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 of $258 million.
But tucked into the $258 million budget is a huge pay raise for the mayor and commissioners.
Winter is coming, indeed, as Mayor Vince Lago likes to say.
His salary would jump from $44,905 a year to $67,000 a year, although he said several times for the record 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.
“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 $265,000.
Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson asked when the salary increases were added because they were not in the draft budget. She was told by the finance director — who had only seen consumer price index raises in 12 years — that 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 there was a majority support for the increase,” the finance director said.
“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.”
None of the commissioners said a word about it. Political Cortadito will investigate.
Read MorePolitical Cortadito
