What We Wanted In the Survey

May will be an exciting month for North Bay Village.  First the Barry Survey is going to be presented to definitively show that the people of North Bay Village want things like police protection, access to our open spaces and clean streets.  Since our commission and administration have failed to deliver these and instead used our money to move village hall back and forth, pay off people they didn't fire, attend galas, and give raises all around, there's no money for these things but the survey questions took this into account and asked us if we would pay more to have these things that we used to have.  

Then the first budget hearing will follow on its heels where how much to raise our taxes will be the question of the night and any, any discussion of fiscal discipline and results will be squashed by the commission.   Of course, whatever is presented there is entirely fictitious.  

Speaking of fictions, last year our straight shootin' village manager, Frank Rollason, sternly told the commission last budget season that he would not be bringing any new business that was unbudgeted before the commission, except and only if it were an emergency.

When he proposed that the village stop using the Treasure Island Elementary School auditorium (free) and instead proposed a move to 1666 JFK Causeway because the chairs are more comfortable and nobody could figure out how to get an internet feed to broadcast the meetings, it must have been an emergency.  He told the commissioners that it would only cost a net $9,000 so as instructed, they voted yes.   

Later Rollason discovered that, oops, the real cost is $49,000, he decided not to bring it back for discussion because it went from Emergency to Crisis.   His other massive screw ups - getting the budget wrong three times and needing three meetings to make it all legal, not being prepared for parking workshops, laying out unbudgeted thousands so one commissioner can claim he got palm trees donated, spreading the news about the widespread phone tapping the village was engaged in, - have all passed unremarked by the commission but one more embarrassment?  He hastily polled the commissioners to let them know that he had once again cost the village tens of thousands of unbudgeted but none of them saw fit to, like, discuss it.   So it's all good there.  

Here's what are not on the boards so far for May:

• Harbor Island Parking
• Crime Watch
• Recreation Programs
• Sidewalk Cleaning

You know, stuff we only get once we're  through paying for what the village manager and the voices in Mayor Kreps's head say matters.  

Kevin Vericker
April 25, 2014