown recreation building? Should those without children & or families make decisions & policies for all those have them? These are very interesting questions. Is the one asking these questions ststing that they believe our kids are in imminent danger now? If so, we should close the gym NOW. What dangers, specifically, are the kids in? Is the roof leaking again? We just put a new roof on less than a year ago. Have the contractor back and have him fix it. For 2 million dollars we could have a new roof, new floor, new walls, new sprinkler system, new plumbing and electrical system and air conditioning on the same footprint, with NO NEW DEBT. For an extra million we could probably have a new pool, all with NO NEW DEBT. As far as having those without kids deciding for those WITH kids, someone might ask why those WITH kids should be deciding for those who dont or no longer have kids here, no? As was duly pointed out, what is more important is ones character, vision, and common sense that should be the criteria for a leadership position, no? Dr. Mel P. Johnson

commentary

Nope, no open houses for me, but I DO intend to come to YOUR HOUSE as I go around the Springs talking to people. There are serious issues to be discussed and debated and THIS is the time to do it! I had several interesting discussions yesterday about the pool and various other city functions, or malfunctions. This is American democracy in action, as it should be, debating and discussing the pros and cons of a wide range of opinions and possible solutions. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

annexation, with reservations

Let me be clear- IF the County signs an agreement to clean up any further pollution; AND the actual current and projected numbers are made known for tax assessments; AND the mitigation fees are negotiated down according to those numbers (or eliminated); AND we have complete and total control over zoning there- THEN I would be in favor of annexation, if the numbers show a substantial benefit to the residents of Miami Springs. By actually DOING due diligence we would have minimized the risks to us and gotten a clearer picture of the potential benefits, which is the intention and functional value of due diligence in the first place. Last year our tax millage rate was raised from 6.3 to 6.4+ and all of our fees were increased substantially, some doubled, tripled, and more. We cannot continue to raise taxes while our tax dollars disappear by the truckloads. Having more monies in our coffers means nothing if we have no accountability or transparency in how it is being spent! Dr. Mel P. Johnson

annexation position

Until The County says, in writing, that THEY will be responsible for any further pollution cleanups in the proposed annexation areas, I would have a very difficult time voting for it. The supposed 2.3 million in benefits are based on 2008 numbers, when property value were 30-40% higher. Until those numbers are adjusted to show the actual values NOW and the further projected 14.5% drop during this year, the mitigation numbers AND the overall benefits do NOT reflect accurately what we would gain from this action. Doral is paying one million a year in mitigation fees for properties that are worth 40% less today, than when they were annexed. Until the zoning is resolved where WE have total and complete control over the quality and quantity of the businesses in the proposed annexation areas, I would have a hard time voting in favor of this proposal. Its called doing DUE DILIGENCE, a concept that the Mayor and Council havent attempted in a long while, but is a process that should be done PRIOR to any major action. When one buys a house they look at it for possible structural damage, termites, traffic patterns, suitability, schools, taxes, financing, flood potential,etc. THAT is called DUE DILIGENCE, and the principles are the same here. Dr. Mel P. Johnson