Nobody knows where it came from. Nobody remembers any discussion about it. It wasn’t on any of the slides in the presentation of the Coral Gables 2023-2024 operating budget at Wednesday’s first public hearing. It wasn’t in the draft budget presented to city commissioners and the public in July.
But tucked into the $258 million city budget is a hefty pay raise for the mayor and commissioners.
Winter is coming, indeed, as Mayor Vince Lago likes to say.
His salary would jump from $45,000 a year to $69,000 a year, although he said more than once that he would not take it. His annual expense account would jump from $6,000 to $9,600 and he would get a brand new car allowance — there isn’t one now — of $8,446.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago loses majority, Election Day November move
“This is a pretty significant increase from one year to the next,” said Lago, who of course doesn’t need the raise because of all his side gigs (more on that later).
For the five-member commission, the increase this year is a total of $265,000, said Coral Gables Finance Director Diana Gomez, who had to look in her notes.
Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson asked when the salary increases were added because they were not in the draft budget. Gomez — who said she had only seen consumer price index raises in 12 years — said the request was made through the city manager’s office after July 1.
“This should have been handled in a commission meeting, not lumped into the budget,” Lago said. “We want to be up front. We, all of us, want to be clear. I wasn’t notified. Who approved this raise? Who requested it?”
“My understanding is there was a majority support for the increase,” Gomez said.
Read related: In Coral Gables, Melissa Castro calls out Vince Lago for his rudeness, disrespect
“I will not be taking a salary increase,” Lago said. “It sends a horrible message, especially when people have told me its supposed to be a part time job.”
Anderson agreed that it should have been brought up at the commission. “So there’s transparency and not something slid in at the last minute at the first public hearing after we have had a budget published for residents to see all summer long,” she said.
“I don’t like the smell of it. I don’t like the taste of it.”
The other three commissioners — Melissa Castro, Ariel Fernandez and Kirk Menendez — didn’t say a word. They were too quiet.
Political Cortadito will investigate the origin of this pay raise.
If you like this story and want to see more Coral Gables coverage, let Ladra know with a donation to Political Cortadito. Thank you for supporting grassroots journalism.
Whopping pay raise for commissioners is tucked into Coral Gables budget added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →
