So, it was apparently Coral Gables Commissioner Kirk Menendez who came up with the plan to give himself and his colleagues some pretty big raises in salaries, more wiggle room in their expense accounts and brand new car allowances where there were none.
Newly-elected Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez apparently agreed, according to City Manager Peter Iglesias, who can count.
“I was asked by one commissioner and I touched base with the others and three commissioners decided to do it,” Iglesias told Ladra, confirming that Menendez was the one who approached him about the bigger compensation package.
“I work with three, right? I’d rather work with five but I work with three and that’s why the increase is there,” he said.
It’s odd, however, that none of them owned up to it during the first budget hearing Wednesday.
Read related: Whopping pay raise for commissioners is tucked into Coral Gables budget
“This should have been handled in a commission meeting, not lumped into the budget,” said Mayor Vince Lago, who also said he didn’t want the 53% raise. He doesn’t need it with all his side gigs (more on that later).
“We want to be up front. We, all of us, want to be clear. I wasn’t notified,” Lago said. “Who approved this raise? Who requested it?”
Nobody raised their hand.
“My understanding is there was a majority support for the increase,” said Coral Gables Finance Director Diana Gomez, who had to look in her notes and added that the request was made through the city manager’s office after the first draft of the budget was published.
For the five-member commission, the increase this year totals $265,000, Gomez said.
The mayor’s salary would jump from $44,905 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 ($704 monthly).
The vice mayor’s salary goes from $39,285 to $67,000. Commissioners’ salaries would go from $36,488 to $65,000 a year (is that 78%?!). The proposed compensation also includes doubling commission expense accounts to $800 and a brand new $704 car allowance.
“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.”
“I don’t like the smell of it,” said Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, who also said she didn’t want it.
She agreed that it should have been brought up at a commission meeting. “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.
Both Lago and Anderson voted against the $258 million budget the city passed on first reading Wednesday.
Read related: In Coral Gables, Melissa Castro calls out Vince Lago for his rudeness, disrespect
Menendez said the raise and compensation will bring the City Beautiful up to date. “Since the 1980s, there really hasn’t been an increase at all,” he told Ladra. “It’s not a part time job. It’s a full time job and we are doing the job.”
“The salaries the commission has in this budget is equal to what our administrative assistants make,” Menendez said.
Why couldn’t he have just said that from the dais?
In his commission meeting summary, Fernandez also justified the pay increases.
“The Commission’s compensation was last modified in the 1980s. There have been cost of living adjustments, but as the mayor stated yesterday, those were limited,” Fernandez wrote in the email blast. “Our expense stipend has also remained unchanged for years and has not received any consideration for inflation.
“The new compensation is equivalent to that of an administrative assistant in the city. It would be comparable to that of municipalities of similar population and budget, such as Doral and North Miami,” Fernandez said. He also has a YouTube video that gives a recap of the commission meeting.
“This change would allow for the Commission to continue to focus more time to addressing resident’s needs. Every member of this Commission devotes over 40 hours a week to this job and takes it seriously. We not only participate in 11+ hour marathon Commission meetings like yesterdays, but we also have agenda review meetings, city staff meetings, open-door office hours, site visits with residents, events, budget review sessions, returning resident calls and emails and many other responsibilities required to represent your interests.”
Again, why couldn’t he just say so from the dais?
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