HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 1983-09-12 Minutes0
:I TY OF MIAIVII
OF MEETING HELD ON September 12. 1983
PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
CITY HALL
RALPH G.. ONGIE
CITY CLERK
ITEM NO.
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C1TY�CO�fi'�ISSIffRAFFtDRID4
(SPECIAL) SLLECr SEPTEMBER 12, 1983
AUTHORIZE CITY MANAGER TO PURCHASE TARP TO COVER THE
FIELD AT THE ORANGE BOWL STADIUM FROM THE APPROPRIATE
SOURCE.
PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED CITY OF MIAMI
1983-84 BUDGET
MOTION OF INTENT INSTRUCTING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO
CONSIDER FURNISHING ONE ATTORNEY FROM HIS LEGAL STAFF
ON A FULL TIME BASIS TO TAKE CARE OF THE NEED FOR LEGAL
ADVICE TO TRULY NEEDY PEOPLE, ETC.
CONTINUE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE 1983-1984
CITY OF MIAMI BUDGET.
FIRST READING ORDINANCE: FIX MILLAGE RATE 11.123
PER FISCAL YEAR 1983-1984.
FIRST READING ORDINANCE: MAKE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL
YEAR 1983-1984.
FIRST READING ORDNANCE: FIXING THE MILLAGE OF THE
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AT .4486
(NOTE FOR THE RECORD:
THIS WAS LATER RESCINDED AND AMENDED,
SEE LABELS 11 and 12, THIS MEETING).
FIRST READING ORDINANCE: APPROVE APPROPRIATIONS FOR
THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
READ INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD, PURSUANT TO LAW, THE
INTENDED USE FOR FEDERAL REVENUE SHARING FUNDS
1983-1984,
DISCUSSION ITEM REGARDING THE HIRING OF ADDITTONAT, rlTv
OF MIAMI POLICE OFFICERS.
MOTION RESCINDING PREVIOUSLY PASSED FIRST READING
ORDINANCE FIXING THE MILLAGE OF THE D.D.A.
FIRST READING ORDINANCE: ESTABLISH MILLAGE AT THE RATE
OF 5.0 FOR THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
LONG DISCUSSION CONCERNING A PROPOSED REFERENDUM TO
DETERMINE THE HIRING OF ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICERS AT A
FUTURE DATE; DECLARING THAT THE CITY COMMISSION WILL
CONDUCT A SPECIAL REFERENDUM AT THE MARCH 1984 ELECTION.
ENDORSE AND SUPPORT EFFORTS OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY ELLIS
ISLAND CENTENNIAL COMMISSION TO RAISE $30,000,000. TO
RESTORE AND PRESERVE THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.
DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO EXTEND BY ONE MONTH THE
DATE FOR RECEIPT OF R.F.P.s IN CONNECTION WITH
AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS IN THE CITY OF MIAMI.
p I WCE
R�sOLUT 410PAGE N0,
M-83-822 1 1-6
DISCUSSION 1 7-30
M-83-823 1 30-32
DISCUSSION 1 33-49
DISCUSSION 1 49-50
1ST READING 1 50-51
1ST READING 1 51-53
1st READING 1 54-55
DISCUSSION 1 55-56
DISCUSSION 1 56-60
DISCUSSION 1 61-62
Ist READING 1 63-64
M-83-825 1 64-68
R-83-826 1 69
M-83-827 1 70
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1 0
MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
CITY CO%iMISSION OF MIAMI, FLORIDA
On the 12th day of September, 1983, the City Commission of Miami,
Florida, met at its regular meeting place in said City in Special
Session to consider business of public import, namely, First Public Hearing
on the Fiscal Year 1983-1984 Budger.
The meeting was called to order at 5:07 P.M., by Mayor Maurice Ferre
with the following members of the Commission present:
ALSO PRESENT:
Commissioner Joe Carollo
Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Vice Mayor J.L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
Howard V. Gary, City Manager
Jose Garcia -Pedrosa, City Attorney
Ralph G. Ongie, City Clerk
Matty Hirai, Assistant City Clerk
An Invocation was delivered by Archbishop McCarthy, who then
led those present in a pledge of allegiance to the flag.
1. AUTHORIZE CITY MANAGER TO PURCHASE TARP TO COVER THE FIELD AT
THE ORANGE BOWL STADIUM FROM THE APPROPRIATE SOURCE.
Mayor Ferre: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is a regular Budget
Heading of the City of Miami. This is the first one that is required under
the law. There shall be a second public hearing before the City Commission
adopts the budget. That is scheduled to begin at 5:00 P.M. on the 29th day
of September, which is two and a half weeks from now. By law we are supposed
to adopt the budget by the 30th of September so that we will have a budget
for the beginning of the fiscal year of October lst. We do have, Commissioner
Carollo, certain items that are non -budget, but that are emergency in nature.
The first one that we have is the tarp, J.L.
Mr. Carollo: Yes, Mr. Mayor, I have asked the Manager to bring that up.
Mayor Ferre: So, for the purposes of complying with the law under the Charter,
I am hereby calling a Special Commission Meeting at this time to deal with
emergency items, namely the tarp of the Orange Bowl, Mr. Manager. What is
the emergency on this tarp problem?
Mr. Gary: Mr. Mayor, if you recall, as a result of a game last year, whereby
the Dolphins played the New York Jets, there was a complaint made that our
field was not in playable condition as a result of our not protecting it from
the inclement weather, in this particular case, the rain.
Mr. Plummer: You say there was a complaint filed?
Mr. Gary: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: By whom?
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Mr. Gary: The New York Jets, to my recollection. As a result, the N.F.L. made
it a requirement that all N.F.L. team provide a tarp to protect their fields
from inclement weather so that this type of condition would not occur again.
The cost of the tarp is approximately $25,000. We've gone through the process
of identifying a firm that could do the work. We identified a tarp that we
think is in the best of the City to purchase, if it so decides. We have also
been informed by Coach Don Shula ... it is interesting that they used Shula's
name this time instead of Robbie's. Coach Don Shula is informing us that the
N.F.L. is threatening to take action against the Miami Dolphins if a tarp is
not provided. In this particular case, we were notified by Don Shula during
yesterday's game with the New England Patriots that they are now moving from
not only fining them per game, but possibly penalizing them in terms of a
draft choice.
Mr. Plummer: Why don't they do something about it?
Mr. Gary: Well, if the truth be spoken, I have explained my position with
regard to the Miami Dolphins when I thought they were wrong. I thought they
were wrong with regard to their not paying the rent while on strike. I still
stand by that. In this particular case, I stand by the fact that I think it's
the City of Miami's responsibility to maintain the field.
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Gary, if it is our responsibility to maintain the field, and
the N.F.L. demands a tarp, what does a tarpaulin have to do with maintaining
the field? The tarp maintains the condition of the field.
Mr. Gary: That's what I'm....
Mr. Dawkins: I agree with you. It's our job to maintain the field. But it
is not —and as Mr. Robbie says, raining is an act of God. So, therefore,
when it rains, that's Robbie's responsibility to an act of God.
Mr. Plummer: May I ask a question, Mr. Gary, was that complaint by the New
York Jets, or whomever, was it about our field, or was it about the field that
the snow with the lawnmower. I am asking seriously, because the question that
I want to ask very quickly....
Mr. Gary: I think it was raised as a result, Commissioner Plummer, of a history
of complaints with regard to conditions of fields, particularly....
Mr. Plummer: But was it the Orange Bowl?
Mr. Gary: ....excuse me, in terms of other games. The first one was raised
about the snow. There was a second one that was raised about the condition
of our field also during the Jets game.
Mr. Plummer: O.K., because I don't know of any other team that plays on the
N.F.L., that plays on a $600,000 PAT. That is what we have and has the capability
of removing an inch of rain per fifteen minutes off the field. In other words,
I don't know that the New York Jets or any of the other teams play on a field
that has a PAT system which removes the water off the field. Regardless of
that, Mr. Gary, that is a rule in my estimation that has been imposed on the
franchise holder by the parent organization. They did not make a request of
US.
Mr. Gary: That is correct.
Mr. Plummer: Have you heard anything from New York demanding that you do this?
Mr. Gary: No, but I'd like to say, even though we may not have heard from them,
and I'm not so sure if we have heard from them, whether their position would
be different that it would be the contention of the lease holder that that is
our responsibility, and I am sure that it would ultimately end in court.
Mr. Plummer: Excuse me. Is that in the contract, that we must provide a
tarp?
Mr. Gary: Not specifically.
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Mr. Dawkins: Wait a minute. One of you is shaking your head. One of you
is saying no.
Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, I just wish that once and for all this constant feud
between some members of the Commission and Mr. Robbie stop. It is not doing
this City any good. It's not doing the Miami Dolphins any good. I think the
bottom line is the Manager has stated so himself, any which way you cut it,
whether we like it or not, we have an obligation under the contract that we
have for the Dolphins to maintain that field. That includes providing that
tarp. So I make the motion that we instruct the Manager to go ahead and buy
it from the appropriate source.
Mayor Ferre: Is there a second to the motion?
Mr. Perez: First, I would like, Mr. Mayor, to ask the City has to pay the
$25,000 in full.
Mr. Plummer: I thought it was $18,000.
Mr. Perez: You mentioned $25,000.
Mr. Plummer: No, at the last meeting it was $18,000. kfiy did it go up $7,000.
Mr. Gary: No, at the last meeting or the meeting before last, July 27th, item
"L" states specifically $25,000.
Mr. Plummer: There was never a price quoted at $18,000?
Mr. Gary: No, well, at least you didn't get it from me.
Mr. Plummer: Was there also an offer, as I recall that the Dolphins were gcing
to pay for it and take it back over a five year period out of the rent.
Mr. Gary: Yes, they agreed on a telephone conversation to have the Dolphins
purchase the tarp and roller the fact that we would pay them back, with
the understanding that we would pay them back.
Mr. Perez: But why does the City have to pay in full the $25,000.
Mr. Gary: We plan to ... you are going to buy something.
Mayor Ferre: No, because that is what we agreed to do.
Mr. Perez: No, that's part of the contract.
Mr. Plummer: When did we agree to do that?
Mr. Gary: No, we did not agree to buy the tarp.
Mayor Ferre: To put a tarp, didn't we?
Mr. Gary: No.
Mr. Plummer: We have never agreed on it.
Mayor Ferre: Well, now, Howard, why are you saying that we ought to do it?
Mr. Gary: It is my professional opinion, Mr. Mayor, that under the contract
we are responsible for maintaining the field in good playing condition. Based
on that, I would say that a tarp is needed because to prevent a field to be in
the kind of shape it would be in after a heavy rain, would not be maintaining
it in good condition.
Mayor Ferre: Mr. City Attorney, after that statement made by the Manager,
do you think you could defend a law suit in a court for us not to pay that
tarp?
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CEP a 21983
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Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: I want to look at the contract again, Mr. Mayor. I think
it is a possibility.
Mayor Ferre: The Manager just made a statement into the record. He says that
we have an obligation to maintain the field. Joe Robbie has dedicated himself
for the past three weeks to talk badly about me in every place that he can.
He has called several people long distance trying to encourage them to run
against me this November. Nevertheless, in benefit of the people of Miami,
I second the motion, to show you the difference between Joe Robbie and Maurice
Ferre.
Mr. Dawkins: Under discussion.
Mr. Plummer: Under discussion, Commissioner Dawkins.
Mr. Dawkins: You know, I couldn't care less whether you or Joe Robbie spoke.
The fact of the matter is that whenever it is to his advantage, and that is
the Miami Dolphins, Ltd., the City of Miami always comes out with the short
end of the stick. Now, Mr. Robbie was not going to pay us the loss of the
games because it was an act of God. Now, when it rains, he wants me to put
up a tarp because it is an act of God. But yet three members of this Commission
sat here and listened to Mr. Robbie tell us that he would give us $35,000 if we
allowed him to play two extra games. The games run $14 per seat. If you have
30,000 people at each game, Mr. Robbie will take the profits from that to put
it in his pocket and give us $35,000. That's wonderful!
Mr. Plummer: Plus T.V. rights.
Mr. Dawkins: Oh, yes, plus T.V. rights, plus concession rights. We're good
to Joe Robbie. But Joe Robbie can't take $25,000 from all of this a buy a
tarpaulin. Now he is going to come back to the citizens of Miami and tell
uL we owe him a tarp on top of that in good conscience, knowing the many
things that the City of Miami need other than an tarpaulin for Mr. Joe Robbie,
who can afford one. I will be voting no against this motion.
Mr. Plummer: Is there any further discussion? I just want to put on the
record that I question the validity of this being an emergency matter. I
don't see it as a life or death situation. Call the roll.
Mayor Ferre: The motion is not an emergency.
Mr. Dawkins: You said so, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Plummer: The special session of this Commission is for the purposes of
emergencies only.
Mayor Ferre: No, no, as I recall, J.L., the Mayor has the right to call a
Commission in session for whatever valid reason the Mayor expresses. But it
doesn't have to be for an emergency vote. This is not an emergency vote.
Mr. Dawkins: But Mr. Mayor, you should not corral us in here and get all
five of us here, in my opinion, sir, and call a special meeting.
Mayor Ferre: Look, Miller, really, I'm not trying to create problems. This
is a budget hearing.
Mr. Dawkins: That's right.
Mayor Ferre: We're here anyway. It is a major matter. I went to Howard
this afternoon. I said, Howard, should we do it or shouldn't we do it?
I want to tell you I have some personal problems with Joe Robbie. I'm
not doing this for Joe Robbie. He's a terrible guy. I don't mind saying
it publicly. I think he is a very, very nasty man. But I want to tell you
something. I'm not doing this for Joe Robbie. I'm doing it because I think
it is important for the people of Miami and the Miami Dolphins. I think we
Dolphins bring millions of dollars of revenue into this town. I think we
have an obligation that we need to maintain, no matter what Joe Robbie does
or doesn't do. The way he handles himself is something that's his problem.
But I don't think that we can penalize the Miami Dolphins and the people of
Miami because of my personal dislike for Joe Robbie. I want to put it on
the record. I don't like the man. I don't like the way he is ac a human
being. That's my personal opinion. But that has nothing to do with it.
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Mr. Plummer: Let the record reflect that the Mayor is only being that Christian
about that individual because the archbishop is present. You have to feel very
sorry for a man that gets $9,000,000 a year for T.V. rights, he gets about
$10,000,000 a year from ticket sales, and he can't afford $25,000. He wants
the tax payers to further subsidize him.
Mayor Ferre: Don't feel sorry for him at all, J.L. I don't feel sorry for
him at all.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Gary, you had....
Mr. Gary: I have just a couple of comments. In my submission, I believe that
just because Mr. Robbie violates the contract, which he did last time, I don't
think that we should. I stand by this purchase. I'd like to also correct the
record, Vice Mayor Plummer, that we were informed, all stadium managers were
informed by the N.F.L. that we had to provide the tarp.
Mr. Plummer: Let the record also reflect that once again this Commission is
-I assume the vote is going to be three to two- that we are subsidizing
him in face of litigation in which he refuses to settle even after this
Commission went to all extremes to compromise......
Mr. Gary: You have a good point there.
Mr. Plummer: ....to be helpful to Mr. Robbie that in the face of that litigation
he is now taking us back to court and yet we are going to subsidize him another
$25,000 and I would hope that the maker of the motion would predicate that
$25,000 on the outcome of the trial, but I won't force the issue.
Mr. Gary: That's a good point.
Mr. Plummer: It is always said that when you come here with your hand out looking
for something, your hand should be clean. I fail to see where he has taken us
back a second time after this Commission went to ... not this Commission, three
members did everything in their power to compromise so that man would not have
a problem to open this season. He has taken us to court twice since then and
now comes back with his hand open asking for another $25,000. Those two
additional games will bring him $1,000,000 each on T.V. rights. I just want
that in the record.
Mr. Carollo: I would like to congratulate the Manager and the Mayor for not
letting personal problems and feelings get in the way. I'm glad that you both
have shown that you were above that. At the same time, I'd just like to put
my cards on the table. I cannot imagine here we are talking about saving
taxpayers' monies, protecting the City's dollars, but how much more money is
it going to cost us? Here is a tarp that costs maybe $20,000 or $25,000.
Because of personal problems between members of this Commission and Mr. Robbie,
we're going to challenge something in court that we have no chance at all to
win. Then it's going to end up costing us maybe $100,000 in court fees, the
money that we have to pay our attorneys to go to court. It is absurd. It's
no way to run a government. I'm beginning to see this just too often in this
Commission that because of personal problems that are getting in the way, we
are ending up spending a heck of a lot more money than we should. I would
just hope that whatever personal feelings there are, Mr. Robbie, or for that
matter anybody else that comes before this Commission, all my colleagues see
fit to put them aside and just vote on the issues, not on the people involved
I'm not here trying to defend or attack Mr. Robbie. I just think that the
Manager made it as clear as he possibly can of what that contract states. I
don't care if the morning or afternoon papers speak well of me because I
champion their position or I don't. I just think that it is very unfair to
the taxpayers to make them believe that we have a shot at saving $25,000
when we don't. What we are going to end up doing is maybe spend three, four
times as much.
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Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, may I ask a question before you call the question?
Mr. City Attorney, we have lawyers on staff that are paid annually. Am I
right or wrong?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: You are right, Commissioner.
Mr. Dawkins: If we go to court with Mr. Robbie with these same lawyers,
would it cost us any more money to pay these lawyers for going to court?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: No, sir, it would not.
Mr. Dawkins: So I think that for the record, that the statement made by
Commissioter Carollo that it would cost additional money for lawyers is in
error and should be stricken from the record.
Mr. Carollo: Let me explain myself.
Mayor Ferre: Mr. Chairman, on a point of personal privilege on this thing....
Mr. Plummer: Point of personal privilege, Mr. Ferre.
Mayor Ferre: I really think I would plead with my colleagues that I don't
think that anything is going to change no matter what anybody says at this
point. I really think we ought to get on with the vote and get on with the
purpose of this meeting, which is the budget hearing. We all know how we are
going to vote. Let's just get it over with.
Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, I agree, but I think it should be made clear that
the attorneys that are paid some pretty high salaries by this City, should
be put to defend cases so they can win; not waste it in cases that they
cannot win. What I am saying, what I meant to say, to make it clear by
three, four times as much is that you have to include that time that attorney
put into that case and figure out what he was paid by the City during that
time. That should be part of what you'd include in a case whose time is
going to be wasted. So I agree with the Mayor, and if the Clerk could
proceed, I think it is time to bring this to a vote.
Mr. Plummer: Unless you are still calling the question, I'll still ask
if there is further discussion. Hearing none, call the roll.
The following motion was introduced by Commissioner Carollo, who moved
its adoption.
MOTION 83-822
A MOTION AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER
TO PURCHASE A TARP FOR USE AS COVER FOR THE PLAYING
FIELD AT THE ORANGE BOWL STADIUM FROM THE MOST
APPROPRIATE SOURCE.
Upon being seconded by Mayor Ferre, the motion was passed and
adopted by the following vote:
AYES: Commissioner Joe Carollo
* Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Mayor Maurice Ferre
NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Vice Mayor J.L. Plummer, Jr.
ABSENT: None.
ON ROLL CALL:
* Mr. Perez: I want to point out something. Personally, I don't share the
arguments about the reason that we have to afford this $25,000. But I listened
to the Manager's recommendations in this case and the legal advice. I think
it would be a very bad position for this City if we have to go back to court.
For that reason and also pointing out that the Miami Dolphins are an important
part of the history of the City of Miami, for that reason I vote yes.
am
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2. PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED CITY OF MIA.."ll 1983-1984 BUDGET.
Mr. Plummer: Ladies and gentlemen, the usual procedure is to try to do this
in a very orderly fashion. I would assume, Mr. Gary, this evening we are not
going to speak to Federal Revenue Sharing. Is that correct? So anyone here
who is on Federal Revenue Sharing or a social program, it is not this evening.
We will not be discussing anything in reference to Federal Revenue Sharing or
social programs. Now, we will discuss any other matter as it relates to budget.
We would ask that any of you who feel a compulsion to speak, that you would
line up at the Clerk. He will give you a slip of paper to fill out with your
name, whatever else information is asked for, and you will be called up accordingly.
Excuse me, I stand corrected. The `tanager tells me we will be discussing Federal
Revenue Sharing and social programs, so if there are any people present.
Mr. Mano Surana: Not the social programs.
Mr. Plummer: Not the programs, just Federal Revenue Sharing. So is that
clear now? It's not really to me, but that's what I'm told. So we ask any
of you who wish to speak on any subject relating to budget to please give your
name to the Clerk and once we have those, we will then proceed. Matty, will
you bring me the first one filled out, please? I would assume we're going to...
do we have an agenda, Mr. Gary?
Mr. Gary: Yes, you do.
Mr. Plummer: Is it published?
Mr. Gary: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: Thank you. The first item on the budget is a discussion of
proposed millage rate and tentative budget for the City of Miami. I would
assume, Mr. Gary....
Mr. Gary: The percentage increase is 8....
Mr. Plummer: Are these made available to the public?
Mr. Gary: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: Everyone that has one, I assume. They are on both sides of
the room.
Mr. Gary: There is a stack right on this table right here.
Mr. Plummer: O.K., Mr. Gary, we are on item number 1.
Mr. Gary: Mr. Vice Mayor, the percentage increase is 8.98%.
Mr. Plummer: 8.98%. Now Mr. Gary, I think what would be interesting for
people to know from day one, is that the percentage which we approved?
Mr. Gary: That is correct, sir.
Mr. Plummer: O.K., now what we want you to know, according to State law
there is absolutely no way that we can exceed that which we have already
published. We can, in fact, go lower than that rate and history will say
that traditionally we have gone lower than that rate. Second item, that
was "A", the percentage increase in millage over rolled back rate. What
is that figure, Mr. Gary? That is item "A" under I.
Mr. Gary: I just gave you "A".
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Mr. Plummer: Item "B", specific purposes for which ad -valorem tax revenues
are being increased. By the way, this is in compliance with State law. We
must go through this procedure.
Mr. Gary: Mr. Vice Mayor, the purpose of which the ad -valorem taxes are being
increased are as follows: increased expenditures for. the Police Department,
$3,529,975 for salaries and wages, and other is $159,334 for a total of
$3,689,309, which is a 58% increase. Partial funding for salary, wage, and
fringe benefit cost for the remaining City departments, $2,662,070, that is
42% of the increase. The total increase $6,351,379, which represents 100%.
Mr. Plummer: We are now on item "C", the City Commission listens and responds
to citizens' comments regarding the proposed millage increase and explains the
reasons for the increase, which Mr. Gary has just done.
Mayor Ferre: All right, we have a list of speakers here. I really don't have
that many. I'm surprised.
Mr. Ongie: We have more.
Mayor Ferre: Oh, you have more. The first one that I have here is Annie Adker.
Aren't you going to talk?
Ms. Anne Marie Adker: Yes, I'm Anne Marie Adker, 238 N.W. 8 Street. I see
that you have an increase in expenditures for the Police Department, salaries
and wages. I wonder how many more policemen do you intend to hire?
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Gary, the question is how many more policemen do you expect
to hire in this coming budget year.
Mr. Gary: Currently we have intentions not to hire any additional police
officers. However, we plan to increase the Police Department's budget by
approximately $3.7 million.
Mr. Dawkins: Mrs. Adker, the increase is for wages and other fringe benefits
that were negotiated by the management and union. Therefore, in order to pay
these increases in salary, our millage had to be increased. This money is
not to hire any more. This is just to pay the wages and fringe benefits that
the bargaining agents won through negotiations from the City Manager.
Ms. Adker: Well, does this mean that with the increase in the salaries, wages,
and fringe benefits that other social programs will be cut?
Mr. Dawkins: Yes, ma'am.
Mr. Gary: Well, if I may.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Gary, if you can answer, please answer.
Mr. Gary: If I may, Ms. Adker, what we have proposed is a budget that addresses
the balance service needs of the City of Miami. To that end the budget reflects
no reduction in other services, provided that the budget that has been proposed
by the Administration remains the same. If we increase the number of police
officers, which I imagine will be discussed today, then there will be reductions
in other services, such as parks, recreation, and other basic services.
Ms. Adker: I have problems with that.
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Gary, in the event that the expected revenue from sales
tax, etc. or even from ad -valorem taxes, where people might have lost many
of their jobs and cannot pay and the expected revenue does not come in, what
will happen to services?
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Mr. Gary: Well, Commissioner Dawkins, by law we are required to maintain a
balanced budget. That is our expenditures must equal our revenues. We are
not like a lot of other states that allow deficit spending. If that occurs
during the course of the year, we would have to cut back certain services or
lay off people to adjust for that reduction.
Ms. Adker: And you are talking about deterring crime, you know. If you cut
social services, meaning that people will lose jobs, then I'm frustrated by
that. You had better arrange the Police Department. Honest to goodness!
I love the City of Miami Police Department, but I don't see how you can deter
crime by cutting social services to better the Police Department. I really
don't. If you can explain that to me.
Mr. Gary: Ms. Adker, if I explain what I said earlier. I am not proposing that
in the budget that I gave the City Commission. I am saying that we have to
maintain our services at current levels, because over the past years, as a
result of our sincere concern if we had a crime problem, this City Commission
made a conscientious effort since 1980 to hire additional police officers.
What we are saying now is what we have now in terms of police effort is adequate
at this particular point in time. We should not increase police at the expense
of those programs that you are talking about. So that is proposed not to reduce
the social service programs. I am saying that if it is considered that we add
additional police officers, then social programs and other things will have to
be reduced accordingly.
Mayor Ferre: Ms. Adker, anything else?
Ms. Adker: Adding more police does not necessarily have to deter crime. We
have a crime prevention subcouncil that is a volunteer group that is the right
arm of our police in my Overtown community. I don't want to see any more
social service programs cut.
Mayor Ferre: Thank you, Ms. Adker. By the way, I have two cards here. One
is from Anne Marie Adker, whom I know and just spoke. There is another one
here, and this is where the confusion comes, Annie Adker. Somebody must have
written it our for you then. Is there another person here by the name of
Annie Adker? The next speaker is Archbishop McCarthy.
Mr. Van Edsel: Mr. Mayor, Members of the Commission, I'm Van Edsel, Executive
Director of Miami Citizens Against Crime. I want to take just a few minutes
to tell you in some specifics that I don't believe that we have any differences
relating to the facts. Sometimes it is reported that I've said something or
someone in the Commission has said something in which it would appear that
factual matters are at issue. I don't believe that to be true and I want to
see if I can clarify that, please. Number one, we are very grateful for what
this Commission has done in the past three years.
Mayor Ferre: In the past how many?
Mr. Edsel: Three years, well before Miami Citizens Against Crime had started.
We recognize fully that this Commission added policemen before our organization
even came into being. We applaud you for that and we are very grateful for it.
Over the past three years, at least according to the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement Reports, you have added some 336 sworn officers in terms of authorized
and you have added some 200 plus civilians along with that.
Mayor Ferre: :34, 369 and 204.
Mr. Edsel: I would add parenthetically that if you go back three years prior
to those three years, however, the police force was going down. Therefore,
a good deal of what you were doing was playing catch-up ball. But nevertheless
your Commission certainly has added policemen and added them without the impetus
of Miami Citizens Against Crime in the beginning. Secondly, we believe that the
City of Miami Police Department is a very effective one in terms of utilizations
of the resources available to them. Your data on responsiveness to service calls
and emergencies and all those kinds of things which policemen must deal with
rapidly and quickly seem to be as good or better than many police departments
in this country. Your Police Department is as innovative in terms of using
things like foot patrol, horse patrolmen, directed patrol, all of those things
which are helping to expand the effectiveness of the Police Department. We
know that last year, and probably before you undertook significant civilianization.
sl
Q9 .SEP 121983
Mr. Edsel (Con't); That is obviously a proper move, if there are billets which
civilians can fill, as well as sworn officers. That's fine. Let's get the
sworn officers out on the streets. By the way, as I'm sure you know, and
perhaps some of the people in the audience do not, the ratio of civilians
within the force is now 29%, which is a good deal higher than most of the
rest of the country. Your crime rate is down.
Mayor Ferre: Are you saying that as if we're bad?
Mr. Edsel: No, sir. I'm just saying that perhaps you have reached a reasonable
limit to that. Your crime rate is down 10% from 1980-81 to 1982-83, and proba-
bly more than that in the violent crime. It's about 10% overall more than that
in the violent crime. That is great! Your crime rate using a population of
450,000 -I changed my numbers, Mr. Mayor, so that I could get closer to the
population figures that I believe you all use, although the State doesn't,
and we'd be glad to help with that if we can- but at any rate, your crime rate
is about 11,000 part one crimes per 100,000 population, slightly lower than
that in the first half of 1983, using a 450,000 population. I ran a set of
data on some other large cities in the United States, Baltimore, New York,
Chicago, Cleveland, those kinds of cities.
Mayor Ferre: How about some southern cities?
Mr. Edsel: I'm coming to that one, Mayor, because I knew you were interested
in that. The crime rate for those large cities, like New York, Chicago, Baltimore,
Cleveland, etc. averages at about 6,500 per 100,000 population. Those particular
cities also had a ratio of sworn officers per 1,000 well above three and most of
them in the fours. After knowing of your interest in the southern cities, I
went back and did a set of data on all of the southeastern states, the largest
city in each one. That yielded a crime rate average in those cities of 10,230.
Not much different than the City of Miami. Interestingly enough....
Mayor Ferre: It's important, Admiral, to say that real loud. I was very, very
happy to see the headlines in the Miami News this morning, the Miami Citizens
Against Crime are saying that Miami is not the murder capital of the country.
I'm sorry Bill Colson isn't here, because I wanted to congratulate him for
reversing, because as I recall it was Bill Colson who had made that public
statement, which of course got an awful lot of national press that we were
self -admitted crime murder capital of the world. I'm awfully happy that now
we can say that Miami is not substantially anv different from any other mainr
southern city in crime and furthermore there are four major Florida cities
that have a crime rate that is higher than the City of Miami.
Mr. Edsel: That's right,sir. It is interesting to note that of those southern
cities that have that crime rate that is similar to ours, all of them are below
3.0 sworn officers per 1,000 and significantly below. So; one can interpret
that kind of data in many ways. What I see it is those cities which have
invested in the additional officers have a crime rate that's significantly
lower than ours and those who have not, have a crime rate that is very similar
to ours.
Mayor Ferre: Just out of curiosity, do you have Washington, D.C.'s figures
in there?
Mr. Edsel: No, sir.
Mayor Ferre: Let we tell you, Washington, D.C. has about 8 police officers
per 1,000. Did you know that? Close to 8, it's the highest probably in
the world. It also has a.crime rate substantially higher than Miami.
Mr. Plummer: Let me ask you another question, if I may, since you are using
statistics in trying to measure Miami against other cities. In any of those
cities that you are very easily referring to, did you take in comparison the
number of criminal judges per 100,000 people?
Mr. Edsel: No, sir, I did not.
Mr. Plummer: You didn't feel that was important?
Mr. Edsel: Certainly, it's important.
10 t983
sl SEP 12
Mr. Plummer: Well, the reason I am asking, you have been in existence now for
three years and what you have primarily....
Mr. Edsel: Two.
Mr. Plummer: O.K., well, two years, you have been in existence for two years.
I want to tell you, you have done an awful lot of good. I think you have made
a lot of people aware, if nothing more. But in the last two years, how many
increase have we seen in criminal judges?
Mr. Edsel: Five.
Mr. Plummer: Five.
Mr. Edsel:Five, as allotted by the State of Florida, Chief Judge Wetherington
has also added others in terms of reserve....
Mr. Plummer: So, in other words, we have a total now for the total Dade County
of 17.
Mayor Ferre: So, it is five. It was 12 before and it is now 17.
Mr. Plummer: Well, he is shaking his head.
Mr. Edsel: Judge Wetherington would tell you, if he were here, that effective
criminal judges are probably about 25 right now, because he uses people from
the civil court. He uses retired judges.
Mr. Plummer: Our Police Chief told us 17.
Mr. Edsel: Seventeen is the official number allotted by the State.
Mr. Plummer: Predicated on the 17, our Police Chief also told us that most
likely we would need to even catching even, 35. Kenny, was I right on that?
What that what you... approximately....
Mr. Edsel: The Miami Citizens Against Crime has had a goal since two years
ago that the number of criminal court judges should be 30.
Mr. Plummer: O.K., well, our Chief recommended 35. Have you ever given
some thought to the fact that you've made a lot of strides in two years
with this Commission and others as to the number of policemen, but that
you have so tremendously front -loaded the system, that all we are doing is
recapturing the same individuals time and time and time again. What good
are we doing by taking these people off the street, putting them into a
system which does not work, and putting them back out on the street? You
know, our Police Chief told us the other day about a man, Kenny, 97 times
he has been arrested in 13 years. He has been arrested 97 times, How
much jail time has he spent, Kenny? Very little, little to nothing.
Mr. Edsel: I understand.
Mr. Plummer: I'm getting to a very serious point.
Mr. Edsel: That concerns us more than it does you.
Mr. Plummer: What I'm saying is that because of your efforts this City and
Joe Carollo, he was right there, number one, has increased this Police De-
partment some 300 people since you came here and knocked on the door. Do
you realize that only, as our Police Chief tell... these are not my numbers.
Please, if I am wrong, Kenny, you correct me. Only out of 30,000 felony
arrests last year, 2% went to trial.
Mr. Edsel: I understand that.
Mr. Plummer: Well you understand that, but are you doing anything about it?
Mr. Edsel: Absolutely.
sl
11
SEP 1 21983
Mr. Plummer: What? You told me in two years you had 5 new judges. All
we're doing is taking people off the street by having more policemen who
are making more arrests, and putting them in there to plea bargain to put
them back out on the street. What we have done is increase their criminal
activity record by one. You know, I, for the life of me don't understand
why your committee who's...I say there are some very powerful people in
this community in that committee... don't go to Tallahassee and don't settle
for 5. If this Police Chief, Janet Reno, I understand is expressing the same
comments. If they are telling you that they have to have 35 minimum and
we have 17, all you are doing, I see, is completely front loading the system
that the back end can't handle. I want to tell you, I don't know if you
heard of Kenny Harms' statement at the budget hearing, but I wish we had
started off with that statement. All I'm saying is it seems like the dollars
expended ... we have expended, we are up to 1050 sworn officers; and that is
a long way from 712 or whatever the figure was before. But all I'm saying
to you is, you can keep buying cars but if you don't buy gas, what good is
it to buy a car? We're buying policemen and we're putting them into a system
that doesn't exist. It doesn't work. The same bad guys are still on the
street. What happened to the system that said that if we caught a guy
committing a felony and he was out on bail, there was no second bail.
Why isn't your committee fighting something like that which would help to
take some of these bad guys off the streets? Why isn't your committee out
petitioning the State of Florida for more jail space? All we have now is
a Federal Judge saying you are overcrowded, take 300 of the least bad guys
and release them. I fail to see where every bit of pressure is coming here!
And yet we are moving. We're doing things. But pressure is not being applied
elsewhere.
Mr. Edsel: May I address that, sir?
Mr. Plummer: I hope you would, because I'm confused. I'm not confused on
what's going on. I'm confused about your statements in telling me about all
of these other major cities, yet you are only telling me one side of the
statistics. You're not telling me about the rest of their system.
Mayor Ferre: Let's give him a break now. Admiral, we're going to let you
answer, but to put it in just one sentence, Archbishop, it's like as a kid
I always remembered I never understood why the priest would always lecture
us about going to mass, because the ones that were there, obviously, didn't
need the lecturing. You know, we're the ones... there is not one government
in the State of Florida, including Metropolitan Dade County, that has moved
more dramatically, more quickly, more emphatically, and put on more police
officers. I want to put it in perspective, Admiral, before I turn it back
to you. Do you know that the City of Miami has increased its Police Department
quicker than any other city in America? Do you know that the City of Miami
Police Department spends a higher percentage of its total budget than Pny
other city in America on police? Do you know that the City- of Miami Police
Department spends more on a per capita in ad -valorem taxes than any other
city in the State of Florida? I mean I could just go on and on and on.
Let me just give you some of these, because I think you ought to know these
things. Miami ranks fourth in terms of officers per population; ranks
first in terms of officers per pop... Miami ranks.... let me read the full
statement. "When compared to other cities with population of 250,000 to
500,000, Miami ranks near the top in all categories. Miami ranks fourth
in terms of officers per population; ranks first in terms of police officers
per square mile; ranks third in terms of actual dollars provided for police
use despite the fact that in the survey it ranked ninth in population and
is the smallest in land area per square miles. Miami tied for first place
in terms of general fund alloted to the Police Department. It ranks third
in terms of per capita expenditures for police effort at $143.15 per capita.
In a survey of the Florida cities with a population of 50,000 or more, four
cities had a higher crime rate than the City of Miami." So I guess, I think
the point that Commissioner Plummer is so ably making to you is that you are
preaching to the choir. You are telling us to do a better job, when we are
the ones that have done the best job. What more can we do?
sl 12
.SEP 121983
L1
0
Mr. Plummer: Let me tell you what Commissioner Plummer is saying. Before
I spend one more dollar for another policeman, and I think Mr. Gary, you said
they were asking for 100 more, as I recall, and you said that total cost was
what up and above what we are spending now? $3.6?
Mr. Gary: $4.6 million.
Mr. Plummer: In other words, put another 100 policemen on for a full year,
you are talking about $4.6 million. And knowing the City, by the time it's
finished, it will be $5 million. Sir, I want to tell you before I would
spend another lOC for another policeman this year, I'll think about giving
more money, but where it's needed and that's in the courts to try to unload
some of that backlog. That's where I just haven't seen any increase.
Mayor Ferre: Admiral, the figures that I have just read, I just wanted to
verify, are for 27 American cities.
Mr. Edsel: First I would like to address Commissioner Plummer's point.
When Miami Citizens Against Crime was first founded, we were quickly
educated on the fact that the thing called the criminal justice system
has various elements: law enforcement, courts, public defenders, State
attorneys, judges, prisons, and parole and probation folks.
Mr. Plummer: And also police.
Mr. Edsel: Law enforcement, and that we needed to work on all facets of
that problem. That it did no good to work on one to itself. If I might
at a later date go through with you some of the goals and things that we
have done on the Federal and State level in all of those aspects of the
criminal justice system, then I think you would see that we have not picked
entirely you the City of Miami. We have not picked entirely upon law
enforcement as opposed to judges, courts, prisons, and so forth. A good
deal of our effort was spent in Tallahassee in getting more judges, more
public defenders, more State attorneys, more parole and probation officers,
more prison space in the State of Florida, and more jail space in the County
of Dade. As a matter of fact, it was our organization that was very helpful
in getting the $200,000,000 bond issue passed last year, which would provide
jail and police and medical examiner and State attorney facilities in the
forthcoming 20 years. So we certainly recognize the point you make. I
know that the actual trial rate per criminal filing is way less than 3% or
4%. Just as it is in most of the country, by the way. But the question,
then is which part of the system are we going to use as the common denominator
to compromise with. If we're always saying, O.K., there's not enough courts
or State attorneys, or public defenders, or jail space, then we better not
hire any more police. You can pick any oDe of those you want to compromise
on and there is a problem with that. That is you'll never get anywhere.
Have we recognized the problem? Yes. Have we done anything about the problem?
Yes. We're the ones that helped get more State attorneys, more public defenders,
more judges, and more prison space in the State of Florida. That we haven't
enough yet, true. Are we still working on the problem? Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: Have you made any entrees whatsoever to the Feds?
Mr. Edsel: To the Feds? Yes, sir. We have.
Mr. Plummer: What have you accomplished?
Mr. Edsel: The southern district of Florida, when we came into being was
very short of Federal judges. Through our efforts, temporary judges were
assigned to the southern district of Florida and have helped alleviate
that case load. We have now made representation, as we had from the
beginning, to get the number of the Federal judges in the southern district
of Florida increased permanentiv. Yes, we have worked on that problem
and continue to do so.
sl 13
.SEP 1 21983
4
Mr. Plummer: Admiral., do you agree with the statement that about 352 of our
crime problem in Miami or in South Florida, Dade County, whatever you wish,
is directly related at the feet of drugs.
Mr. Edsel: It's certainly very significant. I wouldn't guess at the percentage.
Mr. Plummer: O.K., the Federal Government has unlimited budgets, millions
of dollars. They have a thing called D.E.A. Have you made any efforts to
make them address the problem that is significant to south Florida? I don't
know of anywhere else in which is the gateway as has been used in south
Florida. What has your organization done to tap into that agency which has
basically, from what I understand, unlimited funds, to address our particular
needs here.
Mr. Edsel: I spent 30 years in the Federal Government in the U.S. Navy, and
I can assure you, sir, that there is no unlimited funded department in the
U.S. government. Certainly as a taxpayer I would deny that.
Mr. Plummer: Sir, I will tell you, if you know, if you have been there for
30 years, you know what monies have been spent on behalf of D.E.A. in the
country of Colombia. It is amazing! Millions! I'm saying what has your
committee done to get the problem addressed that exists' -I don't think that
anybody denies- is significant to south Florida. Do we have because of your
efforts address the number one problem, drugs.
Mr. Edsel: Obviously, I'm not understanding your question because my inclination
is to say, why is the federal task force here? It's only here because our members
went to Washington and talked personally to the Vice President of the United
States that the South Florida Federal Task Force is here. What did the South
Florida Federal Task Force bring? Over a 1,000 new agents to this area to
deal with drug interdiction. How successful they are? It is not within our
power to make them successful or not successful; but they are here because
we persuaded the Vice President that they should be here.
Mr. Plummer: Did you see the documentary on T.V. the other night by A.B.C.
called "The Cocaine Cartel"? Did you see that program? Did you see what the
bottom line of that program was? The bottom line was simple. Yes, they came
here. They did a job. We now have approximately 12% more cocaine on the
street than before they came here.
Mr. Carollo: I don't think that is necessarily fair to say, J.L.
Mr. Plummer: Excuse me. I did not use that figure. That's what I took from
T.V.
Mr. Carollo: I don't think that is necessarily....
Mr. Edsel: I'm not sure I understand where you are coming from, Mr. Plummer,
because either you want them here or you don't.
Mr. Plummer: No, no, no, I want them here.
Mr. Edsel: You are saying they came here and it hasn't changed the drug
problem. What's the punch line of that one?
Mr. Plummer: The punch line is very simple. They haven't done sufficient.
Drugs from foreign countries, in my estimation, is to be addressed by a
Federal agency called the D.E.A.
Mr. Edsel: It's addressed by many agencies. That's certainly one of the
principle ones.
Mr. Plummer: The obvious answer to that is, sir, if there is more cocaine
on the street, as was indicated, they didn't send sufficient people. There
needs to be more.
14
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iSEP 121933
% 9
Mr. Carollo: If I may enlighten you all with some figures, people that are
in a much better position than myself to estimate these numbers tell me that
the government of Cuba alone is making on a yearly basis anywhere from
$700,000,000 a year, on the conservative level, to possibly in excess of
$1,000,000,000 a year in what they alone are making in the drug trades.
Castro himself had recently a three-hour tape of Miami made for him that
I understand he watches on occasion at nights when he gets upset with
Miami. He seems to be extremely obsessed with the economic prosperity that
the Cuban community in exile has had. It is known that he has vowed on more
than one occasion to destroy the economic prosperity that the Cuban community
has had in Miami. One of the best ways that he feels that he could do that
at the same time help try to destroy this country is by flooding our streets
with drugs. This is exactly what has happened in this community. It is
getting to the point that you can barely go past any city block, whether on
your low income neighborhoods to your higher income neighborhoods that you
don't find kids in the street smoking pot, you don't find someone in that
neighborhood that's involved at one level or another in selling narcotics.
That's a problem that, yes, the Federal government needs to put more dollars,
more man -power in, but we also have to do that. Our budget for the Police
Department this year is only S61,000,000 compared to the profits of the Cuban
government is making in narcotics, the figures are terribly unbalanced. The
narcotics aspect of it is just one problem; because of the narcotics problem
that is creating a domino type of problem for this City in this community.
Because of narcotics, you have more robberiesmore breaking and entering,
more car thefts, and you could go down the line with just about every conceivable
kind of crime that you can think of, including murder. The majority of the
murders are being committed in one way or another, you will find are usually
related to narcotics. This City, like my colleagues have stated, and I thank
my colleague, J.L. Plummer, for the statement that he made that he attributed
to me, has certainly been in the forefront of any city in Florida and maybe
any city in this country, in providing additional police officers for our
department, additional resources. The bottom line is that I don't think that
means that we should take a breather and not keep pushing for that. When you
compare Miami to other major cities in the different areas that we have, it's
kind of difficult to judge Miami to other cities, and particularly in the ratio
of police officers per thousand. Even though we are below that national average,
of 3.0, because of the unique problems that we have, many of which are imported
to us, those figures of Miami should actually be even higher than the 3.0. What
recently happened to this community -I'm not trying to alarm anyone; I'm just
trying to deal with realities- we recently had some difficulties where a very
important sector of this City was blocked out, both police and fire communications
failed. Well, that was very unfortunate. I hope we learned from the mistakes
that we made ... why that happened; but I think if it should have taught us any-
thing, it should teach us how vulnerable our City is to terrorist type problems
in the future. We need not only to have patrol officers in the streets, but
we need to free qualified patrol officers to be brought in to the different
special investigative bodies that this City has and expand those. You are
living in a community today that is probably more unique than any community
throughout the country. The main protection, should I say the main responsibility,
that this Commission has is the protection of life and property. To me that
includes, number one, police; secondly, fire; and last but not least, Sanitation
Department. I think that we all understand that it takes money to hire new
police officers, monies that at times like these are very hard to come by,
but what I'm seeing is that we are going back to the situation that we had
some years back that because we stopped hiring for X amount of years, thinking
that well, things are starting to get better, gee, maybe we can put it off for
the following year. The following year we thought we could put if off for
another year. Before you know it, we had the situation where our Police
Department only had 650 officers. Even by the estimates that the Police
Chief gives us, our Police Department at a minimum should have 1250 police
officers today. That is at the very minimum. Frankly, it probably should
be a little higher than that. If we wait for next year, those numbers aren't
going to stay there. What we are going to be doing is playing catch up every
year. I think that I, as a Commissioner, have a solemn responsibility to
make sure that our citizens, not only feel, but are protected while walking
our streets or being at home. I can only applaud the efforts that a lot of
the people that are here today, including the Miami Citizens Against Crime;
because it is through the efforts of citizens like you that this community
has been able, I think, to lower the crime rate that it has, unfortunately,
no where near to where it should be. Yes, I agree also that we have to look
at the courts systems. We have to look at the jails. But just because we
sl 15 SEP 121953
10 4
Mr. Carollo (Con't): don't have an adequate amount of judges, we don't have
enough jail cells, that doesn't mean that we have to stop hiring police officers.
At the same time I feel that this Police Department adequately can take in
75-100 police officers this year and train them properly. But it has to be
a joint effort. 'Yes, there are a lot of people that are in need of jobs in
this community. There are a lot of people that are in need of other vital
things to live on. But I think that those are going to be the people that
are going to be hurt the most and hurt first if we don't provide an adequate
Police Department in all levels. All levels mean in personnel.
Mayor Ferre: Admiral, I apologize if we all went off on our own statements
in this. It's really a public hearing, so it's for you. So, back to you,
sir, I'm sorry.
Mr. Edsel: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I just want to make two comments relative
to the prior discussion. One, in hiring policemen, the reason is not 100%
to catch criminals and lock them and put them through the judicial process
and lock them up. A big part of having enough policemen on the street is
to deter crime, to prevent it. We applaud the things that the Chief is
doing in terms of foot patrol and horse patrol and community outreach efforts
in the Police Department, which eventually will turn down the crime itself
and lessen the need for jails and courts and public defenders and the like.
So there is a need for hiring policemen beyond that of just making sure you
catch every criminal. Secondly, are drugs still available on the streets
and are the prices lower or the same? Probably true, but 30% of the drugs
used within this area come from within the United States, not outside. That's
not the Federal Government's responsibility to deal with drugs grown in Florida
and California and New Mexico and wherever. That's worth noting. Secondly,
I'm the first to tell you that the drug problem will never go away until we
turn off the usage. Somebody will find a way to get it to them. Until we
do something more about reducing demand, we will have a drug problem, no
matter how many Federal agents we bring in here. I do find it somewhat
disconcerting that we're brought to the fire saying, where are the Federal
agents? Where are the judges? Where are the public defenders? Where are
the State Attorneys? Certainly, if anybody has worked on that problem, we
have. The reason I came, really, to talk tonight, Mr. Mayor, was to try
to remove some of the contention of our prior discussions on the data.
I see I have failed again in that, but I really didn't want to get embroiled
in statistics because I think there is fundamental agreement that our crime
rate is, basically, how many officers per thousand we have. How many we
need, because you, the Commission, have twice now endorsed the concept of
3.0 officers per thousand. You, the Commission, last year discussed adding
50, as a fairly modest number, while you went about some civilianization
with the forecast that you would add an additional 100 this year. So, I'm
not making any of this data up. I'm just trying to reach some kind of...
let's put the statistics aside and deal with the gut issue. Do we have a
serious crime problem in this area? I think we do. My neighbors think we
do. The people that are buying bars and putting them on the windows in my
neighborhood think they do. The older friends I have that are afraid to go
to the bank to cash their social security check, they think we have a problem.
So we have a problem we need to deal with. Where it fits relative to somewhere else
in the country, is not important. We need to deal with our problem.
Mayor Ferre: We also have to feed our people and improve our parks, and do
the other things that we have to do. Thank you very much.
Mr. Edsel: Yes, sir, and one reason Mr. Chapman is not here tonight, and I
wanted to apologize for him for that, is that he is in New York City, as he
informed you the other day, Mayor. He is talking to bankers to get money for
the less privileged parts of our community. The $7,000,000 they raised pre-
viously, another $2,000,000 later, they are in New York trying to raise more
for that purpose. The members of our organization certainly recognize that
there are many social things that need to be done in this community.
Mr. Plummer: Admiral, let me not let you leave that speaking without saying
to you if this City could afford, I want you to know that I fully support
Commissioner Carollo who has made the statement that he will not stand still
until we reach the 1200 police officers. I fully support that, sir. But
I think that we have to, one, address where the weakest link is, and I think
sl 16 SEP 121983
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Mr. Plummer (Con't.): that is in the court system. I think that has to be
addressed. Number two, I want you to know that this year the Police Department
budget is $3.6 million more than it was last year. I want you to know that it
is easy for you to stand there and tell me what we should do. But see, you
don't have to address the other $196,000,000 and distribute it fairly, equally
among an entire city. If you take the three most important items that this
City Commission has that is Police, which take up 31.6% of our budget, the largest
single issue. I have it as 31.6%.
Mayor Ferre: 36%, the highest in the country.
Mr. Plummer: If you take fire, at 17.8%, and you take sanitation at 12.1%,
that is better than 60% of our total budget. Then you turn around and listen
to Annie Adker, not speaking am I to the social programs, but you look in the
City where you try to create a good environment for your tax people for your
citizens, and you find that we only spend 4% of our budget on parks. I think,
you know, it has to be understood that we, the Commissioners, that will make
the final decision must address an entire City problem.
Mr. Edsel: I wrote at the bottom on my remarks, what is the issue?
Mayor Ferre: Money.
Mr. Edsel: Put the statistics aside. Is it money? To say a fifth penny of
sales tax provided to you last year some $9,500,000....
Mayor Ferre: And we spent more than that.
Mr. Edsel: And we will give to you this forthcoming year $10,600,000. In other
words, $1,100,000 more than last year. We didn't come to the table empty handed
asking for things without money. We knew you would have to have money. So I
don't think money is the real issue. The real issue is rate of progress toward
your own goal. You have a goal of adding more police officers. We applaud that
goal. We need to think at what rate we need to do that. Certainly zero this
year is not progress toward that goal. Nor is it fitting to our crime rate.
Mayor Ferre: Thank you very much.
Mr. Carollo: Admiral, one more thing since we have to be real brief. I would
hope that yourself, the Archbishop is here, all your other members will lobby
the Federal Government in this particular area. This is something that you
may not be aware of. I gave some figures as to what the communist government
of Cuba was making in the area of the drug trade. I think that with the new
information that we have received, even the F.B.I. Director now is admitting
that high officials, including the brother of Fidel Castro and Fidel himself,
as will be seen shortly, I promise you, are involved in the drug traffic of
bringing drugs into the United States. The problem that we are having is that
within the drug enforcement administration within the group that's assigned
to those particular types of investigations, he only has four special agents
and one team leader that's assigned to investigate the drug traffic between
Cuba and the United States, only five individuals assigned to that. That's just
unreal, and two of them were added shortly after the subcommittee from the
United States Senate on security and terrorism came down for the hearings that we had
here. That's just been a few months ago. So, if there is any particular area
that I would like to recommend for your prestigious organization to lobby is
for our government to assign more agents to investigate the related cases of
drugs coming from Cuba into south Florida and the United States. If we alone
can concentrate enough agents in that area, that would curtail a heck of a good
portion of drugs and problems that are coming into south Florida.
Mr. Edsel: We will certainly discuss that with them, sir. Thank you very much.
Mayor Ferre: I would recognize Archbishop McCarthy next, but before I do that,
Archbishop, and Bill, and Admiral, and Lester, I'm going to give you a copy of
this memorandum that the Administration has just put out this evening so you
can read and study it before the final meeting on the 29th. Let me say on
the record that personal position is that we have to hire some police officers.
The question is how many. I am opposed to going to 100. I don't know whether
I can go to 50. I think it's going to have to be a little bit less than that.
That is something that we have to talk about. But I want to give you some information
17
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40
Mayor Ferre (Con't): so that you can put this into your mind as you think about
this. You know, in the first place, you hear all these things about the Miami
Citizens Against Crime Committee. I too subscribe to what Plummer said, you
have done a wonderful job. I'm all for your focusing the attention of the
press and the national attention which you have given this, both on the
negative and on the positive. I think....
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, I'd like to hear Archie after you. After you finish,
I'd like to hear Mr. Harwicke.
Mayor Ferre: Let me just make this statement into the record.
Mr. Dawkins: Go right ahead, sir.
Mayor Ferre: Now back in June 26, 1980 remember that the Miami Citizens Against
Crime was incorporated in Tallahassee on May 21, 1982. In June 1980 Commissioner
Carollo made a motion and Commissioner Plummer seconded the motion and it was
passed unanimously that the Commission immediately go on record as hiring 200
police officers. That was done within a 23 month period. The record would
also reflect that the City of Miami Commission passed a resolution 81-391,
which was signed in May 1981 going on record with the State of Florida on
the sales tax. It was mailed to the President of the Senate, the Speaker
of the House on May 20th. It was adopted on the 15th day of May. It says
as follows:
"A Resolution urging the Florida Legislature to enact an additional
one cent sales tax law for the purpose of providing funds to alleviate
the problems...."
plural....
"facing urban areas such as education, unemployment...."
it was the second one mentioned....
"crime...."
is the third....
"and transportation."
Now, I want you to know that I personally went on behalf of the City of Miami
Commission to lobby in Tallahassee and spend many, many, many hours lobbying
as did Rick Sisser and some of our people. I don't mean in any way belittle
the fact that you were deeply involved in lobbying as we were. But I don't
want you to think, or to even perceive, that you were the only people that were
in favor of the additional sales tax, or that you were the only people that
stuck your necks out. These politicians went out on May 15, 1981 and went
on record... there it is. I'd be happy to give you a copy of it. It was
signed and supported and sent up to Tallahassee and we lobbied. I want to
tell you that when I went lobbying, I didn't go lobbying to have more police
officers. You may have done that. Furthermore, I have a copy of the law
here. I want you to know that the law is very, very clear. So when you write
me letters saying that you want to keep faith, I don't know who you are talking
about and I don't know whose faith you are talking about, but you ain't talking
about my faith; because my record is extremely clear. Now, but there is some-
thing a lot stronger than that. That is that not only have we expended the
monies that you said that you said we should expend from the sales tax, we
have expended more, MORE. Now let me give you the specific figures. The
sales tax revenues were $9.6 million. In summary, all of the $8.5 million
in sales tax revenues was used for .the Police Department. Secondly, the
Citv expended $6.8 million more for police than it was mandated to spend by
the law. So not only did we comply with the law, we went over it by $6.8 million.
This mandated amount was $2.9 million and the City expended a $9.7 million.
Lastly, the City expended $12 million more on police...$1.2 million more on
police than it received in sales tax revenues. We received the final receipt
of sales tax revenues was $9.7 million for police less the $8.5 in sales
revenue. There was a $1.2 million that this City Commission expended in
addition to monies received from sales tax revenues even though in our
resolution we didn't say for crime or more police officers. And the law
doesn't say other than what I read. So, not only have we walked the extra
mile, Archbishop, we have walked an extra ten miles. So, to say that the
City of Miami Commission has not dealt in good faith or has not expended monies
to comply with, I think, frankly, is not fair. I realize that perhaps these
facts were not known to the members of the Miami Commission Against Crime.
Perhaps there has been, I don't think there has been misinformation, there
has been a lack of proper information. So before we finalize this whole
thing, I would like for you, and I would like for Mr .... Mano, how many ^:opies
if you would get a half a dozen copies of that made the members who save taken
their time today, and we would be happy to you. One last thing, P.;..miral, that
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Mayor Ferre (Con't): I wanted to tell you. I don't know where you got your
3.0. I know that about five years ago, I came up with that figure. It's on
the record here as being the goal that we set up in the City of Miami Commission
as our target. I want to tell you one other thing. We have and we are going to
give you the statistical run we made on 27 cities. Our statisticians and our
computer people can find no correlation between the number of police officers
and crime rates. We will be happy to give you our computer reports. If you
can get the Herald's computer people or Southeast Bank, or... if we can get
the Herald's computers to show and we'll give you all the statistical runs
that we made. We have a different computer, but .I'm sure that the programmer
can translate Burroughs to I.B.M. or whatever it is that the Herald has. I'd
be happy to give you the statistics. I would like for you to disprove the
Police Department of the City of Miami that there is a relationship to the
statement of the City of Miami, and I'm making it for the City right now,
is there is absolutely no scientific or statistical correlation to the number
of police officers and crime rates. There is no way that we can track it,
or show it, or prove it in any way. That is not to say that in any way this
Commission is reversing its position in one, trying to increase the Police
Department numbers; or reaching that magic number of 3.0. However, and in
closing I want to put it to you this way, here is the motion made by Mayor
Ferre and seconded by Commissioner Perez, and voted for by Miller Dawkins,
Joe Carollo, and the rest of us. This is a motion of intent. You were here
when we did it. Reaffirming the City Commission's intent to make an honest
effort to reach the ratio of 3 sworn police officers per thousand citizens
as soon as possible. Further, one, expressing gratitude to the Miami Citizens
Against Crime, fully supporting and substantiating their goals. Two, stipulating
that the City Commission subscribe to the City Manager's position that we must
maintain a balance in the rendering of basic services to the citizens of Miami
in view of the fact that we have added a substantial number of police officers
during the last two years and in view of the fact that 62% of the officers
out on the streets have only two years of experience or less. The motion
-I won't read all of it because it is too long- but those are the two main
thrusts of that motion. I think the point is yes, we want more police
officers; yes, we have to keep the pressure up; we must also keep a balanced
city. I don't think that any of you here want us to be cutting down on the
social programs, whether it be hot meals at Holy Cross up on 36th Street or
wherever it is that we are doing that now or the other social programs that
are so important to the wellfare of this community.
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, I would like ... Mr. Hardwicke, would you come down?
I was trying to wait until the Citizens Against Crime each had made their
presentation and to go into Miami, it doesn't look like we will ever do that.
Mr. Hardwicke, I was told, and I want you please to elaborate on it, that
during the time that there was a lobbying for more police, that an agreement
of some sort was reached where if those of you dealing with the social
service area were to support the act of more policemen, that this year
those who were supporting more policemen would support more social services.
Would you elaborate on that please, sir?
Mr. Archie Hardwicke: First of all, I want to say that all of us support
policemen. My name is Archie Hardwicke, Executive Director, James E. Scott
Community Association, Inc. First of all, I can understand the sincerity and
the concern of the citizens of this community, in particular the business
community, who are down here. In fact, we support them. I am a member of
that committee who want to have more policemen. Time and time again, when
we are concerned... the first time they came here... that they also would
include preventive services, which is jobs, education, programs out in the
community, time and time again they told us -some of the ones sitting here
now- that they would also this time support them, but the next time they
would support us to have preventive programs. I hear nothing in the presentations
tonight that stress that fact. They know it and we know it. So, I'm saying
to you that before you make any decisions that relate to the Police Department
and expanding that, that you should begin to relate to the problems that many
of us faced last year and we are still facing this year, in fact, more so in
our community. So, it may have helped the people downtown. It may have
helped the people in the suburbs; but it hasn't done a damn thing for things
in our community. We need programs that deal with preventive work with our
youth and our adults. So, I'm asking you to first deal with our problems.
They gave us their word. We gave them our word. We are people of our word.
We are asking you now to make them stick to their word, which is to support
us this year for preventive services. Thank you. It has no reflection indi-
vidually, but it is something I strorgly feel.
19 SEP 121983
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9
Mr. Dawkins: Thank you. I will wait until the rest of the....
Mayor Ferre: Archbishop.
Archbishop Mc Carthy: Honorable Mayor, Members of the Commission, first of all
I thank you for the opportunity to address you and one of my responsibilities as
a bishop is to be a peacemaker. I come this evening in a very special way to
express the idea that we're all working for the same purpose and to also express
what Admiral Van Edsel said so well, our admiration, encouragement, and thanks
for what the Commissioners of our magic City have been accomplishing in helping
to rid our City of the fear of crime, which is a plague upon so many of our
people. I realize, of course, too that it's budget setting.I have to do it
myself as a super human project. You are faced with meeting many urgent needs
with admittedly limitted resources and I extend to you my deep sympathy and
my sincere assurance and prayers. I do, respectfully, however, wish to support
the concerns that Miami Citizens Against Crime are expressing as a high priority
that you provide a substantial increase in the number of policemen who guard
the lives and the property of the people in our community. I've been associated
with Miami Citizens Against Crime, as Chairman of the Religious Heritage Committee.
I have attended an awful lot 7:00 o'clock and 7:30 meetings. I want to tell you
that in that time I have come to respect them. I respect them for their sincerity,
for their concern about the broad issue of ridding our community of crime and
for their positive attitude toward our community leaders. I have experienced
that, witnessed that. Providing security against threats from without and from
within is of course, we all admit, the first responsibility of government. The
people responding to the alarm raised by our high crime situation have approved
tax increases for security. In my mind, I feel by that they meant more policemen.
I would say that the Miami Citizens Against Crime did conduct a professional
survey to understand the feelings of the people of our community about that one
cent increase. The large majority indicated that they were supporting it because
in their minds, they thought there were going to be more policemen in the streets
of Miami. So, it does seem to me that to divert these funds to other purposes,
unless we are adequately taken care of in our needs for policemen, is running
counter to the mandate of our people. It seems to me that without a strong,
visible police force that meets the standards necessary to prove our commitment,
we have to prove our commitment to security, our commitment to a safe city,
not only are we exposing ourselves to a continuing rising crime rate that is
among the highest in the nation, whether we like it or not, but in other ways
as well, our welfare will suffer. We know that tourists are being frightened
away from Miami with the result that our citizens are losing jobs. I'm certainly
highly supportive of the concerns for human services. I think that one of the
misunderstandings is that Miami Citizens Against Crime organize a limitted
agenda programmed to call the attention of the City to our crime problem. If
you look at the individual members of the Miami Citizens Against Crime, you
find them involved in a lot of other programs trying to serve the human needs
of the people in our community. But it seems to me that, therefore, unless
we can rid ourselves of this image that we have of being a crime capital,
whether we like it or not. We are also deterring tourism and excluding jobs
that our people should have. We are also losing taxes if we don't have additional
monies spent in this community. It seems to me people from Latin America and
the Caribbean are afraid to come here to shop, and then more people are out
of jobs. Outside investers are discouraged from opening businesses here; and
when they are, again, I say our prosperity is suffering. Housing suffers
because people fear to live in some areas. Our community life suffers because
people fear to be out at night for cultural, educational, and religious experiences.
Even the schools suffer, as a child of the jungle falls over them. I fully
understand, I hope I do, and sympathize with the frustration of Commissioner
Plummer about the fact that it needs a total system. But, on the other hand,
I'm easy when I say to myself, if women are still being raped, if people are
still being murderers, if homes are still being broken into, I can't be at
ease just saying, well, because we don't have the second part, we're going
to forget the first part. We need a total program. I don't see how we can
not be concerned about providing that total program. My concern is that we're
talking about prevention of crime, as well as punishment of crime. It seems
to me that's au important area. Of course, I'm fully behind, as the Miami
Citizens Against Crime are, and I'm sure all of us are, including our judicial
facilities, our attorneys, and anyone else we need to make this City the great
City it is. I was reading last night the history of Miami in the early century
back in the 1900's. According to that author, there were three violent deaths
a night in Miami. So we don't have a good tradition, but it's about time we
are recognized that we are a great city, and we need total commitment to doing this.
20
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SEP 121983
4
Archbishop Mc Carthy: I also am concerned that falling behind, failing to
progressively build and maintain our police force means that when we do, then,
attempt to catch up, we are again faced with the problems of inexperienced
police. I respectfully submit that it is highly important that we keep faith
with taxpayers and tend to their top priority of providing adequate police
protection to protect our community. Thank you for listening to me.
Mayor Ferre: Thank you, Archbishop. The next speaker I have is Janet Mc
Aliley.
Ms. Janet Mc Aliley: Thank you, Mayor Ferre. I'm Janet Mc Aliley. I'm a
member of the Dade County School Board. Our office address is 1410 N.E. 2nd Ave.
The School Board has had its two budget hearings already this year, so I do
have an appreciation of what you are going through, the dilemmas that you face
in trying to meet the many needs that are brought to your attention. I wouldn't
be here if I didn't think that crossing guards for our schools was an urgent
need for the City of Miami. On December 18, 1980, William Pagan, age 9, was
killed on his way to Little River Elementary School. Jerremy Jackson, age 5,
Dunbar Elementary, was killed in May 1981. Chesine John, age 6, was killed
in May 1982 on his way to Little River Elementary School. Since December
1980, five other children have been seriously injured on their way to or from
schools in the City of Miami. Those schools are Little River, Drew, Dunbar,
and Liberty City. Florida Statutes require the School Board to notify the
governmental entity that has responsibility for the traffic hazards in the
vicinity of schools and it further requires that the governmental entity that
has the authority for the streets and highways near those schools should take
precautions to safeguard the students on their way to and from school. So
that's what I'm here asking you to do. Today eleven municipalities provide
a total of 61 crossing guards. With the four that the City of Miami has
recently provided, the total for municipalities is 65. With the 55 additional
crossing guards that the Metro Dade County has provided, we have about 120
crossing guards protecting children at some of the most hazardous crossings
in Dade County. Our surveys indicate that the average cost of one crossing
guard for one year is $3,500. In concert with professional traffic engineers,
a formula was developed so that a priority rating could be assigned to the
most dangerous four and six lane crossings within Dade County. A priority
listing was developed from the ratings, and this listing identifies 14
critical student crossings within the City of Miami, which we believe should
have immediate protection. Fourteen crossing guards times $3,500 equals
$49,000. Add a few floaters to cover if the guard is absent or sick for
some reason, then we come up with a total of about $60,000 to fund the crossing
guards for the City of Miami in the 14 most hazardous student crossings. I
would like to suggest -I know you have many pressures on your budget- that you
give consideration to the using of part of the 4% 4C gasoline tax money to fund
the crossing guards. You like that one, Mr. Gary? I hope so. Between now and
next year's State legislative session our School Board is ready to work with
the City of Miami to approach the State legislature to seek State funding for
this much needed program, but between now and then, the children of the City
of Miami should have as much protection as the children in Coral Gables, in
Hialeah, Miami Beach, Miami Shores, North Miami, and several of the other
municipalities in Dade County. Miami is the only large local municipality
that does not provide a comprehensive school crossing guard program. I live
in the City of Miami, by the way, very close to here. I'm very proud to be
a resident of the City of Miami; but I do feel that if we are to consider
ourselves one of the great cities of the United States, then we must give
our children the same protection the City of New York gives its children,
the City of Chicago, Los Angeles, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Orlando. I can't
tell you how much I appreciate the difficulties of deciding which programs
you fund, but I think that there is no taxpayer in the City of Miami who
would not be willing to pay to save the life or the wellbeing of any of the
children here. So I urge you to include this with a $200,000,000; $60,000 is
a fairly easy problem to solve.
Mayor Ferre: Mrs. Mc Aliley, let me please just...and I'm not trying to be
antagonistic, because I already told Susan Weiner, that I would... and what
we were talking about was $60,000 and I would be supportive of this. But I
have to ask you this question. You say that $60,000 is not a heck of a lot
in the $200,000,000 spectrum of things. How much is the School Board's budget?
Ms. Mc Aliley: $868,000,000 I think is our operating budget.
sl
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SEP 121983
411 4
Mayor Ferre: $868,000,000, so it's at least 4 and then some times larger than
the City of Miami.
Ms. Mc Aliley: lies.
Mayor Ferre: Your proposed millage is what?
Ms. Mc Aliley: 7.2 mills.
Mayor Ferre: Ours, as you know, is close to 9.5. So, I have to ask you the
natural question. If this is such an important thing, why can't you find the
$60,000 out of your $868,000,000 that you have in your budget.
Ms. Mc Aliley: We are under statutory provisions that require us to spend our
tax dollars only on educational purposes. Also, Mayor, we do not have jurisdiction
in the streets and highways of this City or the County. We only have jurisdiction
on the property that the School Board owns.
Mayor Ferre: O.K., I think that's a good answer. I accept that. I am for it
and I will be voting for it. You know, how can you go against that one? But
I do need to ask you know, are you getting this kind, are you getting every
city -not you- are the school systems throughout the State of Florida getting
this type of support from all the cities throughout this State, like you said,
other than Miami? Tampa, Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach....
Ms. Mc Aliley: They provide crossing guards. So does Bay Harbor, Coral Gables,
Florida City, Hialeah, Miami Beach, Miami Shores, North Miami Village, North
Miami, North Miami Beach, Opalocka, and Sweetwater.
Mayor Ferre: As I previously stated into the record when Susan Weiner came
to see me, I am supportive of spending $60,000....
Ms. Mc Aliley: It is deeply appreciated.
Mayor Ferre: ....for the purposes of getting guards to help children cross
the streets.
Mr. Plummer: Janet, how many guards do you presently fund?
Ms. Mc Aliley: We don't fund any guards.
Mr. Plummer: In the past you did.
Ms. Mc Aliley: Not to my recollection.
Mr. Plummer: Yes, when I went to Riverside, Frank was the police school crossing
guard for years. How many years ago? Well, the point I'm trying to make is
they used to do it. You do provide and have presently your own police department.
Ms. Mc Aliley: That's right. They only have jurisdiction on School Board pro-
perty. They do not have jurisdiction in the streets or highways.
Mr. Plummer: Excuse me, let me pursue this one step further, because I think
my colleague brought up a very good point. That is that you are talking about
how many guards did you say in the City?
Ms. Mc Aliley: We're talking about 14 in the City of Miami.
Mayor Ferre: 14 schools.
Mr. Plummer: What do I, as a Commissioner, say to my colleague who runs a
private school? Woa, you are providing for public schools, I want the same
protection for my private school.
Mayor Ferre: .And he is right.
Mr. Plummer: What do I say to the Archbishop when he says, "I want the same
thing afforded that you are giving the School Board to my parochial schools."
Mayor Ferre: And he would be right.
SEP 121983
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Mr. Plummer: All I'm saying is I don't know where you came up with the figure
of $3,500. Now that sounds completely out. I don't know how you based that.
Obviously, I don't know if you are talking about pension, social security,
insurance, uniforms, and then they have to have cars and all of that. I don't
know. Mr. Gary, can you tell me real quick like, what do we spend now on....?
Did you get that figure?
Mr. Gary: No, we are trying to find out the school....
Mr. Plummer: Chief Harms, can you tell me quickly on school resource officers,
what do we pay? Approximately how many dollars are dedicated to school resources?
Mayor Ferre: But I think the point that the Commissioner is making, Chief, and
J.L., let me see if you follow up on this, that we spend a lot and have for years
spent a lot of taxpayers monies of the City of Miami in things that are totally
unrelated to City -functions and that are totally related to education: after
school care, continuing education programs, there are all types of educational
things that the City of Miami has traditionally over the years spent hundreds
and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mr. Manager, I don't know whether we
can venture a guess. Maybe, Mano, you might have the specific figures, but
I'm sure it is well over a quarter of a million dollars that we spend on
educational related items.
Mr. Plummer: Can I have one of those copies of how you calculated the $3,500?
Mr. Carollo: If I may, Mr. Manager, if I recollect correctly, this Commission
went on record based on my motion approving the $60,000 for those 14 most
dangerous intersections that we have within 14 of our 20 elementary schools.
So, as I recall, this Commission made it clear to the Administration that
we want those 14 school crossing guards in those 14 intersections. The only
question that there might be is if the figures that the representatives from
the School Board gave us and gave me when they met with me are accurate. I
think they probably are, because they did a very thorough job of researching
that.
Mayor Ferre: Commissioner, we need to go beyond that, because I think what
Commissioner Plummer was saying is absolutely right. In other words, I don't
see how in the world we can provide that service for a child who goes to a
public school and not provide it for a child who is going to a private school,
whether it is parochial or otherwise.
Mr. Plummer: If they are taxpayers of this City....
Mr. Carollo: How many elementary schools do we have in the City of Miami that
are private? Does anyone have the number? Archbishop, would you know how
many are Catholic?
Mr. Perez: I think about ... no less than 30.
Mayor Ferre: No less than 30.
Mr. Carollo: Elementary schools that are private in the City of Miami?
Mr. Perez: Yes.
Mr. Carollo: It seems a little high to me.
Mr. Plummer: Can I bring out for the record, please, I want you to know, Janet,
at the present time, and these are figures given to me by the Manager, the City
of Miami is dedicating to you, the School Board, one sergeant, 11 policemen,
the total police officers at an annual cost of approximately $600,000.
Ms. Mc Aliley: I have to tell you, Commissioner Plummer, that is deeply appreciated.
However, we have had, the Dade County School Board has had to establish its own
security force because the City of Miami, Metro are not able to provide adequate
police protection for our buildings and our students on our own grounds!
Mayor Ferre: That's not their purpose, Janet.
Ms. Mc Aliley: Well, it would be to protect property.
sl 23 SEP 121983
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4
Mayor Ferre: No! No!
Ms. Mc Aliley: Nevertheless, we are having to provide a great deal of our
own police protection on our property.
Mayor Ferre: And well you should. It's your property! But that's not the
point. The point is we are spending over a half a million dollars, and the
reason why those officers are there, I might remind you, is on a crime prevention...
the idea was that if we had officers in the schools, where children would have
a relationship to them, and they were known as officer Bob, or Jim, or whatever,
that they could keep an eye on things in the school in a sense they would know
what was going on and that the children would not look upon the Police Department
as being antagonists or enemies, but rather that they would have a friendly
relationship.
Ms. Mc Aliley: It's an excellent prograr: which, I think, bears a lot of fruit
as these children become adults and have the proper respect for the police
officers in our community. I think that is the main purpose. However, as
prevention, we need to get our children to school safely. That is what we
are asking you to do. It is not a large amount of money.
Mayor Ferre: I think we'll do it. I think the only thing we may have to cut
back in other programs, Mr. Manager, where we are putting money into the school
system. So I agree with Ms. Mc Aliley, the first priority, absolutely, is the
safety of these children on the Miami streets. I think we have to pay for it,
and we have to pay what it costs. I do, however, want to say that we have to
do it equally for all school children, no matter where they go to school.
Ms. Mc Aliley: Mr. Mayor, I agree with you totally. Any child, no matter
what school he or she attends, deserves to have a safe passage to and from
school.
Mayor Ferre: Absolutely.
Mr. Carollo: If 1 may, Mr. Mayor, see, what we are doing now, we are not
going across the board in providing a crossing guard for all 28 public elementary
schools. We are providing only half of our 28 elementary, because those 14
fell within the 14 most dangerous intersections in Dade County. So, what I
think you are trying to say is that we can apply that same criteria to the
private elementary schools within the City. I would be in favor of that.
However....
Mayor Ferre: Wherever there is a danger point, obviously if there is no
danger, then I don't think we need to provide the service.
Mr. Carollo* Where I think we may have to draw the line at, if there are
some private elementary schools that may only have 10-15 k.ds that are
elementary school age, I think that would be a burden that would be unjustly
placed on the City and the taxpayers. But otherwise, I vould be in agreement
with you. You know, I remember back when I went to-;arochial schools within
the Catholic School System in Chicago. Up there, at least in those times,
about 40% of the schools in the whole system were private schools. Each
individual school provided not only their school crossing guards, but at
the same time did a tremendous effort in training the upper clansmen in
their school to have a really good patrol where the kids were trained, were
shown films. The Captain of the district in the Chicago Police Department
came, gave them talks for the best job a person that young age could do,
they were doing it. They were a great help in getting some of the younger
classmates crossing the street in the dangerous intersections. They were
helpful to the official crossing guard they had. That might be another thing
that we might look into in providing that.
Mr. Perez: Mr. Manager, on this issue, I would like to know what is the status
of the motion that I presented about four or six months ago in order to create
a volunteer force to work with the Police Department.
sl
24
S E P 1219�3
1 40
Mr. Gary: Commissioner, we had discussions with members of the School Board
to establish that volunteer program. Unfortunately, we haven't received the
type of cooperation we should have from the School Board. I would like to say,
though, there is an alternative. That alternative is to respond to Ms. Mc
Aliley's concern that they have no authority. We can use their existing sworn
officers. They are sworn and deputize them as auxiliary police and give them
the authority to have school crossing.
Mr. Plummer: How many policemen do you have in your force now?
Ms. Mc Aliley: 41.
Mr. Plummer: 41? And would you be agreeable to deputizing those to use in
a school guard crossing?
Mr. Gary: Two hours - four hours a day.
Ms. McAliley: Those 41 police officers are spread out over 251 schools
throughout this entire county, and they are really kept very, very busy.
Mayor Ferre: Janet, I think the point, and we are coming from a different
perspective here - I agree with you, and I think we have to provide this. It
might be cheaper for you and for all of us that are taxpayers in the City of
Miami, to do it by paying the school board and letting you do it with your
own people, because, a City of Miami police officer is now costing the tax-
payers hetween one thing or another, $38,000.
Ms. McAliley: We are not talking about police officers, though, Mr. Mayor.
We are talking about crossing guards to work three hours a day.
Mayor Ferre: Okay, I got you.
Mr. Carollo: Part time, at a part time rate.
Mayor Ferre: Well, I think this Commission has already gone on record in
support of this, so I don't know why we need to talk about any more. Is there
anything else to discuss?
Mr. Plummer: I would just like it to be kept in the back of everybody's mind,
you know, if we give you $60,000, we have got to take $60,000 away from some-
body else. If we give them $4,600,000, you know, the easiest thing is to say
"yes". That is the easiest thing, and we've got to take it away from some-
where else.
Mayor Ferre: No, we are going to take it away from other programs that we
have that are educational in nature.
Mr. Plummer: It's got to come from somewhere!
Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, if I may, I think the only thing that is holding
up the City hiring 14 part time crossing guards, was that the Manager wasn't
completely sure that it could be done for the $60,000 figure that we gave.
This Commission went ahead and approved that figure already, so my suggestion
would be so that we could get them under way and provide crossing guards to
all those fourteen schools. If the Manager, is, and I am sure that could be
the case, for the sake of not only saving time, but possibly saving some of
those kids lives, give the $60,000 to the people from the School Board, make
them responsible to provide the guards in all these fourteen elementary
schools they said they could provide for that amount of money.
Mayor Ferre: All right, are we ready to move along now?
Ms. McAliley: We would hope that the City of Miami Police Department would
provide the training that the Metro Public Safety Department has provided for
their crossing guards. They have trained them very well.
Mr. Carollo: Absolutely! I am sure that the Police Chief would be more than
happy to work with you on that.
Mayor Ferre: Ms. McAliley, we thank you. This Commission has taken a position
in favor and supportive of what you are requestiong.
25 SEP 121983
1d
1 40
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, I would like to be heard. Everyone was here before
asking for more policemen. I said then, and I say now, there are other things
needed in the City of Miami right now, more so than additional police. During
the last four years the City Commission increased the police force by 563
civilian and sworn positions, for a total of 1,490 positions, which represented
a 60% increase since 1960. It was necessary - this is the most important part -
I want everybody out there to hear this. It was necessary to reduce 264 posi-
tions from non -Police Department in the General Fund, providing $7,300,000 to
fund police expansion. An analysis of the per capita expenditure on police
services for 27 cities surveyed revealed that only two cities spent a greater
amount than Miami. The cities are located in California, where the cost of
living is considerably higher. Miami spent 51% more per capita, than the
average of the other cities surveyed. Miami is ranked third, spending $143
per capita for police service and the average for the 27 cities was $95. The
two California cities spent $152 and $162, and the; were Long Beach, and Oak-
land. Miami ranked third. Under Miami was Rochester, Denver, Buffalo, Kansas
City, Tampa, Seattle; such big cities as Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and
Fort Worth. Ladies, and Gentlemen, I could not, in good conscience, sit here
after having told you when you were here before, that you needed other things,
supportive services, such as more judges - if you put more people in jail,
more jailers. If you have more jailers, you have got to have more jails, and
in the jails you have got to have more food to feed more prisoners. Then there
is the light bill, and what have you. But,the most important supportive service that we
have to provide is jobs. If we can provide some jobs, then you say here,
according to this report that I have, robberies were down 17.5%, burglaries
were down 13.5%, larcenies and auto thefts down 9% - almost 1%, nine -tenths of
a percent. If people were working, that would be about the most preventive
method of preventing crime. Now, I gave your your hundred policemen, or at
least we budgeted the 100 policemen. We know, and you know and I know, we
have inexperienced policemen on the streets and if we attempt to add more, we
are compounding our problems, and gentlemen, until you, and I mean all of you
out here show me as Mr. Hardwicke said, your commitment providing other sup-
portive services, I cannot provide you with more policemen. And I had Mr.
Hardwicke down here for one reason. You know, it is amazing that the establish-
ment makes promises to the Black community and after you get the promises, the
are conveniently forgotten. I want you to think of that! Take Rapid Transit,
you can take anything that you have gone to the Black community and sought
our help on, and we help you with it, and after it is all over, we do not
share in the benefits. Now, I am asking you, all of you out there. The
most pressing problem in the City of Miami is unemployment, and unless you
can help me attack the problem of high unemployment, you cannot help me solve
my criminal problems. Of course, the Chamber has gone, as was said by the
Admiral to look for more money for the community, but I am tired of handouts,
gentlemen, I don't need handouts! You took $2,000,000 to open up a Business
Assessment Center for Black folks in Liberty City. That's fine, but I want
access to the main stream B.A.C. - Business Assessment Center. You know what
it is: Southeast Bank, Barnett Bank, Republic Bank. That is the Business
Assessment Center for the White community. So make it my Business Assessment
Center! And then when you help me in this way, and not give me a crutch ... you
see, I am perhaps the only one who keeps saying over and over, we do not need
to continue to provide Black people with crutches. Put them down and let them
walk! But you have got to assist it by providing supportive services, I don't
care what it is. So therefore, please understand that we do not have the money
to add additional police, unless we cut back on providing some services.
Thank you.
Mayor Ferre: All right, the next speaker here, I don't know, Bill, whether
you want to go, or Lester - anyone of you, or do you want to let it go until
next time? All right, then I've got Otis Pitts. Otis, you are next, and then
Leroy Smith, who is a retired employee. All right, Mr. Pitts.
Mr. Otis Pitts: Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission, my name is Otis
Pitts, I live at 2021 N. W. 194th Terrace. I and Mr. Hardwicke support the ef-
forts on the part of this community to reduce the crime rate in our community.
I think it is an end that we all share. I think the real issue here is the
mean or means. My background - my current job, I am the President of the
Tacolcy Community Development Corporation. Previously for eight and one-half
years I was the Director of the Belafonte-Tacolcy Center. Aside from that,
I was a police officer for the C-ty of Miami for four and one-half years.
Aside from that, I was in the military for three years. My father is a re-
tired police officer from the City of Miami with twenty-three years of
service. Many of the qentlemen who are a member of this group sitting here
26
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.SEP 121983
1% 4
today I served with them with them on other committees and I supported the
efforts to try to get the police level up to a point that if could have an
impact on the crime rate in our community - that number three to a thousand,
whatever was the number, I supported, because I felt that was a real number to
support. Of course, I am not sure what the numbers were derived from, but I
want to support that effort. I want to go on record now to say that here
again that was an effort out of our frustrations to deal with the problems
that I think we all share, we are all concerned about, and want to address.
But I think we need to remember that there are two components in any criminal
act. One component is opportunty, the other component is desire. Through
enforcement at best, we can address opportunities. If we took that to its
logical conclusion, it would mean, having a policeman on every corner. But
the point of all of this, we have to realize that we don't have the resources
to do that, so somewhere short of that, decide what is reasonable to expect.
That of course, is relative to resouces. When it comes to desire, the only
way we are going to address desire is we have to do it through social inter-
vention. And though the government has a responsibility to provide some
safety and to deal with the opportunity issues, it also has the responsibility
to deal with the desire issue. We can only do that through the kinds of
supportive social services that we also have to recognize is critical in
addressing the crime problem. As the Mayor has stated, there is no demonstrated
corelation between the number of police officers and the incidence of crime.
If that was the case, then Hialeah would be flooded with them, or Coral
Gables. That is not the case. In fact, we find more police officers de-
ployed in communities where incidence of crime is highest, so I think that
goes against the whole notion that if we have more police officers, the
crime rate would be lower. There is previous corelation between unemployment
and crime, as it is not a social service or some bleeding liberal's position.
Talk to the Department of Labor. I think they will show you some statistics
to that effect. My concern tonight is, as a person who has a long standing
position of supporting law enforcement, believing the need for law enforce-
ment, this is not a time in which we can forget about the other kinds of
social programs and interventions that must attend to DeoDle who are
confronted with problems that we currently have in our community. And as
a Director who has served as a Director - I left the Police Department to
work with young people in the community. I am concerned that we begin to
look at some balance in this issue. We are not going to be able to deal
with the desire and incidence of crime in this community unless we begin
to impact on those social manifestations that are corelated to crime, and
not use this as some effort to use the resources in some unproductive way.
So tonight, I am going to say one thing to the gentlemen who are from the
Chamber of Commerce. I applaud your efforts to deal with the crime problem.
I applaud your efforts to but the Business Assistance Center in place, but
I think that you need to avoid over -correcting in avoiding one ditch and
getting in another ditch. We have got to look at what is reasonable in
light of all the problems that we have in this community, and only you can
take a reasonable position with respect to that, can we get the support
of this entire community, and not just one segment, one concern, about
property. There are other issues at stake in this community, and we must
begin to support people who are willing to support you. Thank you, very much.
Mayor Ferre: All right, Mr. Pitts. I would like, so we can get the retired
employees - Leroy Smith - who are the other retired employees that wanted to
speak, that are on this list here? All right, who is the spokesmen for the
retired employees?
Mr. Leroy Smith: Our president is out of the City for the time being and he
asked me to come down and say a few words on behalf of the...
Mayor Ferre: A former distinguished police officer of the City of Miami.
We are happy to see you again.
Mr. Smith: Thank you. Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission and City
Manager Gary, it is a pleasure to be here to represent Retired City Employee's
Association. Our president is out of town at this time, but he asked me to
reiterate the contents of the letter that he sent to you before, and it is
very simple - he just asked that we are asking you to give us a little
support in terms of the retired employees, but the funny thing, once you
worked for the City and spent as much as 27, 30, maybe 40 years with the
City, the minute that you receive your retirement pin, you are through, and
there is no help thereafter. We have some employees that have been retired
from the City for as much as ten, fifteen years. When we have our annual
meeting, we meet with them, and it is really a sad story to hear them tell
27
Id
AP 121983
it 1$
you the story that I have been away from the City from ten years, and fif-
teen years. Some of them are still on the retired payroll of maybe $300
a month. I had a long distance call no longer than two weeks ago from a
City employee that retired from the City of Miami Water Department some
ten years ago, and since that time, he has changed three cities
because they are a problem and he tcld me at our meeting before the Commis-
sion that if anything can happen, ask them to do something for the retired
personnel.
Mayor Ferre: All right, just in the interest of time, let me tell you
that the City Manager has already proposed that in his proposed budget,
and so I think unless somebody wants to speak otherwise, I think we can
just cut your statement short by saying the Commission is going along
with you.
Mr. Smith: Okay, I certainly appreciate that and I might say to our City
Manager that some six months ago I heard him say that in spite of the many
problems that we have had in this community, we are still bondable, and I
want you to remember the reason for that is because of these retired
employees. Thanks again.
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, I make a motion... but, would I'd like to say - I'm
going to make the motion, but before I make the motion, I want to say to
Major Smith the same as I say to everybody else - you know, there is such a
thing as a Union. And you guys on the Union are always fighting for raises,
that we had to increase the budget now, for fringe benefits and things that
the Union got, and the Union should be just as concerned for the elderly
people who made the Police Department so they could have it to work in,
as you are telling me as a Commissioner, I need to be. So now, you guys go
back to your Union and let your Union come up with something too, also, to
help us.
Mr. Smith: The point is well taken. I want to say this too, that for the
first time I really understood what retirement meant after I left the Police
Department. As a policeman, we think about us. As a fireman, we think about
us, but after you leave the Department, then there are other people that are
in greater need than we are, and I think it is the responsibility of the
Union that is active to look out for a benefit for the retired people.
Mr. Carollo: Miller, there was a previous motion that was made at one of
our last meetings instructing the Manager to go along with this, so I don't
think there is any need for an additional one.
Mr. Dawkins: Okay, I withdraw the motion.
Mayor Ferre: Mr. Manager, then we don't have any need...
Mr. Smith: Again, thanks a lot.
Mayor Ferre: I would like to now get all the ladies that are here from
Legal Services and I am talking about Jackie Bryant, Anne Marie Adker,
Marsha Cypen and Lorraine Anaya. Could we all keep you together and make
your point? All right, who is the spokesman?
Ms. Marsha Cypen: My name is Marsha Cypen, I am the Executive Director
of Legal Services. I believe that Ms. Bryant would also like to speak,
and Ms. Anaya, very briefly. I am here tonight to ask you for support of
our application for approximately $100,000 to deliver legal services to
the residents of Overtown and Wynwood. These two areas are target areas
of the City of Miami, but they do not have adequate access to legal ser-
vices.
Mayor Ferre: See, the problem that you have, as I understand it, is that
the County has been cutting down on what you get, right? ... and they cut
you down a couple hundred thousand dollars.
Ms. Cypen: We have had cutbacks from the Federal Government, and that was
our major source of funding.
Mayor Ferre: Well, that we know.
Ms. Cypen: The County did give us a small amount of funding at one time
also. The funding that we had was never adequate to meet the needs of all
of the poor people in Dade County. There are over 350,000 people who are
28 SEP 12198J
"t $
eligible for legal services. We now have 22 lawyers, and we at our peak had
35, so 35 was far below the mininum access of 2 for every 10,000 people.
Mayor Ferre: Ms. Cypen, when you had 32 lawyers, did you give service in
Wynwood and Overtown?
Ms. Cypen: We gave some service to Wynwood. Our office was moved from Over -
town to Little Havana several years ago, and we have found that as a result
of that move, people are not traveling, or are not able to travel to the
office in Little Havana. What we have done this year, is begun a pilot
project where the Community Action Agency gives us free space.
Mayor Ferre: Are you asking for these funds from...
Mr. Carollo: Community Action Agency?
Ms. Cypen: Pardon me?
Mr. Carollo: Community Action Agency gives you free space?
Ms. Cypen: They give us free space in Overtown and we send staff there and
it is working out very well. We would like to continue that because it is
providing access to people that are not coming to our other offices and
Wynwood has asked us to come to the area, but we can't afford to do it, and
what we are asking for $100,000 will fund two attorneys and two para-legals
and the necessary support that they need, so that we can help people who are
being improperly thrown out of their apartments by landlords without going
through the court, people who are cut off from their Federal disability
benefits, women who are being abused by their husbands, people who are hav-
ing problems with unemployment compensation. What we would like to do is,
we would like for the City of Miami to assume some local responsibility for
providing access for poor people to the court and to justice.
Mr. Carollo: We will be dealing with that in just a minute, I feel, but
Mr. Manager, based on the information that you have, what do you recommend
of their particular request?
Mayor Ferre: Well, do you have information? They may have not made an appli-
cation to the Administration.
Ms. Cypen: We have submitted a Federal Revenue Sharing application.
Mr. Carollo: Mr. Manager, you have the floor, sir.
Mr. Gary: We are not going to be discussing the allocation of Federal Revenue
Sharing until the social services program, the second meeting in October.
Mr. Carollo: October, so you are recommending for them to get together with
Staff?
Mr. Gary: Yes, they have to submit the application, which they said they have,
to Dena Spillman in Community Development, and the proposals would be brought
before this City Commission first meeting in October, where you would decide on
allocations.
Mr. Carollo: All right, in the meantime, is the City Attorney around here
somewhere?
Mr. Plummer: Now much money are you presently receiving from the County?
Ms. Cypen: We are not receiving any money from the County.
Mr. Plummer: Have you made any requests at all to the County for funding?
Ms. Cypen: We have a request pending before the County for funding this year.
Mr. Plummer: What was your request of them?
Ms. Cypen: A similar amount of money.
Mayor Ferre: $100,000?
Ms. Cypen: Yes. 29 1983
SEP 12
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"t $
Mayor Ferre: You know, they have a budget ten times ours, and we have a
responsibility for the City of Miami, and the;: have got the responsibility
for the whole County, including the City of Miami.
Mr. Carollo: Yes, but see, Mr. Mayor, we are not goina to be completely
assured necessarily that if we allocate funds that necessarily the funds
that we allocate are going to handle strictly people in the City of Miami.
They will do their best, I am sure, but if they get people other parts
calling in, that attorney that we might be paying a salary for will handle
people from all over the County.
Ms. Cypen: No, we have geographic guidelines, and if the money is for
the residents of Overtown and Wynwood, we will serve people who live within
those geographic guidelines. Other people will be referred to our other
offices.
Mr. Dawkins: Are you saying that these two attorneys, that if they are
funded, will be housed in Wynwood and in Overtown?
Ms. Cypen: They will have their permanent office in our existing offices,
because we can't afford the overhead, but they will have a presence on set
times in the Community Action Agency, which is the way we are doing it now.
Mr. Dawkins: Okay, I am for it, I believe what you say. I do know that
people in Wynwood and Overtown need a lawyer. But if he is not going to
be housed in Overtown (he, she or it), if he is not housed in Overtown...
Mr. Plummer: What was that last category?
Mr. Dawkins: It!
Ms. Cypen: We would be very happy to house them in...
Mr. Dawkins: If he isn't in the Overtown area, or the Wynwood area, I
mean, I wouldn't care, if the Manager recommended it, I would not be
voting with it.
Ms. Cypen: Our proposal now is to have a pars -legal there full time....
Mr. Dawkins: No, Ma'am, I want...
Ms. Cypen:....and the attorney come. We would be willing to have an at-
torney there, but we would need more money.
Mr. Dawkins: As the Commissioner said, our concern is that the individual
whose salary is paid with City funds serve the City of Miami.
Ms. Cypen: Well, if we i:re granted the money, I will work with the City
to come up with an acceptable staffing situation.
Mayor Ferre: We've got about twenty other speakers!
3. MOTION OF INTENT INSTRUCTING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO CONSIDER
FURNISHING ONE ATTORNEY FROM HIS LEGAL STAFF ON A FULL-TIME
BASIS TO TAKE CARE OF THE NEED FOR LEGAL ADVICE TO TRULY NEEDY
PEOPLE, ETC.
Mr. Carollo: I think that we can come to a quick solution that would satisfy
all concerns, at least the ones that are really going to be concerned, the
people who need the legal service. I would like to make a motion instructing
the City Attorney to provide one of his attorneys from the Legal Staff - it
doesn't have to be the same attorney all the time, but to provide an attorney
full time, from your Staff to take care whatever legal help or advice the
truly needed of the City of Miami might be inquiring of the City, and I think
that if we leave up to you some guidelines of what truly needed is. I am not
30
SEP 121933
talking about someone who might be making S15,000, $20,000 and just doesn't want
to spend $200 or $300 on going to an attorney. But, if we would have someone
from our Legal Department handle cases such as those, I think that we could
assured that the citizens of bSiami will have in one hard some legal aid, legal
advice, and on the other hand make sure that only the citizens of Miami will be
handled, so I would like to make a motion instructing the City Attorney to
that.
Mayor Ferre: There is a motion on the floor.
Mr. Plummer: Is that a motion of intent, certainly.
Mayor Ferre: Well, I think what he is asking for is an investigation and
have the City Attorney return with...
Mr. Carollo: I think they would have to come back with some guidelines and
additional information, sure.
Mayor Ferre: All right, now, I've heard it. under discussion, just two
sentences. Mr. City Attorney, when you come back with an answer, I want you
to take the time to call up your association, The City Attorney's Association
of the United States, and get their experience on this, because I know it is
not good. When you get City Attorneys involved in getting involved in legal
services, it doesn't work out the way you think it ought to work out, and I
haven't made up my mind - I am neither for or against it, I have an open
mind, but I want you to come back and tell us how it works in other places,
and if it works anywhere else, how it has worked, and what we can do to make
it better.
Mr. Carollo: But, included I,, that, if you could research, for instance,
just how much of a referral ser.,ice that we could be to other bodies, such as
the Cuban -American Lawyer's Association, the Black Lawyer's Association, that
we could refer people to, and at the same time it is not going to be an ex-
pense to us.
Mr. Dawkins: I would like to piggyback - I was just going to suggest that
while you are waiting, for October and us to make up our minds, that you
approach the Black Lawyer's Association and the Cuban Lawyer's Association
and ask them as a civic duty....
Mayor Ferre: Volunteer.
Mr. Dawkins:....if they volunteer some of their services, because we can't do
anything, as the Manager said until October, but there is a need there.
31 1983
SEP 12
Id
Mayor Ferre: Man, you are talking like a Republican! That is all riqht.
You must have heard your President talk last night!....
Mr. Dawkins: Oh, hell no.
Mayor Ferre: ......about volunteerism (LAI)(-,HTPVN
Mr. Dawkins: Don't laugh. That is not funny, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Mayor Ferre: All right, anything else? All right, Marsha, very quickly,
please.
Ms. Cypen: Yes, I just want to say that we have been working with the
Black Lawyer's Association, Cuban -American Bar Association, Women Lawyer's
Association, Dade County Bar Association and every other bar association
in the County for the last year, and they have (INAUDIBLE, OFF MICROPHONE)
Mayor Ferre: All right, thank you, very much.
Ms. Cypen: I just wanted to say that representation of four people ... (INAUDIBLE)
specialized area of law. Poverty law is a very difficult area. Private lawyers
don't want to get involved because they don't involved because they don't under-
stand the legal issues involved and...
Mayor Ferre: Marsha, please.
Ms. Cypen: .... it would be much more cost effective for us.
Mayor Ferre: We are not going to solve that today. The Commission has asked
for a report, and I been through it because I have been a member of the Puerto
Rican Legal Defense Fund, and an honorary member, and I know that apples and
oranges and oil and vinegar don't mix and one thing is poverty law and the
other stuff is...
Ms. Cypen: That is right.
Mayor Ferre: And that is a special world all by itself and that is something
that, you know, we are going to have to deal with. Now, I happen to think
that one of the more important things that poor people need after food, is
legal help and medical help.
Ms. Cypen: Sometimes they need a lawyer to get the medical help.
Mayor Ferre: All right, thank you very much and we will be dealing with this
in the future. Now, I assume that covers Lorraine and...
Mr. Ongie: We have a motion on the floor, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Ernie Fanatto: Mayor... (INAUDIBLE, OFF MICROPHONE)
Mayor Ferre: So is everybody else, Ernie. Call the roll.
The following motion was introduced by Commissioner Carollo, who moved
its adoption.
MOTION NO. 83-823
A MOTION OF INTENT OF THE CITY COMMISSION INSTRUCTING THE
CITY ATTORNEY TO RESEARCH THE POSSIBILITY OF PROVIDING ONE
ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY FROM THE CITY OF MIAMI LAW DEPART-
MENT TO DEVOTE HIS FULL TIME SERVICES AS A LEGAL ADVISOR TO
THE TRULY NEEDY AND UNDERPRIVILEDGED PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF
MIAMI IN NEED OF LEGAL COUNSEL BUT CANNOT AFFORD THE SAME;
FURTHER INSTRUCTING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO REPORT HIS FINDINGS
TO THE CITY COMMISSION AT A LATER DATE.
Upon being seconded by Commissioner Plummer, the motion was passed and
adopted by the following vote:
AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Commissioner Joe Carollo
Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: None
32 SEP 12 1983
ABSENT: None
0
4. CONTINUE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE 1983-84 CITY OF MIAMI BUDGET.
Mayor Ferre: The next speaker I have here is Mariano Cruz.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Cruz, can I compliment you, sir? You are the only one that
I know that consistently, year after year, comes to this Commission. I don't
know of another single person who comes before this Commission every year
taking your own time to make your thoughts known and sir, I want to compliment
you for it - whether I agree, or disagree with you.
Mr. Mariano Cruz: All right, well thank you.
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: Are you running for office, Plummer?
Mayor Ferre: You know he is running for public office!
Mr. Plummer: Excuse me! The Mayor said the other day that I was already
elected and since the Mayor is never wrong, I am not running!
Mayor Ferre: All right, let's go.
Mr. Carollo: I will say this. He has consistently taken a strong interest,
while other that are const,-itly complaining, you never see them here.
Mayor Ferre: That's right! All right, Mariano, let's go.
Mr. Mariano Cruz: Decisions are made here, not on 12th and Flagler.
Mr. Carollo: You are so correct.
Mr. Cruz: For the record, my name is Mariano A. Cruz. I live at 1227 N. W.
_ 26th Street, the City of Miami, Allapattah neighborhood. I am a resident,
taxpayer, and voter in the City of Miami. I don't live in unincorporated
Dade County. Coming tonight is like a repeat performance from last year,
same thing. Still, the money for the parks that wasn't implemented. Nothing
is being done in the Allapattah Park. I air just putting that park, and now
I see the people coming here - more money for police, 100 policemen, all that.
That won't solve the problem, because if there is going to be a budget cut,
all the Departments have to be cut, not at the expense of the Parks Department,
or the Social Service Program., because the 3.0 police officers to 1,000 people,
that ratio, you can pay 10 policemen to a 1,000, because more police, that
hasn't solved the problem of crime. Let's take for example, police states -
Russia, Red China, Cuba. They have got police officers, militia, KGB, every-
thing, still they have the crime. In Red China they shot 26 or 27 people
there, for crimes. In Cuba, you have got a ratio of about 50% police militia.
Everybody, BGI, the BGI committee for the Federal Revolution, watching the
other people. We know from the Mariel Boatlift experience what had been the
criminal there, so it ,It eliminate crime. Now, we have to go to the root
causes of crime. What are the root causes of crime? Social and economic
problems that we have. More jobs, programs for people, or whatever. That is
it. That is the prevention of crime, even Bishop McCarthy, he mentioned in
his pastoral letter that more police is a short term solution for another
long term solution. The problem that we have got here is people, by nature,
they are greedy. They want things! They are materialistic. They see others
having T. V.'s and all that. They want it - they don't have the money! They
want it still, that is it. Then they have vicious crimes, burglars, the whole
thing. So, it is a lot of things, it is not just by putting a policeman in
every corner that you are going to stop crime. Now, the Parks. I am going
to be jumping from one thing to the other, because I have been listening to
different speakers on that - the parks. ►'P have got to solve the problem
of the parks, because it is a pity that you got ... now, I read the other day
in Neighbors, no, yesterday, they are going to have a bond issue - they have
$5,000,000 for the other parks, $700,OOO for Allapattah, and those different
parks, but you don't put the people working in the parks and the problem is
like having a Cadillac without gasoline - you can't run!
33
SEP 1219�3
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Mr. Carollo: Mariano, talking about solving the problems of the Parks, Mr.
Manager, I would hope you at least solved one problem- Coral Gate Park,
the one next to my house, it has been missing the sign that has the name of
the park for quite some time. I would hope that at least you solve that
problem here tonight for the Park System - Coral Gate Park.
Mr. Gary: We will get a police officer to put it up.
Mr. Carollo: Thank you.
Mr. Cruz: 32nd and 16th. Now, the problem we have now is the new bond issue
for the parks. One of the things that is missing in the parks are the perma-
nent crews that were working in the park before. Now they are putting roving
crews around. You don't see even them anymore. You have got have people
there in the parks. You can have...you can use this Administration Lingo,
about using flexible hours and all tnat.
You can put the people working at the times that people go to the parks,
Sundays. Don't let it stand there until Tuesday and Wednesday when nobody
is using. Now, in our neighborhood, I see the people from the County, they
come in here, you know, the School Board, asking for more money, you know,
for the schools and that is a problem of the School Board. I've got to be
localized to the City, because I live in the City. if they want to
solve the problems of the City of Miami, I tell them move back to the City,
pay taxes to the City and the County and then vote in the City and then you
will have a decision in the City of Miami, because I work in Biscayne Park
in North Miami. I would be locked out of City Hall in Biscayne Park if
I qo there telling them what to do in Biscayne Park. I just work in Biscayne
Park. I don't live in Biscayne Park. I don't pay taxes in Biscayne Park,
but I work there every week in Biscayne Park.
Mr. Dawkins: You wouldn't be saying that to the Chamber, that they don't
live in the City of Miami, don't come tell us what to do. You wouldn't
be saying that, would you?
Mr. Cruz: Become a toter. Become a voter and then you have got decisions.
Mr. Dawkins: All right, I just wanted to be sure I heard you right.
Mr. Cruz: Right, because the same thing - in Allapattah the County comes
to us with all kind of different kinds of problems - rapid transit, public
housing, all of that. Then, when they come to deliver, no jobs for the
people of Allapattah, no housing for the people in Allapattah, nothing for
the people in Allapattah! Jails, only the County. I told you, the State -
the jail there, the Federal Government, the Armory, the whole thing. The
County is the worst offender. Jails, they are putting different things
there, no rapid transit, Jackson Hospital, because I name all them because
I live there and I work there and I know the neighborhood. I drove a taxi
20 years in Dade County, so I know the whole thing. But now, when the
time comes to deliver the jobs they forget us.
Mr. Dawkins: Then they come with the Miami action plan, huh?
Mr. Cruz: Mrs. McAliley was there talking for a long time. Nobody told
her anything.
Mayor Ferre: No, no. She lives here. She lives here right in Coconut
Grove.
Mr. Cruz: Well, whatever...
Mayor Ferre: She lives in Secoffee, I know where she lives.
Mr. Cruz: Secoffee, all right.
Mayor Ferre: And I will tell you, when she was talking, I kept going...
Mr. Cruz: Well, I've got to say a thing. I don't get the chance to come
here at 9:00 o'clock in the morning because I am working at 9:00 o'clock
in the morning when you have most of the meetings. Today I work until
6:00 P.M. I run over here, because I work eight to twelve hours every
day to pay my taxes. Okay, one thing. Make sure that we in Allapattah
get our fair share, because we have taxation without representation.
3
34 SEP 1219
sales tax, taxation, Federal taxation, State taxation, County taxation
and City taxation. And we want our fair share there! And you give all that
money to the Police Department, when they want all that - even police work
is mostly investigation of what they do, the whole thing. Very, very few
times policemen catch criminal read handed commiting a crime. The main
thing - one thing about the Parks Program. Before we had the Park Rangers
and all of that. Now we don't have anything. The other place, we went to
a park - you where there with me, Larry Thompson Park. They have a Park
Ranger and Park Ranger Program. The City had it before. Now we don't even
have that. Nothing! Program that was good for the city - eliminated! Why,
because of money? The percentage of the money that went to the Parks went
to different departments of the City. I don't know how much the budget of
the police is, percentage -wise, but it should be a lot compared to that.
Well, I think I am saying in a very general way, even if you are trying to
rush me and all of that, what I think. They are the people from the neighbor-
hood. I don't work for the City. I don't have anything. I am a letter
carrier. I work for Uncle Sam. I am a veteran, that is what I got my
job through. I have got no problems, no nothing to worry about. I still
have my job, as long as I want, I've got my job. Thank you very much for
your time.
Mayor Ferre: Mariano, I might point out that as much as we admire you for
always standing up forthrightly for your beliefs, we admire your wife even
more for putting up with you! Twenty years! That is all right! All right,
Ernie. It is your turn.
Mr. Ernie Fanatto: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Commission, Ernie
Fanatto is my name. I am President of the Taxpayers League of Miami and
Dade County. In order to have a progressive community, city, you must
have good schools, proper law enforcment and a moderate tax rate. So I
am going to start with crime. I can see why crime is prevailing here in
the City of Miami, just like it is in Dade County, for the simple reason
that the criminals keep coming in by boats. They stay in Dade County,
and they are never distributed throughout the other parts of the country.
In plain words, we are washing the dirty linen for about ten to twenty
times more than we should here in the City of Miami and Dade County.
They should be prorated on a proration basis to every city and county in
this country.
Mayor Ferre: Ernie, I have got to stop you because you are going to get
in trouble in a moment.
Mr. Fanatto: No, I am not getting into trouble, I am telling the truth!
Mayor Ferre: Ernie, let me tell you something. The only people that come
here in boats are Cubans and Haitians. Now, just listen to me for a moment.
Admirel Edsel will tell you that the crime rate in Tampa, Palm Beach, and
Orlando are higher than they are in the City of Miami right now, Part I
crimes. There are no boat people in any of those cities, so don't come
telling me that just because we have some Haitians and Cubans here that
that is why we have crime, because that is not applicable to Fort Lauder-
dale, Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa, all of whom have higher crime rates than
the City of Miami.
Mr. Fanatto: Well Mayor, let me just answer you now! If they were distri-
buted in every city and county in this country on a proration basis, we
wouldn't have the tax load we have, and we could use this money for more
important projects. Remember that there too. Now, I am not here to discuss
that, so let me tell you something. I took up a question here in Dade County
that cost Dade County millions and millions of dollars. Do you know in Dade
County we don't even have health cards in restaurants and cafeterias in
schools? And syphilis and gonorrhea and hepatitis and A.I.D.s are prevalent
throughout this county and it is the most disgusting... and you know what is
happening? These people got these diseases in Haiti. They have prostitu-
tion there that is legal, so naturally, they have twice as many cases as
we do. So, they go to our hospitals and what happens? And what happens?
We are carrying the load for the Jackson -Memorial Hospital - twice as much
as we should, maybe three times more, and you mean to tell me - we have a
Dr. Morgan here in this county who said that health cards should be done away
with. As a matter of fact, they are not using them in the County, and I am
telling you it is costing us millions and millions and the taxpayers in the
City of Miami are paying county taxes! But, I do want to say this here
35
SEP 121983
46 V
about our Chief of Police. I don't know how he can keep crime down as much
as he does with the amount of criminals that keep coming in and none go out.
And I want to commend him, and I think he is a good Chief and he is well
respected, but you can only do so much. And I want to tell you something
else. I am in favor of hiring more policemen. Policemen are the front line
defense for the people in this community. Your homes are being burglarized.
You are being held up on the street. There is more rape cases than ever.
I can go on and on, but more than that, let me tell you something. People
have got a right to live in their homes. You have an ordinance on the book
here - these disco machines. why, they play loud all over this county and
they don't have enough policemen to combat it, because there are too many of
them. People have got a right to sleep. This ordinance is on the book and
either do away with it, or have it enforced. Elderly people are people that
are entitled to sleep. If the young people want to go out and roam around
and play these disco machines, let them go way out in the county, but not
in the residential population. I am just going to conclude by saying this
here - I am going to have to say this here, and I hate to say it. Let's
stop giving away all of these monies to some of the people in this county.
we have this and we have that and you know what it amounts to? Dancing,
and parties and eating food. Let's stop that! Let's spend the money in
the right way, and you know how to do it? I'll tell you how to spend it.
Let's get somebody with clout and spend the money and hire somebody with
national and international clout that can bring tourists here. If you
want to stop crime, you bring more tourists here so that the businesses
can prosper, and when the businesses prosper, there will be more jobs.
And when the businesses prosper, there will be more taxes. I think Reverend
McCarthy brought that out when he said that if there is more businesses, there
would be more taxes. If business doesn't prosper, that is a yardstick to
ask for lower taxes and everybody in this city has got to make the difference
up. So I am going to say, you have given $500,000, I understand. for automobile
races. I was in here - I don't mind loaning it to him - don't give it to him!
You should have a surety bond up - he should have as security that he repays
the City. If you are going to give $500,000 here and $100,000 here, $50,000,
you are going to have high taxes, and you don't have any money for policemen!
You don't have any money...you know, I just heard you folks, you are going to
give some money to Legal Services. I've had over 50 complaints as President
of the Taxpayer's League, and you know what? They never answer the phone.
They very seldom answer the phone. Now, if you don't believe it, try and
call them and you will find out. You know how much Dade County gives them?
Nothing. When we have our public hearing tomorrow, you know what I am going
to recommend? Give them nothing, they don't deserve it, and I will tell you
why. If your Manager checks the amount of cases that they fought, you will
reduce their budget about 50%, because they did very little. I am just going
to conclude by saying now, if you want respect from the taxpapers, you have
got to qive it and you haven't gotten it when you have been doing too much
give-aways of the taxpayer's money. I am not saying that all you Commissioners
are not trying to do a good job, but you are not doing a good job when you
are giving all these hundreds and hundreds of thousand dollars of give-away
money. Let's stop it, as I said a minute ago. Take away these here parties
and dances. Hire somebody with international and national clout, people
who have connections with agencies who can bring tourists here and you will
be on the upgrade. Thank you!
Mayor Ferre: All right, Mr. Fanatto. All right, Mr. Feltzman.
And then Grace Rockafellar, you are next.
Mr. Morey Feltzman: I am the Executive Director of the Allapattah Business
Development Authority. Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, my only hope is that by
not hiring the additional police, we can secure the services that the different
City departments have been giving for the City, which have been proven
successful. A lot of those departments, for job development, for social ser-
vices - this is what has done more for crime prevention in the City of Miami
than actually adding more police to the departments. I have a lot of respect
for Chief Harms and the Police Department. In our district, we have lowered
more than 8016. the crime that existed two years ago. I say again, let us not
sacrifice the different departments that hwe have, or the social programs that
we have, which are more important for the -::ity and for the people in the City,
than actually adding more police to the Police Department. Thank you.
36
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3EP 121983
14
Mayor Ferre: All right, thank you, Mr. Feltzman. Mrs. Rockafellar.
Mrs. Grace Rockafellar: Mr. Mayor and Members of the Corti.issien, for the
record, I am Grace Rockafellar. I live at 814 N. E. 71st Street. I am
President of the N. E. Miami Improvement Association and the N. E. Taxpayer's
Association. Now, our association had a meeting on June 6 with a prestigious
panel of City officials; many of you were there, and Judges, the Chief of
Police, trying to solve the problems that we have on Biscayne Boulevard.
Biscayne Boulevard is a disaster, a total disaster, not only to the merchants,
but to the residents on both sides. Now, we cover one -quarter of the City of
Miami. Biscayne Boulevard is eighty-seven blocks long. After the meeting was
over, Mr. Gary promised us that he would pay the police officers overtime for
foot patrol. This is one of the things that we requested, for foot patrol
on the Boulevard. Mr. Carollo made a remark a while a4o about the merchants
in Little Havana were very prosperous. We are very happy for them, and we are
glad they are, but I bet you they don't have to operate behind locked doors.
That is exactly what the merchants on Biscayne Boulevard do. They can't allow
anyone in unless they know who they are. The prostitution is rampant. The
drugs are rampant. People that are forced to take the bus to go shopping are
downtown. When they get off that bus, they are attacked. They are robbed,
and they are mugged of their possessions. The crime is just terrible out
there. Four, five years ago, we had foot patrol on the Boulevard. We had
two officers to almost every block, and the crime problem dropped. It really
dropped down, and they were out there for several months. Now, we understand
that when the City proposed mini -stations and foot patrol in the various
neighborhoods - you have Little Havana, Overtown, and Liberty City and Biscayne
Boulevard, and all of a sudden, Biscayne Boulevard was dropped. Now, we have
thousands and thousands of taxpayers in the northeast area, and we are all
taxpayers. We don't mind paying our taxes, but when we see our taxes go up,
and we cannot get the foot patrol on the Boulevard to stop some of this crime,
so the people can walk down the street, so the merchants can do business, but
we can't even walk, it spills over into the communities, we can't even take
a walk in front of our house in front of our house at night. Everybody is
behind double -bolt locked doors at night. You never see people out walking
like they used to, and it is just a shame. So, what we are down here for
today, and we are opposed to these new taxes, unless the northeast area is
brought into the fold. What we are requesting of this City Commission to-
night, as an allocation, either $200,000, or $250,000 to the Police Department
to pay overtime to the police officers to patrol Biscayne Boulevard so that
the crime rate will go down, the merchants will start making some money and
the people do not have to live in constant fear, and we hope you will give
that serious consideration. When Mr. Gary promised it to us, we had three
police officers for eighty-seven blocks and they were only on there for a
very short time, and hour and one-half or so, and that didn't phase anything.
I know it was all they could afford. That is all that the Police Department
had. Now, we think a lot of our Police Department. We support them very,
very highly, and our Chief of Police, and if they had the funds to do this,
they would be more than willing to do it, but we are requesting tonight that
the northeast area ... we never come down here and tell you we are going to have
a festival, or we are going to have this. If we need money, we go to our
merchants; we go to our members, we raise the money, because we don't think
that we should be a load, what we want to do, on the taxpayers all over the
City of Miami. There is too many pressing problems. And I feel too that
too much of our taxes are misappropriated. There are too many citizens in
this City that feel that every Commission meeting is Christmas and they are
down here for a handout, and they most always get it! If those monies
were applied... it is all right to give money out if you have enough money
to pay for all the expenses of the City, running the City, and your social
services and all; then if you have money left over to give out, fine, but
otherwise, I think it is is misappropriated, and we feel that we are entitled
to some consideration from this government, because we are taxpayers too,
and I thank you.
Mr. Carollo: Grace, can you go over some of the things that we discussed in
that meeting that some of us attended, and I think that you have an absolute
right to be here today, because the problems that you are facing over there
are terribly serious.
Mrs. Rockafellar: They really are. All you have to do is drive down there,
come out there and stand - I won't ask you to walk down there, because I don't
think you could get more than three or four blocks without being robbed.
37 S EP 1219801
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Mr. Carollo: Or worse!
Mrs. Rockafellar: Yes, or worse.
Mr. Carollo: But, what I would like for you to do, is go over some of the
suggestions that you and people from down there had, and see how many this
City Commission can implement for this new budget.
Mrs. Rockafellar: We are having another meeting tomorrow niqht, and I would
like to be able to go back to the people (and you are all welcome, we would
like to have you there) and say, "We are not cut out entirely. We are getting
some consideration from our City government."
Mayor Ferre: Oh, I am sure you can say that, but now Grace, let me tell you.
The problem is that you choose a bad day because the people of Coconut Grove
have for a long time set that as a date for their townhall meeting, and they
have advertised it and it is all over town. They have taken up this theatre
here - it is called the Coconut Grove Theatre and they are going to have
500 people there.
Mrs. Rockafellar: Well, we probably will too, because...
Mayor Ferre: I am not saying that you won't. I am just saying that it is
unfortunate that both of these communities have at the same time the town -
hall meeting. They could have just picked a day, you know...
Mrs. Rockafellar: Well, we changed it three times, Mr. Mayor. We usually
have it on first Monday of the month, and that was a holiday. Then, of
course, we were going to have it tonight, and this is the City Commission
Budget Hearings and most the City officials are here, so they couldn't
be there.
Mayor Ferre: Well, the problem is that...
Mrs. Rockafellar: Then we had it tomorrow night.
Mayor Ferre: Tomorrow night at what time?
Mrs. Rockafellar: 7:30 P.M. at the Harvey Seeds Legion Post.
Mayor Ferre: The other one starts, fortunately, at 7:00 P.M. so I don't
know...I think it may be that we may have to take turns or something.
Mr. Dawkins: Well, I will be...
Mr. Plummer: Well, Grace, I would hope that at the beginning of your meeting
tomorrow night, that you would indicate to the people present that the Com-
mission does have its problems; we are going to try to accomodate both groups,
and that it might be 8:30 P.M. or so before we can get to your meeting.
Mr. Dawkins: I will be there, and I will make that announcement. I will
be there.
Mrs. Rockafellar: Now, had we known, when we talked to some of you people,
talking to your secretaries, at least, had they told us about this other
meeting, we could have had ours on Wednesday night, because as I said, we
changed it three different times, and the letters have gone out. The
judges are all going to be there and the various people are going to be
there. But, if you think you can make it - you will be there, Commissioner?
Mr. Dawkins: Yes.
Mrs. Rockafellar: Okay. We are not asking you to give the money to us.
Mayor Ferre: Well, the rest of us will be us there too, Grace, but we will
be there a little bit late.
Mrs. Rockafellar: Well, he said he would make the announcement. I will
call on him and he will explain it to us.
Mayor Ferre: Fine.
38 UP 1219801
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A
Mr. Carollo: Grace, let me say this to you. I had committed previousl%,
some weeks ago to the Coconut Grove Chamber to be there; however, I would
very much appreciate it if you could send me a notice when you are meeting,
because this is the first that I have heard of your meeting tomorrow. I
have not received any notice at all.
Mayor Ferre: That is how I found out about it by reading it in the newspaper,
but...
Mrs. Rockafellar: Yes, it is in the newspapers.
Mayor Ferre: Well, I think it is important Grace, you know, whether you
like us or don't like us, that is not the issue - you can still dislike
us, but you ought to really let us know that you are having meetings.
Mrs. Rockafellar: I don't dislike any of you, Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Ferre: Well, you know, whatever your likes or dislikes...
Mr. Carollo: You just like some more than others, huh, Grace?
Mrs. Rockafellar: You might have put the gentlemen over there on the spot,
but you are not going to get me there.
Mayor Ferre: Look, whatever your likes or dislikes are are secondary. The
important thing is, if you do invite your Mayor and members of the Commission
to attend these civic meeting meetings. I mean, after all, we are elected
officials and whether we agree or don't agree on things, we really should be
afforded the opportunity to talk about. I think you want us there.
Mrs. Rockafellar: Well, I think we...
Mayor Ferre: Do you want me to vote here, then don't you think you ought to
invite me to share...
Mrs. Rockafellar: I certainly do. I think we can disagree without being
disagreeable, don't you?
Mayor Ferre: Of course!
Mrs. Rockafellar: I hope so, at least that is what my mother always told me.
Well, I will appreciate it if you can get there and I will look for Commis-
sioner Dawkins early and we are also going to have the Chief Judge, the
Administrative Judge of the Criminal Division of the County Court, and he
is supposed to have a plan worked out whereby it will help us and it will
help the Police Department in seeing that some of these people are just..
don't beat the police officers back on the street.
Mayor Ferre: Thank you very much. The next speaker is Helen Bentley. Is
Helen Bentley here?
Mr. Dawkins: I think Mrs. Bentley left.
Mayor Ferre: Mr. Jacque Despinosse. Where is Ernie Fanatto: I want
Ernie to hear this.
Mr. Plummer: Ernie went to catch a boat! (LAUGHTER)
Mr. Jacque Despinosse: Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, City Manager, my name is
Jacque Despinosse, 550 N. E. 77th Street. I am a Haitian; I am proud to be
what I am. I am a Black man. I am proud to be what I am. Too bad the
gentlemen earlier is not here. I would like him to understand that I am a
taxpayer also, a registered voter in the City and I pay my dues. If you
don't like it, we can continue the battle in the ballot box; that is where
we have our discussions. I am here today speaking on behalf - something I
don't like and I don't want to pay any more taxes. My house mortgage was
$500. and some change, last year. I remember I was sitting in the back.
A bunch of people came in, they wanted more police officers. My money was
was good and my mortgage was sky high. Now I am paying $610 a month...
$610 a month with three kids to take care of. Yes, we can have ten
officers for every citizen, that is fine. When you get in there with
four kids, three kids need food in the streets, they don't care how much
guns you got in your waist, they are going to try to break in to get food.
I think the main problem here is jobs. We need to serve programs for the
youth to pull the kids out of the stree
ts, give them something to 1 ���
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forward to. I think it is very important. I am supporting Janet McAliley's
situation. The School Board does need somebody to look after those children
to cross the street, because I witnessed on several occasions on 74th Street
and N. W. 5th Avenue there are many accidents happening on that corner and
Dr. Martin, the Principal of that school send letters in trying to get sup-
port for a four-way stop sign on that particular corner. It doesn't get him
nowhere. And with that sort of thing, you know, we must do something to save
the children, but putting in police officers, that is not going to solve the
problem. It is just only wasting money, and wasting money and the problems remain
the same.. If we found a way to help - the elderly need help. They have
medical appointments they can't ever, keep, and every day we come in here
people need more service and more service and more service. Where are we
going to get the money from?
Mr. Carollo: Jacque, let me ask you something. If you think that ... this is
just a question that I have. Let's say that Baby Doc would cut his forces
down to 90%? Do you think he could survive? He would be overthrown right
away. Well, there are a lot of people out there that don't necessarily
believe in government. There are people that believe in anarchism and we,
as a government, the main reason that we exist, the protection of life and
property! Now, besides that we have other functions, the main being that.
One of our functions should be to get the youth of this City involved in the
right things. The right things such as sports, recreational programs, those
are things that this Commission is in favor of, and I certainly have shown
to be in favor of, since I have been on this Commission and before that.
But you have to have a balance and the one thing that I think we are having
a misconception about is that the main reason for government is not to create
jobs for people. Yes, we have tried to help in times like this, but our main
function is not to go around creating jobs. We can't! It is impossible. You
can create the normal jobs that you need and try to create, which I think is
one of the other main areas that we should go into - job training programs,
but just cannot create jobs for the sake of creating jobs. It is impossible.
I think what we have to do is work with private enterprise and try to create
those jobs. The situation that we have in Miami now, the situation that is
not only across the board nationwide, but world wide. We are living in some
very hard economic times, all over the world, not just in the United States.
But, I just hope that people out there are not looking at us for the solution
of providing jobs for everybody. It is impossible, we can't do that!
Mr. Despinosse: One thing I would like to point out, as the gentlemen who
spoke earlier regarding the Haitians and Cubans coming into this country and
doing this and doing that - there is one thing I can assure you. In the
Haitian community itself, we have less than 2% crime. When was the last time
one Haitian woman has been arrested in Biscayne Boulevard for prostitution?
That was never! It will never happen. You get a group of people coming here
like the Jewish, Italian, the Polish, etcetera, they are coming here because
this happens to be the land of freedom, because you have a government in
control. They believe they have a right to speak and express themselves.
They come in here because they have the right to get a job, where they don't
have to go out with the Chief, you know, in order to get a job, or send my
buddy out with the Captain in order to get a job. I think if anybody comes
in here, they want the best. The Cubans came in here in the 60's. They
worked very hard to get what they owned today. So do the Haitians. They
are working for $3.00 and 35% less and so far, they have been doing two
jobs. They are minding themselves, but when people come in here and
say taxpayers, when you are talking taxpayers, we are taxpayers! And our
taxes are our time. It is good for them to go and pick the Haitians or
Black men to be their drivers, to cut their grass, the Black woman to cook
their food, to them, they are raising hell.
What is going on? If there is going to be equality then it is about time
to understand it. We understand both. Thank you.
Mr. Plummer: The final speaker this evening is Counsel at Law, Mr. David
Perkins. Mr. Perkins, for the record, if you would, give us your name
and your mailing address and what law firm you are with, sir.
Mr. David L. Perkins: Right on, I can give it all to you, sir. I am David
L. Perkins. I am on the Culmer Community Action Agency. I am also the
Sergeant of Arms of Grand Council of the legal services. I am also in with
the N.A.A.C.P. I also on your Task Force. Not only that, I am on about
fifteen other organizations as well. My most concerns are here now be-
cause of the budget tax cuts and crime that is now being committed through-
out Dade County. It is getting where the elderly people that are only on
1
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.SEP 121983
410 0
social security and welfare income are catching_ the devil and a lot of
them are now out in these here streets. They cannot walk these streets
safely at all because these here little young thieving dope ad,3icts crooks
are out there robbing those elderly people. Elderly people cannot be
home safe without them breaking in, robbing them, killing them. Drugs is
one of the key crimes of Dade County. This is what is causing a lot of
these crimes to be committed in Dade County. It is drugs. There is no
job if you are a drug pusher. Only thing the; can do is rob, steal, kill,
burglarize, breaking and entering by pushing drugs. We have begged jobs
to help keep these crimes down, but so far, drugs have caused more crimes,
increased our costs, and more killings out here. We doesn't need it in
Dade County. We want jobs, Commissioners, Manager and Agents, not only
for the City and the County and the State to help keep these crimes down.
We have all begged of you. The elderly people have been before you all
about these problems. Other people have been here tonight begging you
all about these things. So far, all these years, there has nothing
actually been coming down to help solve these elderly people that have
to walk these streets, have to go to a grocery store, or go after their
mail or try to go somewhere, because if there was something to help them,
things wouldn't be getting in the condition in which they are now. We
need more police protection, it is true. I am now asking, not only for
myself, not only for just one or two. I have been before Janet Reno,
talked with her. I've talked with some of you Commissioners and
Managers on each side of the road, begging, in with our crime movement
procedures of a line only. Certain people that are qualified and women to
help cooperate in the old system, to allow them to be of some assistance
in with this law movement program in Dade County, so it can be n,ore safer
for you to walk these streets and don't have to worry about these crooks
out here that are harming you and these crimes. I also talked with Janet
Reno, in the County and our State Agencies and Police Department about
our getting our crime prevention procedures going by allowing certain
people only to use these police walkie-talkieF os if there would be a crime
being committed in Dade County, that they contact with the Law Department,
not to make arrests, but to receive walkie-talkies so they can contact
the Law Department, or either in with the Fire Department or in with the
Emergency Department, so they can get that proper assistance right here
now because they need this. As you all know, it is unsafe for a lot of
you to even try to go in certain locations. We are now asking that we
can get this assistance by allowing us to be of some assistance in with
you, so that the elderly can be more safe, you can be more safe, and it
would help solve a lot of these problems. We doesn't need these drug
pushers to keep causing little young teenage girls out here pregnant, hav-
ing them out here prostituting up and down these here streets. We don't
need this. What you all need is assistance in with the public. As you
aways say, you want the public to cooperate with you all. If this is
not asking too much, I would definitely appreciate it if you you all could
help us to get established as soon as possible by allowing certain Board
members in the Overtown in the Crime Prevention to join in with the Law
Department to help solve these problems by allowing us to receive these
walkie-talkies. If they are not qualified to use these walkie-talkies,
then will not receive them. They will have to receive a test. That is
key number one. Key number two, they going to have to take an oath be-
fore they will be able to use those walkie-talkies. Number three, they
cannot allow anv of their associates or friends, or anyone else to use
those walkie-talx.:es. If they are allowing their friends to use them,
the family to use them, or the children, or something to use them, those
walkie-talkies will returned back from that person. If they are out here
out helping these here crooked people, robbing, stealing and killing,
they wind up getting anywhere from one to five years on the matter
of helping these friends out there. Now, we are moving and asking that
we can get this assistance in with the City, County and the State, if
you are all willing to help get these problems out here solved. That
is the main reason why I am here tonight.
Mr. Plummer: Davie, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, that
concludes all of the speakers. This will be continued two weeks from
tonight, which is the.26th of September at 5:05 P.M. Mr. Gary, you
will conclude by bringing the State Law into effect here?
41
SEP 121990
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Mayor Ferre: All right, J. L., we do have one other speaker and I am sorry
I forgot to mention it.
Mr. Plummer: I'm sorry.
Mayor Ferre: We have Edna Canino of United Latin and American Citizens
(LULAC). As you know, LULAC has chosen Miami as the location for its 1986
convention and the question is, they saw with the Hemispheric Conference,
we have been helping fund them with a permanent Secretariat and they are
asking us for support., so why don't you exFlain it?
Ms. Edna Canino: My name is Edna Canino, I am the National Vice -President
of LULAC. My office address is 11609 N. W. 14th Avenue. I am here tonight...
Mayor Ferre: Hold on, because you don't need to tell me, because I am a
supporter of this. Let's wait until the other members of the Commission
come in. Are there any other speakers that want to speak tonight? I
assume we have exhausted all of the...all right, Edna, why don't you go ahead.
Ms. Canino: Honorable Mayor and Honorable Commissioners, I am here tonight -
I would like to premise my remarks with a brief background of LULAC. LULAC is a national
organization. We have about 110,000 members throughout the nation. We are
an all volunteer organization. We are the largest and we are the oldest in
the United States. We have established credibility and we are permanent.
We have been here for 54 years in the United States. Last July, as you are
all aware, we selected Miami as our city for the National Convention in 1986,
and it will be a unique opportunity to invest in tourism in the City of Miami
in this great city. We should maximize this opportunity and therefore, I am
here to ask your support for not for one million dollars, or three million
dollars as for ASTA, or Miss U.S.A., but for $50,000 to serve as linkages
with the business community for so that we can open a central office to
solicit and promote a positive image for Miami. LULAC is a family organiza-
tion. It has many friends and members throughout the nation, throughout the
State also, and we would anticipate that they would make the City of Miami
their vacation in 1986.
Mayor Ferre: Ms. Canino, how specifically can the City of Miami help you
and LULAC. Can you get right to the point?
Ms. Canino: Well, we are here requesting $50,000, Mayor. This would be a
fund set up...
Mayor Ferre: Is this between now and 1986, or is this $50,000 a year or is
it $50,000 lump sum, or...?
Ms. Canino: This budget is a proposal for one year. We are asking for now,
for October, 1983 budget, and we anticipate that with this money to be able
to generate other private funds from businesses and also other institutions,
so that your answer would be for one year.
Mayor Ferre: What happens then in 1964 and 1985, when you have two years be-
fore the convention comes here?
Ms. Canino: We hope, if we are successful in our venture, we are hoping to
not be able to come back to you in 1984 and 1985; however, our proposal is
just for one year, and it is to try to generate enough funds from other
sources so that we won't have to be here in 1984 and 1985.
Mr. Dawkins: Okay, then I assume the conventions are meted on a two year
basis, so therefore the first open date is 1986, am I correct?
Ms. Canino: That is correct.
Mr. Dawkins: So you need, we need funding now, to go to the next convention
in order to sell them on coming to Miami in 1986.
Ms. Canino: For this... that's correct.
Mr. Dawkins: So if we win...
Mr. Gary: We already did that.
Mr. Dawkins: They already agreed to come?
42 SEP 121983
40
Ms. Canino: We have it for 19FE, but we need to go to Texas, the national
convention will be in Texas next year, but we need to go and promote and
induce those people to come to Miami and also the next one will be California.
Mayor Ferre: When is the National Convention in Texas?
Ms. Canino: It is going tc be in July in E1 Faso, Texas.
Mr. Dawkins: This July?
Ms. Canino: Next July in 1984. And then the 1985 will be Anaheim, California,
so that we...
Mayor Ferre: Anaheim?
Ms. Canino: Yes?
Mr. Dawkins: And then here in 1986.
Ms. Canino: And then here in Miami.
Mayor Ferre: we have time before July of 1984 and July of 1985 for E1 Paso and
for Anaheim, and I think that is something that we need to talk about. I need
to tell you, and since I am non -Cuban, and two of my other colleagues are Cuban,
and they perhaps might be reluctant to hurt your feelings or anything, but we
have gotten (and I say we, because I feel like I am part of LULAC) bad press
in the Cuban community, and I think it is unfortunate and that needs to be
clarified, you know? You need to clarify and the national leadership needs to
clarify to the people of Miami - it is not just the Commission. It is the
general public that you are not a leftist organization, that you are not
pro -socialism, or pro -Marxist or pro -Fidel Castro, or pro the Salvadorians
guerillas and all that. That all has to be clarified because, I know that you
are not, and I know that Tony Bonilla is not, but you see, what happens is, he
goes out and blasts the President and he...you know, people get confused about
that, so we need to clarify what LULAC is all about.
Ms. Canino: I think she understands that and I think she has been making an
effort to try and change that image, and I sure that she is going to keep on
trying.
Ms. Canino: We had a news conference in June, here at the Miami Airport
where Mr. Bonilla came and spoke. One of our requirements to joint LULAC
is that we have to support the Constitution of the United States. All our
goals and objectives are geared to constitutionality. I think the unfair
publicity that we have had is very unfortunate. We are here to unify all
Hispanic. We would be willing to meet with anyone. We are in that process
right now. We are trying to meet with all of the community leaders, the
= Dade County Commissioners and many of you individually. We have begun steps
towards that to explain...
Mayor Ferre: Edna, the other thing that I wanted to tell you - you know the
majority of the Hispanic Community in Miami is Cuban. I think it is wonderful,
and I think you ought to get a lot of Puerto Ricans and Mexican -Americans and
other Hispanics, but you need to really double and triple and quadruple your
Cuban participation. That is not to say that you don't have any. I know the
majority of the LULAC members in Miami are Cuban. I know that, but you need
to increase...
Ms. Canino: And two of our programs that are local -the Ser Jobs for Progress
and LULAC National Educations Centers are Service Community Centers that are
serving the Cuban community. We have three out of five local council chair-
man are Cuban. Our State director is Cuban f;om Tampa, and we certainly are
working toward the postive image. This is why need we need these funds so that
we can attract, and I think that it will be a prosperous investment for the
City of Miami.
Mayor Ferre: Thank you very much. All right, is there anything else from
the public? Oh, we have Mr. Castillo, I am sorry. Mr. Castillo, can you make
yours very quickly?
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43 .SEP .121983
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Mr. Castillo: He knows it only takes me three minutes.
Mayor Ferre: Okay, three minutes.
Mr. Castillo: Mr. Gary, where are you going to get the money for raising
my taxes? Is it going to be like every year - garbage?
Mr. Plummer: No, he is taxing porno.
Mr. Castillo: Yes, because every time I get garbage fees. I've got a
bright idea. Maybe we should turn bullets into bags and that way we will
bag criminals better.
Mr. Plummer: That's not a bad idea at all!
Mr. Castillo: Thank you!
Mr. Plummer: Bullets into bags?
Mr. Castillo: And I would also like to remind this Commission that about
Dade County is going to slash grants, and we have to be careful on grants,
because there is too many times that we are having problems problems with
grant funds.
Mr. Carollo: Grass?
Mr. Castillo: Funds - grants, like money from the city. How are you going
to control that?
Mr. Gary: I'm sorry, I didn't get the question. How am I going to control
what?
Mr. Castillo: Grants, like $20,000, or $100,000 worth of grants - Les
Brown and so forth.
Mr. Gary: Well, there is a democratic process that we go through.
Mr. Castillo: Yes, but you have to remember also that the County is going
to flag this and they are going to be coming here.
Mi. Gary: That is correct.
Mr. Castillo: Right, and where are you going to hold the line? Are you
going to hold the line? It is my taxes and yours too, now.
Mr. Gary: Yes, we will hold the line.
Mr. Castillo: I hope so! And I hope you don't raise my garbage fee again.
Thank you.
Mayor Ferre: All right, thank you, sir. Thank you, very much. All right,
now, is there anything else to come up before the Commission?
Mr. Gary: We are on Item Number 1-D - Actions by City Commission. These
are the amended tentative budgets.
Mayor Ferre: To do what?
Mr. Gary: You have not amended it.
Mayor Ferre: We could adopt a budget on first reading and amend it on
second reading.
44 SEP 121983
Mr. Gary: Exactly. You have not amended it. You have not changed the millage
rate. You don't have to do Number three for the mere fact that you haven't
done one and two.
Mr. Carollo: Howard, for the record, what was the millage rate that we had
again in the past fiscal year, or this one we are in now.
Mr. Gary: Approximately, for the General Fund, 9 mills. This year we are
going to 9.55 mills.
Mr. Carollo: Okay, so what is the total increase that we are increasing the
budget to from this fiscal year to the next one.
Mr. Gary: You talking about the millage rate?
Mr. Carollo: The millage rate, that is correct.
Mr. Gary: Including debt service, you want to include the total.
Mr. Carr-llo: The total.
Mr. Gary: The total is 10.7294 mills. in 1983. We are proposing for 1984
11.1238 mills.
Mr. Carollo: So we are going from 10.729 to 11.123.
Mr. Gary: Exactly, and that is the total, yes, sir.
Mr. Carollo: The total.
Mr. Gary: That increase is .3944.
Mayor Ferre: 3.94 is what I had. 3.94 millage increase.
Mr. Gary: .394, yes, sir.
Mayor Ferre: .394, which is less than 3€.
Mr. Gary: Yes, it is less than 31. About 2.6%.
Mayor Ferre: That must be because our debt must be going down.
Mr. Gary: The millage for debt service is going down.
Mr. Plummer: What do we need to do now?
Mayor Ferre: Adopt a tentative millage rate.
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: That is right.
Mr. Gary: On First Reading.
Mayor Ferre: Is there a motion? This is on First Reading.
Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, there is a motion that we hold the millage rate to
the 10.729 that we had this fiscal year.
Mayor Ferre: All right, is there a second to that motion?
Mr. Carollo: In other words, that we do not increase the millage rate.
Mr. Perez: Second.
Mayor Ferre: Is there a second to that motion? All right, there is a second.
Okay, further discussion?
Mr. Plummer: Well, wait a minute, let me ask this question. If that passes
on First Reading, are we locked we then locked in on Second Reading?
Mayor Ferre: No, of course not.
Mr. Gary: Yes, you are.
45
SEP 121983
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Mayor Ferre: No, sir. On Second Reading I can vote "no" for a millage in-
crease.
Mr. Perez: -When do we have the Second Reading, today on an Emergency basis?
Mr. Plummer: No, on the 26th.
Mayor Ferre: No, no, on the 29th. You are not telling me that I...
Mr. Gary: What you adopt today according to State Law, you cannot gc up
at a Second Reading.
Mayor Ferre: Oh, I know I can't go up, but I can go down.
Mr. Gary: Yes, you can go down at Second Reading.
Mr. Plummer: But, the motion on the floor is to go down and revert to last
year's millage.
Mayor Ferre: But that is not what we voted on last time!
Mr. Gary: Yes.
Mayor Ferre: How can this be the First Reading, if we have already voted on
the millage?
Mr. Plummer: No, we set the millage. We didn't vote on it.
Mr. Gary: You set the millage for advertising to the public. This is the
First Reading for adopting a budget.
Mayor Ferre: I am ready to vote. I have no problems, because I think we have
to vote for 11.123 millage, otherwise we are in serious trouble in rendering
the services that we need to render.
Mr. Gary: No, no, no. Last year's millage is going to give me 9.06.
Mayor Ferre: There is no way we can get more police officers or anything
else unless we increase, and I think a 3.94, which is less than a 3% increase
in a year where assessments have not gone up, is an unbelievable low increase
in the millage.
Mr. Dawkins: Are we saying, for my information, and if I vote for the
10. that he just said, does that definitely mean we won't have no more police-
men?
Mr. Gary: No, what that means is...
Mr. Dawkins: Okay, I want to know what I am voting on!
Mr. Gary: What that means is, that you will have to cut the budget I pro-
posed to you by $4,000,000, in addition to everything the M.C.A.C. wants.'you've to cut
this budget by $4,000,000, and that is if you adopt Commissioner Carollo's
recommendation - motion.
Mr. Plummer: But, in doing that, this Commission will say where that $4,000,000
cut goes, right?
Mr. Gary: Not only that, you can't come back the second meeting and try to put
the $4,000,000 back by the millage rate.
Mr. Perez: When will be the second meeting? The 26th?
Mr. Carollo: I have the cutting knife out, Howard.
Mr. Gary: Well, I know about your knife! (LAUGHTER) I must impress upon you
that if you make this decision today, you are going to have to cut $4,000,000
from the current budget, and we all know it is not going to come from police
and fire, nor sanitation, if you continue the same policy and you are not going
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46 SEP 121983
to be able to add that $4,000,Q0,3 back on the Second Reading. That means
Parks, Recreation...
Mr. Dawkins: The only thing, if you tell me that you are not going to
hire more policemen, I am with it!
Mr. Gary: Well, historically, the policy of this City Commission is that
police, fire, and sanitation sometimes...
Mr. Dawkins: No, no, no. Police and fire. Don't tell me not the nothing,
because sanitation...
Mr. Gary: Are untouchables. That means that they will not be laid off.
Mr. Dawkins: Only now that sanitation got untouchable! only now!
Mr. Gary: No, you are missing my point. I said...
Mr. Dawkins: No, you are missing mine. Are you finished, Mr. Gary? We
can call the question?
Mr. Gary: I would urge this City Commission not to adopt the motion for the
mere fact that we will not be able to maintain a balance of our already re-
duced services other than police and fire.
Mr. Dawkins: I didn't hear that. That one part was slurred.
Mr. Gary: I said I would urge the City Commission not to adopt that motion for
the mere fact that we would not be able to maintain our already reduced non -
police and fire services, even further.
Mayor Ferre: Are you ready to vote?
Mr. Gary: That means, if you want me to compute how many people we would have
to lay off, give me two minutes, I could tell you - give he half a minute.
Mr. Carollo: I think we could make up probably $2,000,000 of that if we would
add up all the freebies that we have thrown out this year.
Mayor Ferre: Are we ready to vote now?
Mr. Plummer: No, no, no. I want to hear from Houdini, over there!
Mr. Dawkins: The solution man! "I've got a solution!"
Mr. Gary: I would have to lay off approximately 160 people.
Mr. Dawkins: From the Police Department?
Mr. Gary: That would be non -police, fire and sanitation, so you are talking
about Parks, other...
Mr. Dawkins: Why you can't lay them off from police? Why must you sit there
and tell me that if you have got lay off 169 people, that you will not lay off
one policeman?
Mr. Gary: Because history has proven to me that that would not be accepted.
Mr. Dawkins: By who? By this Commission?
Mr. Gary: That's right, because of the past policy.
Mr. Plummer: Well, but you could lay off programs!
Mayor Ferre: You ready to go home now? Further discussion?
Mr. Plummer: Well, yes, under discussion, let me tell you what I am going to
vote and I am going to predicate my vote in the discussion, rather than doing
it at the time of voting. I am going to vote against the motion on the floor,
4�
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10 S
which would leave me my option open to the 26th - that is all I am doing.
But I wait, Mr. Gary, you to come back on the 26th and I want you to have a
full picture to this Commission, as well as myself, what you will have to
recommend will be cut, if in fact, do accept the kind of motion that is being
made here this evening. All I am doing, is merely }seeping my option open
until the other meeting. That is -411 I an.doing in my voting at this point.
Mr. Carollo: Howard, when you do `hat, can you give it to us non-fiction
instead of novel?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: Is that meaning up the 23rd, J. L.? Okay, I just asked you.
Mr. Gary: How would you like it, again?
Mr. Carollo: I want a non -fictional memorandum, instead of a fiction -novel
type of memorandum.
Mr. Plummer: Call the roll!
Mayor Ferre: All right, are you ready to vote? Call the roll.
THEREUPON, previously made motion to hold the millage rate to
10.729, in order not to increase the millage rate, duly made
by Commissioner Carollo and seconded by Commissioner Perez was
defeated by the following vote.
AYES: Commissioner Joe Carollo
NOES: Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
ON ROLL CALL:
Mr. Carollo: I think that this Commission has to listen to the majority of
the taxpayers of this City that have been crying out time and time again that
they are fed up with higher taxes. This is not only the concensus in Miami,
but it is the concensus nationwide, and what I am seeing is that governments at
all levels are not really listening to the people. We look this year at all
the tax increases that we have had, including the gasoline hike at the Federal,
State and County levels. We looked at the increases from the County, the
School Board, everywhere you turn around, you are getting hit with an increase
of taxes and we in the City of Miami unfortunately have one of the highest
three/four tax rates of all the cities, including unincorporated Dade County,
and I think it would be wise for us to hear what the people are telling us
and freezethe budget where it is at and start making the cuts we all know
can be made... like all these parties that we are financing constantly and all
the other goodies that are throwing out there, that frankly aren't doing the
people that are most needed any good. I vote "yes" on the motion that I
proposed.
Mr. Plummer: To keep my options open, I will have to vote against the motion.
Mr. Perez: I seconded the motion for the purposes of discussion. Anyhow, I
think that if we compare the increase in this budget with the Dade County
budget, and with all the other budgets, I think that it is a small difference.
I would like to recognize the efforts of the Administration in this field.
I vote "no".
Mr. Dawkins: The President has cut his budget, and the one who suffered is the
poor, near -poor and the disadvantaged. The City of Miami has had to pick up
this slack and make up the shortfall. Mr. Gary, I am voting with Mr. Plummer
and Mr. Perez. But, when you come back, I am going to, just like J. L., leave
my options open. Bring me a budget with a budgeted amount of money for our
social give-aways and patronage that we give away here - a budgeted amount
so that as Commissioner Carollo says, when we start giving away and give out,
and you get to that point, I don't want you to tell me about when they tell you
to find the money, you've got a solution! I want it budgeted. Tell me how much
it is. When they apply for it, those who get it, when they get to that point,
it is gone! Everybody come up here with a hand out, and you sit over there,
48 SEP 121983
Id
you got a solution. Don't have no more solutions. But, if you do next year,
I will be the one (it may be my last year up here) but, will be the one lead-
ing the cuts in your budget.
Mr. Carollo: What does that mean now, Miller? Yes or no?
Mr. Dawkins: I voted with J. L. How did you vote, J. L.?
Mr. Plummer: No, against the motion.
Mayor Ferre: My vote is no, and the reason is that I think the difference
between one and the other is .394, which is less than 3%. Taking into account
that assessments in the City of Miami have not gone up, in other words, other
than new construction, there has been very little in the residential field.
Taxpayers, therefore, in the City of Miami - the average taxpayer will only be
going up less than 3% in the millage, and I think that is a minimum amount,
just inflation is costing more than that and we are going to do some of these
programs that we are trying to do, whether it be increased police officers
or not, we haven't come to that decision yet. We have got to have the money
with which to do these things, so I vote no.
5. FIRST READING ORDINANCE: FIX MILLAGE RATE 11.123 PER FISCAL
YEAR 1983-1984.
Mayor Ferre: Now, we need a motion the opposite so we can get this tenta-
tive millage. Somboy want to make that?
Mr. Dawkins: Yes, I move it.
Mayor Ferre: All right, there is a motion that the millage be set at 11.123.
Is that right, Mano? Is there a second for the purposes of getting this?
Mr. Perez: Second.
Mayor Ferre: It has been moved and seconded. Further discussion? Call
the roll.
NOTE: At this point, the roll was called. However, as the following
discussion shows, Ordinance had not been read, so roll call was taken
again upon City Attorney's reading of same.
Mayor Ferre: Now we need to adopt a tentative budget.
Mr. Gary: No, you have to read the ordinance.
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: No, read the ordinance now.
Mayor Ferre: Oh, I am sorry.
AN ORDINANCE ENTITLED -
AN ORDINANCE DEFINING AND DESIGNATING THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI FOR THE PURPOSE OF TAXATION; FIXING THE
MILLAGE AND LEVYING TAXES IN THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, FOR
THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 1983, AND ENDING SEPTEM-
BER 30, 1984, CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE.
Was introduced by Commissioner Dawkins and seconded by Commissioner Perez
and passed on its first reading by title by the following vote:
SEP 12
1983
Id
10
E
AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: Commissioner Joe Carollo
ABSENT: None
The City Attorney read the ordinance into the public record and
announced that copies were available to the members of the City
Commission and to the members of the public.
6. FIRST READING ORDINA14CE: MAKE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL
YEAR 1963-1984.
Mr. Gary: Next one is ordinance making appropriations for fiscal year
ending September 30th for First Reading.
Mayor Ferre: All right, is there a motion?
Mr. Carollo: Major appropriation for who?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: Budget.
Mr. Gary: Adopting the budget on First Reading. The first one was the
millage rate. This is the budget.
Mayor Ferre: The first one is the millage rate.
Mr. Carollo: When you say accepting the budget, accepting the proposed
budget that you have given us?
Mayor Ferre: Yes, on First Reading. This gets us beyond tonight and then
we need to deal with a final reading on the 29th. Is there a motion? Is
there a motion?
Mr. Dawkins: I move to adopt it, but I may feel at the next hearing, I
may want to...
Mayor Ferre: Well, I want to tell you on the record, that I do have some
things that I am against, so my vote on this is just to get it passed tonight.
Mr. Dawkins: Just to get it passed tonight.
Mr. Plummer: What we are doing is merely making it on First Reading, which
reserves ouf right to change on Second.
Mayor Ferre: On the record, I am saying right now that I am changing my mind
on a lot of things, okay?
Mr. Plummer: Agreed. I don't think that in any way...
Mayor Ferre: All right, Dawkins moves, Plummer seconds. Further discussion?
Do you need to read an ordinance, or what?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: Yes, sir.
54
SEP 121983
A14 OFDINANCE ENTITLED -
AN ORDINANCE MAYING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING
SEPTEMBER 30, 1984; CONTAINING A REPEALER PROVISION A.VD A
SEVERABILITY CLAUSE.
Was introduced by Commissioner Dawkins and seconded by Commissioner Plummer
and passed on its first reading by title by the followiha vote:
AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: Commissioner Joe Carollo
ABSENT: None
The City Attorney read the ordinance into the public record and
announced that copies were available to the members of the City
Commission and to the members of the public.
7. FIRST READING ORDINANCE: FIXING THE MILLAGE OF THE THE DOWNTOWN
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AT .4486 (Note for the Record: This was
later rescinded and amended. See Labels 11 and 12, this
meeting.)
Mr. Gary: We now have the discussion of the Downtown Development Authority's
budget. The percentage of increase in the millage on the rollback rate,
Mr. Mayor and Members of the Commission, is zero percent. We now have to
ask the public if they want to discuss.
Mayor Ferre: Does anybody wish to speak to the Downtown Development
Authority or millage or budget as proposed? This is on First Reading again,
is that correct?
Mr. Gary: Yes, sir.
Mayor Ferre: Is there a motion on the millage?
Mr. Gary: Moved by Dawkins.
Mr. Dawkins: No, hell, no!
Mr. Perez: Yes.
Mayor Ferre: All right, Demetrio Perez moves. Is there a second? What?
Say it into the record.
Mr. Carollo: There is no increase, right, Roy? You are staying at the same
millage that you have?
Mr. Roy Kenzie: What I am saying, Mr. Mayor and Members of the Commission,
is that if the City changes its millage rate from the 9.5514, and lowers that,
that millage affects the DDA millage, which is now - it usually is .5, but a
recent ruling of the Department of Revenue says that our millage has to be in-
cluded with the City within the 10 mill cap, so as a consequence, we are not
able to assess at .5, but only at .4486. If the City were to lower at its
next Public Hearing its millage below the 9.5514, then theoretically, we can
come back and increase the .4
Mayor Ferre: You can't come back.
Mr. Kenzie: Well, what I am saying is, if you would approve a tentative mill -
age of .5...
Mayor Ferre: That's exactly what I am saying!
Mr. Kenzie: Then we could always reduce it.
51 SEP 121933
16 1
Mayor Ferre: We have to reduce it next time around.
Mr. Gary: No, no, you cannot do that.
Mayor Ferre: Why not?
Mr. Gary: Because, to do that, you are in violation of the 10 mill requirement.
You cannot do that.
Mayor Ferre: Okay. Then we have no choice. Is that right, Mano? We've
got no choice.
Mr. Carollo: We have to approve the same exact millage that he had this
fiscal year.
Mayor Ferre: No, it has to be lowered, because of the snookering that the
State did on us, that screwed us up, so we have got to go at .4486.
Mr. Kenzie: .4486.
Mayor Ferre: Which is a reduction.
Mr. Carollo: I so move.
Mayor Ferre: All right, it has been moved by Carollo.
Mr. Perez: Second.
Mayor Ferre: Second by Perez. Further discussion? I am sorry, but there is
nothing else we can do about it.
Mr. Gary: You shouldn't be sorry. He is not losing any money.
Mayor Ferre: Why not?
Mr. Kenzie: I am losing $106,000.
Mr. Gary: Yes, but your budget is much more than you got last year.
Mayor Ferre: That's right.
Mr. Kenzie: $200,000 more than last year.
Mr. Gary: We figured about $300,000.
Mr. Kenzie: Well, we added Brickell, which is a a tremendous area.
Mr. Gary: That's right.
Mayor Ferre: All right, call the roll.
52
SEP 121983
t 4
AN ORDINANCE DEFINING AND DESIGNATING THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF MIAMI LOCATED WITHIN THE
TERRITORIAL 1.11MITS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI FOR THE PURPOSE OF TAXATION,
FIXING THE MILLAGE AND LEVYING TAXES IN THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DIS-
TRICT LOCATED WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLO-
RIDA, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 1983, AND ENDING SEPTEM-
BER 30, 1984; FIXING THE MI:.LAGE AT FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND
EIGHTY-SIX TEN THOUSANDTHS (0.50) :TILLS ON THE DOLLAR OF THE NONEXEMPT
ASSESSED VALUE OF ALL REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY IN SAID DISTRICT AND
PROVIDING THAT THE SAID MILLAGE AND THE TAXES LEVIED HEREIN SHALL BE
IN ADDITION TO THE FIXING OF THE MILLAGE AND THE LEVYING OF TAXES
WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, WHICH IS CONTAINED
IN THE GENERAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE FOR THE AFORESAID FISCAL YEAR
AS REQUIRED BY SECTION 30 OF THE CITY CHARTER; PROVIDING THAT THE FIX-
ING OF THE MILLAGE AND LEVYING OF TAXES HEREIN SHALL BE IN ADDITION
TO SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS FOR IMPROVEMENTS IMPOSED BY THE CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE CITY OF MIA -
MI; PROVIDED THAT THIS ORDINANCE SHALL NOT BE DEEMED AS REPEALING OR
AMENDING ANY OTHER ORDINANCE FIXING MILLAGE OR LEVYING TAXES FOR THE
FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 1983 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1984
ABUT SHALL BE DEEMED SUPPLETIENTAL AND IN ADDITION HERETO; AND PROVIDING
THAT IF ANY SECTION, CLAUSE OR SUBSECTION SHALL BE DECLARED UNCONSTI-
TUTIONAL, IT SHALL NOT AFFECT THE REMAINING PROVISIONS OF THIS ORDINANCL.
Was introduced by Commissioner Carollo and seconded by Commissioner Perez
and passed on its first reading by title by the following vote:
AYES: Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Vice -Mayor J.
Mayor Maurice
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
Miller J. Dawkins
Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Joe Carollo
L. Plummer, Jr.
A. Ferre
The City Attorney read the ordinance into the public record and announced that
copies were available to the members of the City Commission and to the members
of the public.
53
SEP 12 03
f 0
8. FIRST READING ORDINANCE: APPROVE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DOWN-
TOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
Mayor Ferre: What is the next thing we have got to do, Mr. Manager?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: Budget.
Mr. Gary: Now we have got to approve the appropriations for the DDA on
First Reading.
Mayor Ferre: Is there a motion?
Mr. Carollo: Moved.
Mayor Ferre: Is there a second?
Mr. Perez: Second.
Mayor Ferre: Moved by Carollo, seconded by Perez. Further discussion? Is
this an ordinance too? Read the ordinance.
AN ORDINANCE ENTITLED -
AN ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MIAMI FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING
SEPBEMBER 30, 1984; AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF THE DOWNTOWN
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TO INVITE OR ADVERTISE FOR BIDS FOR THE
PURCHASE OF ANY MATERIAL, EQUIPMENT OR SERVICE EMBRACED IN THE
SAID APPROPRIATIONS FOR WHICH FORMAL BIDDING MAY BE REQUIRED
PROVIDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE SHALL BE SUPPLEMENTAL AND IN
ADDITION TO THE ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL
YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1984 FOR THE OPERATION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI, FLORIDA; PROVIDING THAT IF ANY SECTION, CLAUSE OR SUB-
SECTION SHALL BE DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL, IT SHALL NOT AFFECT
THE REMAINING PROVISIONS OF THIS ORDINANCE.
Was introduced by Commissioner Carollo and seconded by Commissioner Perez
and passed on its first reading by title by the following vote:
AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Commissioner Joe Carollo
Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
The City Attorney read the ordinance into the public record and
announced that copies were available to the members of the City
Commission and to the members of the public.
SEP 12 19W
ON ROLL CALL:
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Kenzie, I am voting with you. I still have a problem with
your minority employees, and I sincerely hope that you will work as hard in
the coming year as you worked last year to improve it. I vote "yes". Thank you.
9. READ INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD, PURSUANT TO LAW, THE INTENDED
USE FOR FEDERAL REVENUE SHARING FUNDS 1983-84.
Mr. Gary: You now have to by Law, state how you plan to allocate your
Federal Revenue Sharinq. This is does not include the detailed allocation
of social service funds.
Mayor Ferre: Are you talking about the proposed allocation of Federal
Revenue Sharing?
Mr. Gary: Exactly.
Mayor Ferre: All right, I will read this into the record:
and as a percentage of the total:
Police
$2,993,016
29.97%
Fire
$2,006,095
20.09%
Solid Waste
$1,675,225
16.07%
SUB -TOTAL
$6,674,336
66.83
DayCare
121,347
1.2
Street Lights
$1,443,977
14.46%
Recreation
Extension
170,905
1.71%
Parks Mechani-
335,150
3.35%
SociaQnServices
1,005,136
10.06C
African Square
Park
191,488
1.92€
Handicapped
45,000
.45%
TOTAL FEDERAL
REVENUE SHAR. $9,987,341 100.00%
1984 as proposed,
Mayor Ferre: Now, are you telling me that once we do this, this is it?
Mr. Gary: No, sir, it is not. This by Law - you have to read into the record
first...
Mayor Ferre: Howard, let me ask you this - that $45,000 on the handicapped.
That looks awfully low. We used to have more than that for handicapped.
Mr. Gary: No, we have always had this as our local match to handicapped
We get money from the State on a lot of handicapped programs.
Mayor Ferre: I mean, the $45,000 is not all we do for handicapped?
Mr. Gary: Oh, no. This is only the part that is coming from Federal Revenue
Sharing.
Mayor Ferre: Now, the African Square Park, is that for capital improvements?
Mr. Gary: No, that is for operating African Square Park.
Mayor Ferre: It costs that much to operate it?
Mr. Gary: Now don't forget, this is on a contract, which was approved six
years ago in terms of letting the local neighborhood run African Square Park.
ld ' 55 .SEP 121983
e
Mayor Ferre: Are we getting proper... who is supervising this?
Mr. Gary: They are supervised - As you may recall, this came up from Mrs. Range to
supervise from Youth Industries.
Mayor Ferre: Okay, anything else?
10. DISCUSSION ITEM REGARDING THE HIRING OF ADDITIONAL CITY OF
MIAMI POLICE OFFICERS.
Mr. Carollo: Yes, Mr. Mayor, I would like to bring something up, if I may.
I'd like to bring a motion up, Mr. Mayur, and if it is not successful, I would
like to bring an additional motion, then.
Mayor Ferre: Go ahead. Is this on the budget?
Mr. Carollo: Yes, Mr. Mayor. I would like to bring a motion up that this
Commission instructs the Manager to find and allocate the funds to hire an
additional 100 police officers for the next fiscal budget.
Mayor Ferre: All right, there is a motion on the floor, is there a second?
Is there a second? The motion is that we hire an additional 100 police officers.
Mr. Plummer: Is that on First Reading?
Mr. Carollo: That is on First Reading, of course.
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: That is a motion.
Mr. Gary: It can't be First Reading.
Mayor Ferre: Are you ready to second it?
Mr. Plummer: Well...
Mayor Ferre: I assume what you are going to do is play the ladder game,
right? So, if this one doesn't mesh, you are going to go to 75 and then
you are going to go to 50 and...
Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, you have been around a little longer than I have,
even though some of us learn quicker, but...
Mayor Ferre: What?
Mr. Carollo: Some of us learn quicker, but nevertheless, you have been
around longer than some of us have.
Mayor Ferre: I accept that! I accept that. (LAUGHTER)
Mr. Plummer: I will tell you what. I am not vote it. The only reason
I was thinking about possibly seconding that motion - that would mean if
Carollo's first motion passed, it would be $4,000,000 less, and his
second, $4,000,000 more, which means, of the rest of the budget would have to be
cut $8,000,000, is that...?
Mayor Ferre: Yes, but his first motion didn't pass.
Mr. Plummer: Well, it might pass at the Second Reading, Mr. Mayor. Okay?
Mayor Ferre: We would have to cut the budget $8,000,000, that is right.
Mr. Plummer: You have got your options. I'll even second the motion for the
purposes of forcing you to come back with what the $8,000,000 cut and the rest
would be, or you will assure me that you will do that, then I won't second the
motion. Let me tell you the way I feel. The way I feel, I don't think any
56 SEP 121983
4
motions, other than complying with State Law are really in order this evening,
because it is saying to the public, that we are making decisions. This is a
continuation. The next meeting is continuation of this one, and I don't want
to lose any of my options tonight. Mr. Gary, if you will promise me that
you will come back in the next meeting with not just a $4,000,000 cut, which
would be if the millage were to stay the same, but an additional $4,600,000 -
that is $6,500,000, would have to go, if both of those motions passed - I think
we really need to know what the consequences would be when voting.
Mr. Carollo: Number one, J. L., it is not $8,000,000, and Number two, the bot-
tom line is, and you all well know it, is that this Commission is going to be
in favor of going to that 11.123 increase. You will vote for it, and three
other member will vote for it. I don't think there is too much doubt in that.
Secondly of all, there is not an additional $4,000,000 increase, since those
police officers are not all going to be hired at the same time. They will
be hired gradually throughout that year. Therefore, that $4,000,000 increase
is not accurate; it probably will be'down to maybe...it could go as low as
$2,500,000.
Mr. Plummer: Joe, I accept that. Mr. Gary, Mr. Carollo brings out the fact
that it will not be at full impact of $4,600,000 for 100 new policemen, be-
cause you are programing it over the year.
Mr. Gary: That's not correct.
Mr. Plummer: What he is saying is that it will probably be more like
$2,500,000.
Mr. Gary: I mean, if I do it at $2,500,000, that means I am starting six
months in a year. Don't forget, you know, we play with numbers. If you
add a 100 this year, I don't care if you start half a year, or you start
the last day of the fiscal year. That is going to cost you..you would have
to raise $4,600,000 for the following year. These are reoccuring costs.
Mr. Plummer: Well, we will deal with next year, next year! Okay?
Mr. Carollo: J. L., are you going to vote against that 11.123 proposed budget?
Mr. Plummer: Joe, I don't know. I am going to leave my options open, as I
said earlier.
Mr. Carollo: I will tell you what. If you do vote for it, I will sign it
so when I go, Plummer's Funeral Home can take care of me.
Mr. Plummer: Would you also include the date on that? Because I can get a
lot of money from Xavier right now! (LAUGHTER)
Mr. Carollo: I will assure you it will be well after the year 2000!
Mr. Perez: Mr. Mayor, I want to propose...
Mayor Ferre: Wait a minute. Are we finished now with your motion?
Mr. Carollo: It wasn't seconded.
Mr. Plummer: No, I didn't second.
Mr. Carollo: No, he didn't second it.
Mayor Ferre: All right, do you want to make any other motion?
Mr. Carollo: The following motion I would like to make, Mr. Mayor, and I
would hope that at least there is some support for this motion when in this
Commission, and if we are still sincere in bringing our Police Department up
to that 3.0 that we said we were last year, and that we again said that we
are this year, then I think that there should be some support for this motion.
This one I think is a heck of a lot more reasonable and some of you should be
able to support it. I will make a motion that we increase the size of the
Police Department from 1,050 to 1,100. In other words, we increase an extra
50 police officers.
Mayor Ferre: There is a motion on the floor that the Police Department budget
be increased by 50 police officers.
ld 57 SE 12 1983
0
Mr. Plummer: I am not saying that I won't vote for that in the second ao
around, but I am not going to close any of my options tonight.
Mr. Carollo: Well, you opened some up, though.
Mr. Plummer: I didn't, no.
Mayor Ferre: Well, I have already stated on the record.
Mr. Plummer: Well, let me state on the record one other thing, because
I have already made this statement to the newspapers, and I will say it
again - and I said it to the Admiral, earlier. I am going to vote in
area, in reference to the Police Department, exactly what my Chief recom-
mends.
Mr. Carollo: Chief, can you come up here for a second? Ken, do you feel
that it is reasonable to assume that our Police Department can absorb
50 new police officers gradually through this next fiscal year?
Chief Harms: That is a reasonable assumption, yes, sir.
Mr. Carollo: My next question is, if this City Commission does not approve
enough police officers to get to that 1,250 level in the next two years,
do you feel that the need that the City of Miami is going to have the next
couple of years is going to stay at that same level of 1,200, or do you
think it would be increased?
Chief Harms: It is difficult to answer that. I don't have any crystal ball,
of course, but we can speculate as to what may occur in the next several years.
If a figure of 3 officers per 1,000 is reasonable, and if we are talking in
terms of 400,000 population today, then the math is fairly simple. That
would take 1,200 officers, but that begs the question. The question that
you asked, and I am going to try to respond to, is what are we looking at in
the next year? Quite frankly, I don't know. Well, there may be a slight
decrease if population stays the same and if crime trends continues to go
downward, we could expect then that in two or three years down the road that
we might need less than 1,200 to 1,250 officers. I don't think so. I think
that we are going to, in spite of the density of this community, we are going
to experience an increase in population. The other special problems that we
have had to address, I think in the coming years, as now, would dictate some-
thing around 1,200 to 1,250 officers in the next few years.
Mr. Carollo: My other question to you...
Mayor Ferre: Wait a minute, Joe. Chief, we've got a real problem here, and
that is in using figures to divide with. You can't have it both ways. You
can't use the figure of 450,000 people in the City...
Chief Harms: I haven't used that yet, but since you offered it, I will be
happy to apply it where it is appropriate.
Mayor Ferre: Well, you have used it in your statistical figures. I am not
trying to fight with you.
Chief Harms: Yes, sir. I have used 440,000.
Id
SEP 121983
6 a
Mayor Ferre: Hey, if you want me to start fighting with you, I'll show you
how I fight but I don't want to start fighting with you.
Chief Harms: Mr. Mayor, I have used 440, I have never used 450 so let's
make sure that we're talking about apples and apples and oranges and oranges.
Mayor Ferre: In the statistical figures that were giver, out, in my opinion,
as I recall, your telling me on the record, you told me that you used the
figure of 450 some odd thousand to divide the crime rate. Is that correct
or not?
Chief Harms: No, sir, that's not correct.
Mayor Ferre: Then what is the figure that you're using?
Chief Harms: I told you the other day at the Budget Hearing that we had
used a figure of 440. we also used a figure of 400 and of 387 based on
three separate reference sources.
Mayor Ferre: what figure are you using, the 440 or 400?
Chief Harms: For the figures that you have in front of you 400, slightly
over 400,000.
Mayor Ferre: They're all the same? In other words on the, I'm talking
about this memorandum in here.
Chief Harms: The memorandum uses slightly over 400,000.
Mayor Ferre: Okay, so we are talking apples to apples.
Chief Harms: Yes, sir.
Mayor Ferre: ...in crime figures as well as the figures on the Police
Officers, is that correct?
Mr. Carollo: And he has been awfully conservative, Maurice, in the figure
that he is using. Not only that, but if he were to include a different
figure which is the one that I was going to ask for, of how many people
come into the City of Miami from other parts of the County or even other
counties during the regular working hours, I think the influx of people
that we have in the City then in any 24-hour period is raised drastically.
Do you have those figures off the top of your head, Chief?
Chief Harms: A rough approximation is in an area that is known as the
Central Business District, the resident population is somewhere around
5,000 people. The daily influx on a normal working day approximates 155 to
160,000 people.
Mr. Carollo: But if you would just take a low figure in there, you're prob-
ably looking at that during a regular working day we have some 600,000
people, that's not even including the tourists, inside the City of Miami
and that would bring the 2.7 that we have probably to 2.0 or maybe even
lower.
Mr. Plummer: Is there anything else to come before this Commission?
Mr. Gary: Yes, I'd like to make some comments.
Mayor Ferre: You're going to make some comments?
Mr. Gary: Yes, sir. It will be brief. Mr. Mayor and members of the Com-
mission, I think the questions raised to the Chief of Police are appropriate
questions to address the problems of crime in this community. However, I
think it is unfair to the Chief to put him into a position which is a polit-
cal position and a political decision in terms of what is the best budget
for the entire City which includes crime as one of its ingredients.
Mr. Carollo: Howard, I don't think anyone was trying to do that, I hope
that Chief didn't get that impression. That wasn't the case.
Xt 59 S P 12 t983
Mr. Gary: Well, I think the question of what is the number of Police
officers needed as a condition for deciding what the Millage Rate is
going to be, what the appropriation is going to be for the total City,
I think it does put him in that position.
Mr. Carollo: Well, I think that his answers have been very straight
forward and to the point and I appreciate that from the Chief, consider-
ing the difficult situation and position you're in. I don't think that
by the questions that were asked of him here he was put in that particular
situation, but I think we're still being faced with the motion that was
made before this Commission. If we're going to go ahead and try to build
this Police Department to the level it really should be of around 1,250,
we have to at least go forward and not stay where we're at and I think 50
is an extremely reasonable number of new Police Officers that we can add
and it is something that we can live with.
Mayor Ferre: All right, Joe, I want to say on the record that I am not
opposed, in principle, to increasing the number of Police Officers this
coming year but I have not made up my mind at this stage tonight as to
what level that is going to be. Now, Mr. Manager, the only reason why,
the main reason why I'm for additional Police Officers is because of what
I would call, and I think the Chief pointed that out in our discussion
when he came over to visit with me, about the gap. You know, we cannot
train 100 hundred officers and put them through school and then have 50
officers last year and then all of a sudden come up to this year and have
no officers because we have, the academy has an on -going operation there
and it seems to me that we have to have some continuity. Also, what hap-
pens is that you are putting a void in the ranks of the Police Officers
and I think the best Department is one in which we have a continuing in-
put of new officers in a new class and what have you so that there is a
mix on seniority. Now, there is no question that we fell behind seven or
eight years ago and now three years ago we had to start playing catch up
and we had to really, and we're paying the price of playing catch up and
with 60% of our officers having less than 2 years experience, and the
only way you can avoid that is by having a continuous flow of officers
coming into the Department.
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, I want to go on record as saying that I won't
vote to hire no new policemen. I'll go on record as saying that through
attrition and retirement we will be able to absorb anything that may, es-
pecially minorities that might leak through that institute. The second
thing I would like to tell you, Mr. Gary, is this: You have 155 or a
$55,000,000 Bond Issue for Police. If you in any way - no, not you - if
this Commission in any way decides to hire any new policemen I will do my
damndest to help your Police Bond Issue by telling people that your prior-
ities are not in the right order and that you only use those individuals
who I'm going to be talking to when you need them and when we need us we
turn our backs on them.
Mr. Carollo: Commissioner, that's your prerogative but I think you would
be doing this community a great disservice, but that's your prerogative.
Mr. Dawkins: Hold it, I was voted by the people to vote my convictions
and as long as I have been on this Commission I have voted my convictions.
Mr. Carollo: You have that right.
Mr. Dawkins: There are times when I have been on the losing side of a 4
to 1 vote but at all times it has been Miller Dawkins' conviction and it
is my believe now that if you, this Commission, hire any additional police
when we are not providing health care services, when we're not for feeding
the elderly, when we're not providing after care for mothers who are work-
ing and when we have cut back on the sanitation and every department in our
area to add additional police and now when you can.... I'm not asking you
to lay any policemen off but I'm asking you to hold the line so that you
can bring up these other services that we, the Commission, have sat up here
and cut. And if you don't feel that the people in the City of Miami deserve
that well I mean that's all right with me. That's pretty drastic too.
Mr. Carollo: Commissioner, you certainly have a right to your opinion but
I have a right to mine and I will say on the record that I don't agree with
a lot of the statements that you made there and particularly the one that
you made before you went to the mike again. I would just hope you reconsider
that because you will be doing this community a great disservice.
rt
60 SEP 1219801
00
0 0
Mr. Dawkins: Joe, like I said, I will go out to convince the voters.
Now, if the voters believe me then that means I'm not wrong. If the
voters do not believe me that means you're right. So, you see, it is
up to you to do the same thing I'm going to do. Go out there in the
community and attempt to sell it. I'm going to into the community and
attempt to kill it and that is all we have to do.
Mr. Carollo: Miller, if that is the case you could be sure, 100% that I
will be out there campaigning myself. Mr. Mayor, we should take a vote,
or at least a motion of intent on 50 additional police officers.
Mayor Ferre: There's no second on the motion. What do you want me to
do? I'll ask for a second again.
Mr. Carollo: Well, I think that sure, we meet again but I think this Com-
mission should take some stand, at least give the community a feeling of
what we are going to do with the most important issue that is in the minds
of the citizens of this community.
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, let me say something. You know, nobody up here
but me has said that they're not for more policemen.
Mayor Ferre: Well, I've said that I'm for more policemen.
Mr. Dawkins: That's right, so you know, it's really, and J. L. keeps saying
he's not going to vote until he knows all of the nuts and the bolts so I
think it is the consensus of opinion up here that once they know how much
money he's got to work with you're going to know what you're doing.
11. MOTION RESCINDING PREVIOUSLY PASSED FIMT READING ORDINANCE
FIXING THE MILLAGE OF THE D.D.A.
Mayor Ferre: Mr. City Attorney, i understand, sir, tnat we can vote tor a
millage in the DDA of .50 and that does not preclude us from reducing it
to .44 whatever. Now, we have a difference now and I don't want to get
caught into a bind. Now, Mr. City Attorney?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: Mr. Mayor, you can vote that tentatively but you can't
keep that and not violate State Law.
Mayor Ferre: That's not the point. The point is that I don't want to end
up being precluded because of a mistake that we made. Howard, this is on
First Reading.
Mr. Gary: I told you, Mr. Mayor, you couldn't do it and I told you what
the State Law was. Roy Kenzie knows more about the State Law than I do
so.....
Mayor Ferre: I'm not asking Roy Kenzie.
Mr. Gary: I know, Roy Kenzie is trying to push it, I'm telling you the State
Law will not permit it, Mr. Mayor. We'd be in violation of the law.
Mr. Dawkins: You know, to me it is amazing how we take the Manager's advice
sometimes and then other times we overlook it.
Mayor Ferre: No, this is a legal question, Miller, it is a matter of law.
He says you're violating the law. Now he's not a lawyer. I'm asking the...
Mr. Dawkins: But the City Attorney said the same thing.
Mayor Ferre: No he didn't.
Mr. Dawkins: Yes, he did.
Mayor Ferre: No, he didn't, he said just the opposite. Now.......
Mr. Carollo: If you guys get together as to who is the City Attorney and
who is the City Manager and vice -versa, let me know.
Mayor Ferre: I'm not trying to get a feud going here. SEP 12 1983
61
rt
a 0
Mr. Gary: Mr. Mayor, we deal with budget law more than City Attorney.
Not only do we deal with the law, we deal with the interpretation with
the State people which the City Attorney is not usually involved in so
this is not trying to circumvent his responsibility, it is just that he
has not been involved in these matters.
Mayor Ferre: Well, Mr. City Attorney, do you acquiese to that and we'll
let it go at that?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: Mr. Mayor, with all respect to my friend, the City
Manager, the law which is Section 200.065 of the Florida Statutes talks
about adopting a millage and I don't think you are adopting anything to-
night.
Mayor Ferre: I'll tell you, I think the safer thing to do, Howard, so we
don't end up getting in trouble is to adopt it at .50 and obviously have
to cut it to .448 or whatever it is at the next meeting. I don't want to
get into a big hassle between you and the City Attorney because frankly
it isn't worth it to me. But I don't want to get into a statuatory problem
either which has no cure. Mano?
Mr. Gary: Leave it alone, Mano. Mano is on the record, I gave him the
record, Mr. Mayor. I talk for Mano.
Mayor Ferre: All right, we have a situation here where we've already
passed it one way and the question is whether we wouldn't be safer by pass-
ing it at .50. Mr. City Attorney, do you stand on your recommendation?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: I'm not recommending anything, Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Ferre: I'm sorry, do you stand on your legal interpretation of this
that we would be legally correct to pass this at .50?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: If you wanted to do that, yes, sir.
Mayor Ferre: All right, I think it is the safest thing to do. It is up
to the rest of the Commission but it is the safer way of playing it. I
don't want to get into personalities here, but on the other hand I think
it is the safe thing to We're better off playing it safe. Does some-
body want to move this or not?
Mr. Carollo: This is based upon that we go with that 11.....
Mayor Ferre: No, that we leave the millage the same as it was last year
for the DDA at .50.
Mr. Carollo: Or whether we go to the 11.123 or stay with the.....
Mayor Ferre: That's something we'll have to deal with at the next Commis-
sion Meeting. It is apples and apples. If we did it for the City, what
we're saying is let's do the same thing for the DDA and we'll deal with the
decrease at the next meeting.
Mr. Carollo: I so move.
Mayor Ferre: All right, there is a motion on the part of Commissioner
Carollo to rescind the previous motion. Is there a second? All right,
seconded by Perez. Further discussion? Call the roll.
Thereupon, the City Commission rescinded the previous motion by
the following vote:
AYES: Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Commissioner Joe Carollo
Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins.
SAID MOTION WAS DESIGNATED MOTION NO. 83-824.
62
rt SEP 121983
12. FIRST READING ORDINANCE: ESTABLISH MILLAGE AT THE RATE OF
5.0 FOR THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
Mayor Ferre: All right, now, is there a motion that the DDA millage be
the same as last year? That is namely .50.
Mr. Carollo: There is a motion.
Mayor Ferre: All right, is there a second?
Mr. Perez: Second.
Mayor Ferre: Do you have to read the ordinance again?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: I'm afraid so, Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Ferre: Read the ordinance.
AN ORDINANCE ENTITLED -
AN ORDINANCE DEFINING AND DESIGNATING THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF MIAMI LOCATED WITHIN THE
TERRITORIAL LIMITS OP THE CITY OF MIA.'II FOR THE PURPOSE OF TAXATION,
FIXI14G THE MILLAGE AND LEVYING TA):ES I1; THE DOWNTOI-71; DEVELOPMENT DIS-
TRICT LOCATED WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLO-
RIDA, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 1983, AND ENDING SEPTEM-
BER 30, 1984; FIXING THE MILLAGE AT FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND
EIGHTY-SIX TEN THOUSANDTHS (0.50) :TILLS ON THE DOLLAR OF THE NONEXEMPT
ASSESSED VALUE OF ALL REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY IN SAID DISTRICT AND
PROVIDING THAT THE SAID MILLAGE AND THE TAXES LEVIED HEREIN SHALL BE
IN ADDITION TO THE FIXING OF THE MILLAGE AND THE LEVYING OF TAXES
WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, WHICH IS CONTAINED
IN THE GENERAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE FOR THE AFORESAID FISCAL YEAR
AS REQUIRED BY SECTION 30 OF THE CITY CHARTER; PROVIDING THAT THE FIX-
ING OF THE MILLAGE AND LEVYING OF TAXES HEREIN SHALL BE IN ADDITION
TO SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS FOR IMPROVEMENTS IMPOSED BY THE CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE CITY OF MIA -
MI; PROVIDED THAT THIS ORDINANCE SHALL NOT BE DEEMED AS REPEALING OR
A1IENDING ANY OTHER ORDINANCE FIXING MILLAGE OR LEVYING TAXES FOR THE
FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 1983 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1984
BUT SHALL BE DEEMED SUPPLEMENTAL AND IN ADDITION HERETO; AND PROVIDING
THAT IF ANY SECTION, CLAUSE OR SUBSECTION SHALL BE DECLARED UNCONSTI-
TUTIONAL, IT SHALL NOT AFFECT THE REMAINING PROVISIONS OF THIS ORDINANCE.
Was introduced by Commissioner Carollo and seconded by Commissioner Perez
and passed on its first reading by title by the following vote -
AYES: Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Commissioner Joe Carollo
Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
ABSENT: None.
The City Attorney read the ordinance into the public record and announced
that copies were available to the members of the city commission and to the public.
0
• 63
SEP 121983
rt
13. LONG DISCUSSION CONERNING A PROPOSED REFERENDUM TO DETERMINE THE
HIRING OF ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICERS AT A FUTURE DATE; DECLARING
THAT THE CITY COMMISSION WILL CONDUCT A SPECIAL REFERENDUM AT
THE MARCH 1984 ELECTION.
Mayor Ferre: All right, Commissioner Perez.
Mr. Perez: Mr. Mayor, I want to present a motion in order to call for a
binding referendum to be in force for next year asking the people of Miami
if they want to add 100 police officers to the Department, and that it
represents an increase of .582 in the millage of the real estate property
in the City of Miami meaning an increase of $27 to the average homeowner,
using the 1983 assessment. I would like to present a formal motion in
order to include in a binding referendum in the next election on November 8
to ask the people of Miami if they want 100 police officers or what is the
decision to be applied....
Mr. Carollo: I want to leave all my options open. I don't want to handle
this until the next meeting until I know what all the facts are.
Mayor Ferre: The problem is that you can't handle it at the next meeting.
Mr. Plummer: No, you're wrong, let me tell you why you're wrong. I agree
with Joe. I'm going to keep my options open because we're going to be
talking about, on a special meeting, that you said that you were going to
call.....
Mayor Ferre: Yes, but J. L., what I didn't know, and what you didn't know
is that he ain't going to be here. I just found that out right now.
Mr. Plummer: He can always come back.
Mayor Ferre: No, don't do that.
Mr. Plummer: Well, the problem is, Mr. Mayor, I think that this whole
thing, and I think in this particular case, Demetrio, that that has got to
be taken into consideration when you put together the bond for the Police
Department and the bonds for Parks. I don't think you can handle them
independently.
Mr. Carollo: Well, what I'm concerned with, that we throw too many things
at one time they're all going to fail and none are going to pass. We already
have one issue going on the ballot, police oriented, if we throw another one
we're pressing it.
Mr.. Perez: But I think that as an alternate we can ask for that election
maybe not as a binding referendum......
Mr. Dawkins: I second the motion.
Mayor Ferre: All right, there is a motion and a second. Now, let's under-
stand what we're voting on. All right? What in effect we're doing, Mr.
City Attorney, I need a legal opinion on this. The opinion is he is talking
now about a binding. I'm against a straw ballot because a straw ballot
doesn't mean anything. The people of Miami voted on a straw ballot on gar-
bage whatever it was and we haven't done any of that. And so straw ballots
are straw ballots, they don't mean anything. The only way that I'm for it,
and I would be for it, is if we can do it on a legally binding basis. But
what we're talking about is the millage cap law. Now, let's go over that.
As of right now, Mr. City Attorney, because of the new laws as imposed by
the State, and we just talked about Roy Kenzie, and I can't see him around.
I think he ducked. There he is. Okay. Now, on this..... Well, I won't
say that. We are at the cap now, is that right?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: You're above the cap, technically, Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Ferre: All right, that's what Mano was trying to tell you but you
said it was legal so we did it. So we're now at the cap. What Perez is
doing is following the law, and he says for us to increase next year. Okay?
Because obviously it cannot be binding on this year because we have set the
millage and we're at the cap and, therefore, it cannot be for 1983-84. Now, '64 SEP 12 1983
Admiral, you see, the editorial of the Miami News today, which I'm sure
you read, is wrong because he is saying that the City Commission ought to
be brave enough to bite the bullet and that's what we're elected for. They
are wrong. The reason they are wrong is because that is assuming that we
have room in the millage to do it. But if we are up to the maximum millage
which as of today we are - Okay? The only way we can do it and increase
taxation is by a referendum. So Commissioner Perez is absolutely right on
that point. The question is when is it applicable. Now, I ask you, there-
fore, the legal question as to what the format is.
Mr. Carollo: Maurice, I think it would be very difficult to get all the
answers tonight, I think this is something that the City Attorney is going
to have to research too.
Mayor Ferre: I realize that but we've got a motion and a second on the
floor so I can't....
Mr. Perez: And I think that we have to take a decision before the 23rd
of the month.
Mr. Carollo: Well, we could make it before the 23rd, I just think it is
very difficult to make it tonight.
Mayor Ferre: I realize that, but he is making a motion of intent to author-
ize the City Attorney to research and put this.... Now, can you give us a
legal interpretation at this point, or do you need to go into the books?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: If we're going to meet again, Mr. Mayor, I'd rather
look at it because I'm concerned about not following.....
Mayor Ferre: See, that's the problem, and the way this thing.....
Mr. Carollo: Can you withdraw your motion and bring it up the next time so
he could have time to put all the pieces that he needs together?
Mr. Perez: Yes, but I think that you have research that you made at the
time that we request the resolution, no?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: Yes, but now you are talking about, if I understood
your motion correctly, Commissioner, you're not talking about this budget
you're talking about the one in 1984-85.
Mr. Perez: That's right. But suppose that the millage is at the top, sup-
pose something else, that' the problem of the City Manager's Office, they
have to make all the arrangements, if the people of Miami want to increase
100 police, that's the Manager's problem, that's all.
Mr. Dawkins: And the Commissioner said put it on the ballot and if the
people say they want to pay for it give it to them.
Mr. Perez: That's right.
Mr. Dawkins: I mean, I don't see anything wrong with that.
Mr. Carollo: Is Miller Dawkins going to campaign for it or against it?
fir. Dawkins: I don't know, I'll have to wait until I read it.
Mayor Ferre: Let me see if I can frame the wording of the resolution. Okay?
Taking into account that as of right now on first vote the City of Miami,
following the recent state laws dealing with the DDA, is at its maximum millage
allowed by law which is 10 mills and we have, therefore, reached the cap.
And taking into consideration that next year we need to add additional police
officers so that we can reach the standards that have been set by the City of
Miami Commission and Miami Citizens Against Crime which is 3.0 per thousand
citizens, we are on a binding basis going to ask for permission to increase
the millage in the City of Miami beyond the 10 mill cap...
Mr. Dawkins: No, that's wrong, we ask to hire police and if they want to
hire them. See, Mr. Mayor.....
Mayor Ferre: For the purposes of adding 100 policemen.
Mr. Dawkins: Okay.
rt
SEP 121933
Mayor Ferre: Increasing the millage by how much?
Mr. Dawkins: Whatever it takes to hire....
Mayor Ferre: .5, whatever it is, for the purposes.... Why don't you round
it off and just say .5 for the purposes of adding the appropriate number of
police officers that that millage would signify.
Mr. Carollo: Wait a minute, gentlemen, before you go ahead with this let's
give the people the stuff to really look at. Let's do the following: We're
going to place something of this nature on the ballot let's really give the
people of the City something to decide on, some different options. Let that
one be one, let a second option be that they would instruct the City adminis-
tration and the City Commission to hire the 100 police officers without in-
creasing the additional millage.
Mayor Ferre: That's not legal, we can't do that legally because the only
reason you increase millage.....
Mr. Carollo: Yes it could be, it could be legal to put a binding referendum.
Mayor Ferre: I'm against any straw ballot automatically.
Mr. Carollo: This is not a straw ballot, you could legally put a referendum
so they could pick either the first one which would make it a binding one...
Mayor Ferre: The way you do that is you vote no against the millage increase.
Mr. Carollo: Yes, but you give the people some options there to see, Maurice.
The way you're going about it....
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, let me say this and then I'll be finished. Let me
say this. I say put it on the ballot because I do not believe in my heart
that those of us who reside in the City of Miami is going to go for this.
Now those people that were sitting down there who live in Dade County who
are asking you for 100 policemen, the majority of them who it will not bother
their taxes at all are not going to vote on this, it is going to be us and I
don't believe "us" is going to vote for it. So that's why I'm in favor of
it.
Mr. Carollo: See, Miller, what I'm saying is you've got to give the people
some different choices like we have in many other things including garbage.
So what the Mayor is trying to say is.....
Mayor Ferre: Garbage was a straw ballot, Joe.
Mr. Carollo: Fine, you could still make a referendum in the following way,
Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Ferre: We didn't pay any attention to that straw ballot, you didn't
want to vote for it.
Mr. Dawkins: Well, we paid attention to the porno straw ballot, we paid
attention to that. We pay attention to what straw ballots we want.
Mr. Carollo: You get him, Miller, I'm with you on this one.
Mayor Ferre: That's right, that's exactly the point, is that we pay atten-
tion to the straw ballots the way we want to.
Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, if people vote for A instead of for B or C, then
it would be binding on the City Commission if we put it in the form of a
referendum.
Mayor Ferre: Do it any way you want. As far as I'm concerned, I'm against
straw ballots and the only way I would vote for something is if it is bind-
ing.
Mr. Carollo: This is not a straw ballot, Mr. Mayor, this is something that
will be binding. What I'm saying is making this in the form of a referendum
which we legally could. We could give the people different options in the
form of a referendum.
Mayor Ferre: Joe, I will recognize you, right now I've got a motion on the
floor. Now, you can either make a motion to amend it....
66 SEP 121933
rt
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0
Mr. Carollo: We're under discussion.
Mayor Ferre: You can amend it and if you get a second that it be amended
or you can vote against it and then make your motion any way you want.
Mr. Carollo: Let me make a substitute motion.
Mayor Ferre: Go ahead, the Chair recognizes you for that purpose.
Mr. Carollo: Listen to this, Miller and Demetrio and J. L., because I
think this would make more sense. A referendum that (A) would have the
question that was put by Commissioner Perez as described by the Mayor;
(II) that would have a second option, and this is in the form of a refer-
endum, that they would want police officers hired without that increase in
the millage or (C) the 100 police officers hired with the increase of mill -
age and additional police officers hired from other parts of the City's
budget. Now there, I think we're giving the people really something to
pick from and not just a one edged or one-sided question.
Mayor Ferre: All right, now is there a second to the substitute motion?
Mr. Carollo: I'm making that in the form of a substitute motion.
Mayor Ferre: Is there a second? For the last time now, is there a second
to the substitute motion? Hearing no second, we are back to the main motion.
Now, I would like to respectfully request, we're doing this on a preliminary
motion of intent. I would like to request the maker and the seconder of the
motion to consider adding one small addition, that this matter be taken
before the electorate in the March election of 1984, since we have plenty of
time.
Mr. Carollo: Just don't make it my birthday, Maurice.
Mayor Ferre: Do you have any problem with that? All right, now, is there
further discussion on the motion as made? Are we all clear on the motion?
This is a motion of intent and we have to look into the law of it.
Mr. Perez: This is a motion of intent or is this a formal motion?
Mr. Carollo: You're the maker of it.
Mr. Perez: It is supposed to have a second reading.
Mayor Ferre: This is a formal motion, a resolution then you have to write
it out.
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: I understood, Mr. Mayor, that the Commissioner was ask-
ing me to come back, since it is in March, with a clear definition of whether
you can do it for the 84-85 budget in a manner which is binding as opposed to
a straw ballot.
Mayor Ferre: If it is going to be in March we don't have the deadline of the
23rd.
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: That's right.
Mr. Carollo: Maybe somebody could finally tell me who is on first.
Mayor Ferre: Are we ready to vote on it then? Are you all right? Are we
all set? Call the roll.
4 6/
SEP 1219
rt Op
The following motion was introduced by Commissioner Perez, who moved
its adoption:
MOTION NO. 83-E25
A MOTION DECLARING THE INTENT OF THE CITY COMMISSION TO CONDUCT
A SPECIAL REFERENDUM AT THE MARCH 1984 ELECTION TO ASK THE
VOTERS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI TO VOICE THEIR OPINION IN REGARD TO
THE PROPOSED HIRING OF ONE HUNDRED (100) ADDITIONAL POLICE OF-
FICERS AT AN INCREASED MILLAGE RATE ABOVE THE PRESENT MILLAGE
CAP TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT BOTH THE CITY OF MIAMI AND THE DOWN-
TOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ARE PRESENTLY AT THE MAXIMUM MILLAGE
CAP OF 10 MILLS; DECLARING THAT THIS WOULD BE A BINDING REFER-
ENDUM WHICH WOULD ADD AN ADDITIONAL .5 MILLS TO THE PRESENT MILL -
AGE AND WOULD FACILITATE THE HIRING OF THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER
OF CITY OF MIAMI POLICE OFFICERS TO FURTHER THE GOAL OF EVENT-
UALLY REACHING THE 3 POLICE OFFICERS PER 100,000 POPULATION
RATIO: FINALLY DIRECTING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO RESEARCH THE
LEGALITY OF SUCH PROPOSAL AND TO REPORT HIS FINDINGS TO THE
CITY COMMISSION.
Upon being seconded by Commissioner Dawkins, the motion was passed
and adopted by the following vote -
AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: Commissioner Joe Carollo
ABSENT: None.
ON ROLL CALL:
Mr. Carollo: I vote no because I don't think we're giving the people of the
City a real choice.
Mayor Ferre: Are we through with the Budget Hearing now?
INAUDIBLE STATEMENT FROM AUDIENCE
Mayor Ferre: Yes, that subject will come up for further, once the City Attor-
ney has researched the legal of it.
Mr. Dawkins: It may not be the 26th, Admiral, it may be later, but we would
let you know when we're going to hear it.
Mayor Ferre: That, of course, is a separate subject to whether or not we're
going to add any police officers on the 26th.
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------
NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Public hearing on Fiscay Year 83-84 City of Miami Budget
was officially continued to September 26, 1983 at 5:05 P.M.
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- 0 - 0 - 0 -
FOLLOWING THE CLOSE OF THIS PUBLIC HEARING, MAYOR MAURICE
FERRE, UNDER THE POWER VESTED UPON HIM BY THE CITY CHARTER,
CONVENED A "SPECIAL COMMISSION MEETING"'TO CONSIDER TWO
ADDITIONAL ITEMS OF IMPORT TO THIS CITY, SAID MEETING WAS
CONVENED AT 9:35 P.M.
• 68 S E P 121983
rt
d 0
14. ENDORSE AND SUPPORT EFFORTS OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY ELLIS
ISLAIQD CENTENNIAL COMMISSION TO RAISE $30,000,000 TO RESTORE
AND PRESERVE THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.
Mayor Ferre: Now I am calling a Special Commission Meeting as of right now
to take up the Statue of Liberty issue that Commissioner Dawkins will now
discuss.
Mr. Dawkins: I would like to make a motion that we pass a resolution endors-
ing and supporting the efforts of the Statue of Liberty Saving Committee.
Mayor Ferre: All right, there is a motion on the floor.
Mr. Carollo: There is a second, but didn't we do that already when Mr. Morley
came, under his request?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: No, sir.
Mayor Ferre: Who wrote this thing up anyway?
Mr. Garcia -Pedrosa: I did, Mr. Mayor, at the request of your office. The
difference, Commissioner Carollo, is that the Morley request was for use of
the Orange Bowl. This is not, this is simply an expression of support for
the efforts....
Mr. Carollo: Can the maker of the motion change the wording to additional
support?
Mr. Dawkins: ...and additional support to the efforts....
Mayor Ferre: Who seconded the motion?
Mr. Carollo: I did.
Mayor Ferre: All right, further discussion as amended? Call the roll.
The following resolution was introduced by Commissioner Dawkins, who moved
its adoption:
RESOLUTION NO. 83-826
A RESOLUTION ENDORSING AND SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE
STATUE OF LIBERTY-ELLIS ISLAND CENTENNIAL COMMISSION TO
RAISE $30,000,000 TO RESTORE AND PRESERVE THE STATUE OF
LIBERTY; ACCEPTING THE APPOINTMENT OF THE CITY COMMISSION
MEMBERS TO SERVE ON SAID COMMITTEE; AND ENCOURAGING ALL
RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS WORTH-
WHILE PROJECT.
(Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file
in the Office of the City Clerk.)
Upon being seconded by Commissioner Carollo, the resolution was passed and
adopted by the following vote -
AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Commissioner Joe Carollo
Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
69
rt SEP 121993
,' It
15. DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO EXTEND BY ONE MONTH THE DATE FOR
RECEIPT OF R.F.P.s IN CONNECTION WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING
PROJECTS IN THE CITY OF MIAMI.
Mr. Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, I have one more. As you know, at the other meeting
I asked, and I didn't ever get a clearance on it, I asked that the R.F.P.'s
for the Affordable Rental Housing, that the submission date be moved up to
October 23rd in that I felt that some of the people whom I knew did not have
sufficient time to prepare and submit the application, the R.F.P., back by
the 23rd. So I would like to make that motion now that the submission date
be moved up from September 23rd to October 23rd to allow those individuals to
submit their R.F.P.'s.
Mr. Carollo: Not only that, but can all the questions that we have discussed
to have on the ballot in the form of straw questions or referendums be brought
back to this Commission before the deadline passes where it cannot be placed
on the ballot? I don't want to get into what we keep forgetting, but I would
just like everything to be brought back. Thank you. It is seconded. Roll
call?
Mayor Ferre: Okay. Are there any problems on this legal or otherwise to
move the R.F.P. back one month? Dena? You've got no problem? Jerry?
Howard, you've got no problem? All right, call the roll.
The following motion was introduced by Commissioner Dawkins, who moved
its adoption:
MOTION NO. 83-827
A MOTION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXTEND BY ONE MONTH
THE DATE FOR RECEIPT OF THE RFP'S IN CONNECTION WITH THE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT IN THE CITY OF MIAMI, SAID NEW
DATE OF RECEIPT HAVING BEEN SET FOR OCTOBER 24, 1983.
Upon being seconded by Commissioner Carollo, the motion was passed
and adopted by the following vote -
AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Commissioner Demetrio Perez, Jr.
Commissioner Joe Carollo
Mayor Maurice A. Ferre
NOES: None.
ABSENT: Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr.
THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE CITY COMMISSION, THE
MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 9:40 O'CLOCK P.M.
ATTEST:
RALPH G. ONGIE
CITY CLERK
MATTV HIRAI
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
layrOF wr7l AMI
DOCUMENT
MEETING DATE:
SEPTEMBER 12, 1983
N
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