Miami-Dade budget blunder could cost Carlos Gimenez

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Oooops.

Ladra doesn’t know if it was the worst case scenario budget or the best case scenario budget, but the annual budget passed by the Miami-Dade Commission in September and under which the county has been operating for almost two months since Oct. 1 is invalid.

So says the Florida Department of Revenue, which is making the county have a do-over because of  a math error.]

And Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos “Cry Wolf” Gimenez, who spent more than two months making changes here and there to three different versions of the budget, has characteristically passed the buck and blamed a dedicated and loyal staffer who has done more to bail him out of his own messes than anybody else in his repertoire of BFF  lobbyists.

So, to rewind… Seems that when the county advertised the total value of the taxes taken from Miami-Dade County property owners, at $1,373,585,000, they forgot that was only 95%, which is what most municipalities base their budgets on — you know, to leave a margin for deviation caused by appeals to the value adjustment board and deadbeat taxpayers. But while the county bean counters can legally use that 95% figure to create their confusing spreadsheets and the commissioners can use that figure to consider spending priorities, the law requires the advertisement to disclose the full 100%.

So, now, the hand-wringing process that went through six public town hall meetings and two marathon commission hearings, the second of  which ended in a divided 8-5 vote, will have to take that last step over again. And advertise the correct amount this time.

The county has to make the correction within 15 days of being notified by the Florida Department of Revenue, or it could lose its share of state tax dollars. So it’s already set for Dec. 4. And some expect that it will be a quick vote — motion, second, no discussion, ayes. No drama. After all, there aren’t 400 police jobs on the chopping block or library hours being cut. There is no proposed increase in the special transportation services. There’s nothing controversial to hold things up.

Or is there?

There are still four unions who have not yet negotiated new contracts with Gimenez and his administration and they could use this to bring their appeal to the commission again. They’d be stupid not to. Especially since they now have a not-so-secret weapon that they didn’t have two months ago: Miami-Dade’s newest commissioner, Daniella Levine Cava — who was heavily supported by the unions — will unexpectedly get to not only vote on the budget, but have a public platform from which to make her opinion of it clear. Ladra could not reach PBA President John Rivera, but sources close to the police union said that they certainly expected the leadership to address the commission again now and bring them up to date on the difficulty of the negotiations with Mayor “My Way or The Highway.”

“We have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” said a 19-year officer.

Just time. Because even if Levine Cava comes to their side and votes against the budget, it likely passes with a 7-6 vote.

But even if there’s no real discussion about a budget that is basically already passed, Ladra hopes there is a little tongue-lashing on our esteemed Mayor Carlos “Cry Wolf” Gimenez, who typically won’t take any responsibility for this.

He said in an email to Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa and the commission that the unintentional error was unacceptable and disciplined three budget workers — including Budget Director Jennifer Moon, who will have to pay $12,000 from her own $185,000 salary for the new ad. Funny enough, this is the one staffer who has most helped Gimenez save face in recent months (and last year, around September, too). The mayor is quick to take credit for saving the police jobs and services through identified sources of revenue, but it is really Moon who did all that, too.

How’s this for an idea Mayor? I know you get paid so little, you cut your own salary already as some magnanimous effort on your part to show how much a man of the people you are. Moon makes more than you do. So, you can’t afford it from your own salary. So how about we get a dozen of your biggest donors on the phone — hello, Mr. Wayne Rosen, Mr. Jeff Berkowitz? — and ask them to cough up a mil for you. No strings attached, of course. Just because it is the right thing to do.

But in addition to the “fine” imposed on Moon, she was suspended for a day. Deputy Director Hugo Salazar was suspended for three days and Budget Coordinator Barbara Galvez for five days. Between them, they make more than half a million a year. Galvez is paid the least, at $110,500. And she is the most responsible for this blunder of the three of them? She is the most accountable?

And what about Gimenez? Couldn’t he be just a tiny bit responsible? Couldn’t this mathematical mistake be the result of his hemming and hawing and changing this here and finding new money there? Gimenez may think that he can skate free from this by throwing the three budget boobs under the bus. But Ladra expects his ears to be pulled at the dais when this comes up Dec. 4. Or even at the meeting before that. Or even before that on Cuban radio and in the blogosphere and on social media.

Then again, but much later, by any one of several serious contenders who could take King Carlos II’s seat in 2016. This is campaign gold. Cry Wolf Gimenez doesn’t only go back and forth and up and down like a yo-yo on tax increases and service cuts, but once he sticks to a budget it turns out to be invalid? Invalid?

Campaign gold, I tell you.

The folks who were saying that Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado doesn’t have the administrative experience to challenge Gimenez now kind of have to shut up about that. Because all his administrative experience didn’t save us from having an invalid budget. Invalid.

But whoever it is that runs against Gimenez in 2016, you know you can expect at least one attack mailer and one robocall to use those ominous words — “invalid budget” — and question the mayor’s math skills.

  Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade budget