Cooper City Budget and City Manager

The upcoming budget will be a very challenging experience and it will test the commission as to where they are heading on serious issues. Are they going to massively raise your taxes again? Our Budget Workshops are upcoming to set millage rates, debt levy, adoption of initial assessment resolutions and to set times and dates for public budget hearings, all at city hall. Visit CooperCitFL.org for dates and times.

The decisions made during this upcoming budget process are going to be difficult and will affect all residents in an adverse way, and I am doing everything possible to avoid that on your behalf. It’s past time to address the issue of solutions in order to reduce costs, not continuing to promote unnecessary feel good services while continuing to neglect and not improve core services instead of select favorite programs. The likelihood is that your commission majority will massively raise taxes again because this isn’t a primary election year.

One reason I see that the city is such a mess financially is that most career politicians on the dais care far more about keeping their political jobs than about helping you keep yours. My recent challenge to my fellow commissioners is “what’s the tough choice in 2018 that you’re going to make in order to make Cooper City better, more efficient and less costly to run?” You guessed it…no responses by anyone on the commission. Just the typical rhetoric regarding the budget process which doesn’t put more money in your pocket.

I recently motioned to terminate the city manager due to this continuing fiscal incompetence, lack of providing detailed information on agenda items, lack of providing information to residents and appointed board members. You guessed it, no support on your behalf from the political alliance. How unfortunate that those who run the city seem to not care a wit about those who pay their salary.

The city faces immediate tough choices in order to make this next fiscal year a priority to increase services, reduce taxes and improve customer service. My first priority after public safety is creating local jobs and lowering your taxes. Jobs are created here in our city by local business owners, not in Tallahassee or in Washington. This is why we need to elect like-minded residents, so they can save money and create more jobs.

One final note, there are candidates running for Districts 1 and 2 in November 2018, and I'm sure there are more to come. Hopefully you will make the right decision to seat commissioners in Districts 1 and 2 who will always look out for your best interests, not the interests of themselves and their political future or those who are political hacks of those on the commission.

To those of you that are concerned about what this commission wants to do regarding this upcoming budget process, please forward your concerns to me. I will voice them but I can assure you, they may be ignored if it puts money in your pocket.

The proposed Cooper City Charter Amendments….

Many have asked the question, what are these changes all about?

Well the answer might be. 

First and foremost one must recognize that the charter is liken to the constitution of that of our country in that it sets up the basic structure of the city government. In the case of Cooper City it says that the manner which the city will operate is by an elected commission specifying all the rules associated with that process and  providing  policies and ordinances by which the city manager will operate the city. As one would assume this involves many activities and much of the charter deals with many but not all of these rules. The key here is that these guidelines or rules are treated as the primary laws for the operation of the city. They range from election procedures to many of the other activities necessary for the process of the function of the city needs to perform its’ obligations.   

Do the proposed changes add or take away from the existing charter?

In most cases the proposed changes do materially alter the fundamental structure that has been in place for the last 35 years or so and has been only previously changed in very minor ways. Keep in mind that these types of changes can only occur every four years and absolutely require the voters to approve them. An examination of the proposed changes does raise several questions. The primary one is we the voter are neither familiar with city procedures nor do we wish to become lost in the weeds of this type of detail.  

Rather than provide a lengthy microscopic view a summary will provide a better guide. The changes start with the suggested need for an absentee rules for members of the commission. Seems somewhat childish as most of the commission members are of a character that such a stringent law is  hardly a necessity. Then there are several rather administrative type changes that seem totally out of place in the charter as opposed to simply directives to be given to the city manager as to how the commission wants the city to perform. The reason for a commission is to have them decide what is essential for the process of the city functions and to direct the city manager to implement them. 

Two major concerns arises upon viewing the requested changes.

(1) Is there an hidden agenda underlying the changes?

(2) Do we want to have the commissioners to become immersed in the details of the  running of the functions of the city ?

(3) Why has the current status of the city manager, highly skilled in the process of the city governance and well paid for his/her skill level now being reduced to one of simply a clerk following the direction of members of the commission, who in most cases have had very little if any substantial training or education in governmental management?

 Thus, it is fair to conclude that why are all of these seemingly minor (one could also call them trivial) changes be placed before the voters as being needed to be changed when that is what the city commissioners are elected to do when necessary after through and thoughtful debate? Several persons with whom I have spoken, knowledgeable in the workings of city governance,  have reached the pretty much the same conclusion which is, why is it necessary that these be put before the voters?

Rather than delve into what could require many pages of discussion, they have all agreed to the following statement, an old adage my father often said to me,
“If It Is Not Broken, Then Don’t Attempt to Fix It”.

Therefore it is urged that the residents of Cooper City cast a straight down the line the ballot, NO, to all of the proposed these changes, thereby putting the task of the commissioners to make the necessary changes when a need is required.

Be informed when you vote in November!

Everyone who votes this November should clearly know what your City Commissioner, Jamie Curran, is up to and how he misrepresents his constituents in Cooper City. Below are excerpts taken from Mr. Curran's statements under oath  which clearly indicate that Jamie does not perform any or very little “due diligence” to inform himself on city issues before he casts a vote.

If you are a concerned voter, attached is Mr. Curran’s deposition where in you can see for YOURSELF that he has, under oath, admitted that he does not often do any research, read or study the resolutions that he votes on.  He simply relies on staff to fill his head with information of their choosing rather than do his own research.

Contrary to his campaign slogan "Curran Works", Mr. Curran does NOT work for the resident/taxpayers, rather he lets others do the work that we assume he should be doing himself. Mr. Curran skates by on the shoulders of the city staff. While that might appear to be ok for some people, Commissioner Curran lets others do the work that he has been elected to do. Over the recent years it has been obvious Mr. Curran by his testimony shows that he does NOT have a basic working knowledge of the city budget!

I hope that you will take a few minutes to read the following lines from Mr. Curran's deposition. It is a real eye opener.  
 Your vote can and will have an impact the future of our Cooper City!!!

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Excerpts from the  Deposition of James C. Curran, Commissioner Cooper City Dist.4

THE WITNESS:  I wouldn't know how to answer that question only for one reason.

BY MR. FRANKEL:

Q.    What is that?

A. I rely heavily on staff, Horacio and the City manager for their advice on this. I'm not an expert in it.

Q. As a commissioner, do you think you have a responsibility to become fully informed or are you entitled to just rely on what your City staff says?

A.    I rely on my staff.

Q.    Do you do any kind of research yourself? Do you read the resolutions?

A. Some.                                                                            

Q.    There are times when you may be voting on something that you haven't read fully?

 A.    On some resolutions.

Q.    How about on the resolutions for 2008 and 2009 which you voted on?   

 A.    I wouldn't remember.  I can't recall.

Q. If you have a concern that maybe the information you are getting from one source isn't completely accurate, would you go to any place else to get better information?

 A.    No.

 Q.    You wouldn't?     

A.    I would not leave this office over the City manager for anything.        

Q.    So you're completely reliant upon --       

A.    Completely.       

Q.    When you say City manager, do you mean the entire staff?       

A.    Yes    

Q.    That includes Mr. Montes de Oca?       

A.    Yes.       

Q.    And the City's attorneys?       

A.    Yes.

Q. When you voted for the resolution in the year 2008, other than what you have told us, did you go back to inform yourself about what the resolution was based on?

A.    Once again, I relied on the City manager, the finance manager and the staff.  

A.    I relied on the staff for all my information when I met with staff.

BY MR. FRANKEL(attorney for the Plaintiff) Q.    All right.  But by voting for this, do you agree that you agreed that the resolution constitutes the Final Assessment Resolution as defined in Ordinance No. 99-7-1?

MR. MANDEL:  Object to form.

THE WITNESS:  No.

BY MR. FRANKEL:  

Q.    You don't agree with that?      

 A.    No.      

 Q.    Even though it's in here, you don't agree with that?

 A.    Just leave it at no.Q. Can I ask you honestly, if you had known any of what was discussed here in the last few minutes at the time, would you have still voted for it?           

 MR. MANDEL:  Object to form.           

 THE WITNESS:  Yes.

Q.    Would it be a fair statement to say that you really don't understand the intricacies of the City's budget?

A.    Sure.       

Q.    That's a fair statement?       

A.    Yes

[No further excerpts are shown.]
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Attention Seniors

As the political season is now reaching a more visible point much can be said and many are vocal quite about it. As to Cooper City there are really just a few  but very important issues to consider.

They range from the election of a commissioner from the 4^th district to changes of some significance to the city charter to the Florida ballot of Amendments. I will be writing on all of these issues.

There is a very important one, Amendment 5. Is says “an amendment to the State Constitution to revise the homestead tax exemption that may be granted by counties or municipalities for property with just value less than $250,000 owned by certain senior, low-income, long-term residents to specify that just value is determined in the first tax year the owner applies and is eligible for the exemption. The amendment takes effect January 1, 2017, and applies retroactively to exemptions granted before January 1, 2017.”

Cooper City currently offers that exemption as previous enacted by law. What is really the important points are two fold, one the exemption automatically applies to those who currently are exempted and secondly, the dollar exemption (value of the property) is set such that it remains in place regardless of any future increases.

What this means to many seniors is that they will be protected and able to enjoy their homes for many, many years to come without the fear of the raising property taxes that all of us know will surely happen.

I wrote this as I received an email from Amy Rosen with the request that I present it to all of the many readers of the Cooper City Blog. I encourage all to vote for this important issue to the ever growing segment of the citizens of Cooper City.

Cooper City's "Blow Me" Commissioner Strikes Again!

As reported by Bob Norman on WPLG last week, Cooper City's "Blow Me" commissioner has struck again! Commissioner Lisa Mallozzi (We like to call her Ma Lousy) attached commissioner John Sims' 'manhood', saying he needed 'a apair of Tweezers' to 'find it'... This happened when Mallozzi made statements on the dais using innuendo demeaning Sims' private parts.

The remark created a big yelling match between Ma Lousy and Mayor Greg Ross . Banging his gavel, Ross told Mallozzi to stop talking and calling for adjournment. Of course, she ignored him.

"Dammit," "I've never had to do this. I have never used this and I don't intend to. I won't accept it from the commission. I won't accept it from anyone out there." said Ross. "It's just another whack-job attack from her," Sims said.

This is not the first time Mallozzi has said outrageous things on the dais. In 2013, she made a suggestion that was caught on video to Gladys Wilson who was in the audience. That suggestion was for Gladys Wilson to perform oral sex on Ma Lousy, who said "Blow Me" to her during a commission meeting. 

The other commissioners responded with both support and fake disgust. Commissioner Jamie Curran stated "I'm totally embarrassed for everybody in this room," "I'm sorry to see this, especially for the young people [who] are here." Well commish, we are sorry embarrassed that you've stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from #CooperCity!

Ross said "I will not tolerate it from anyone," "This has to stop and it stops now." I guess Ross simply needs a bigger gavel to shut that sailor mouth of Commissioner Lisa Mallozzi.

Maybe a Recall is in order. If not, a Motion for Censure at the very least...

Cooper City Officials caught in secret meeting-steal thousands from taxpayers!

I guess they just don't learn. The Ex-mayor and city attorney are liars. Based on this meeting, the city got away with stealing tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars in cash, in "plain white envelopes".... and the State Attorney will do absolutely nothing. Corruption prevails in Broward!
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/cooper-city/fl-cooper-city-investigation-20150407-story.html

Cooper City Commissioners have agreed to move forward with a plan for a salary increase for the mayor and commissioners despite substantial protests at a recent public workshop.

Some residents at the meeting called the proposed raise "beyond excessive" and "tacky." "The citizens and residents should decide your salary," said Pete Daversa.

Commissioners rejected the idea of a voter referendum since it's too late to add to the November ballot and a special election would cost up to $200,000, said City Manager Bruce Loucks. (they just now thought about it?)

Resident Vince Gordon said commissioners should give residents a chance to vote on the issue even if it means waiting until the 2016 election. (the City charter says pay raises are to be implemented after the election only for those elected. City attorney on the payroll of the city says it means  immediately upon passage of the ordinance.) "If you said you didn't run for the money, why are you up here asking for more?" he asked.

Commissioners currently earn $6,000 a year in salary not adding in all of the benefits, with the mayor earning 20 percent more. Those amounts are the lowest of all city commissions in Broward County, according to data compiled by Loucks and City Clerk Susan Poling. ( It is noteworthy that only 2/3 of the cities were listed . I wonder what the others are.)

Do other cities in the county let the people vote on pay increases or just take it upon themselves? Greed is the root of all evil.

Commissioner John Sims has consistently opposed this increase and was the sole vote against bringing an ordinance to an October commission meeting. At that time a specific dollar amount will be determined. "I have a problem giving ourselves a pay raise," Sims said. "This is public service, not a full-time job."

At a July meeting, commissioners discussed increasing their pay to somewhere between $12,000 and $20,000 . Commissioner Jeff Green said the raise was about "principle" and what the commission has done to help Cooper City have A rated schools, a low crime rate and increasing property values. Cooper City schools were A rated long before any of them became elected officials. "We're one of the few communities doing very well," he said. "I don't believe that happens by accident." This is because only people that have a true interest in the community run for office (in theory).

Commissioner James Curran supports a pay increase because of the additional time he puts into the position. (Mr. Curran is the head janitor of CCHS and is able to take time off when ever he wants to. I wonder if Runcie is aware of that liberal policy? Of course, Wendy Doll, principal of CCHS will not object. Budget 2014-2015 gives $100,000 to the Public schools, Hummm.)

Mr. Curran apparently needs the money now that the white envelopes filled with cash with no receipts, have been discontinued by the benevolent CC Optimist club. (If you doubt that call the SAO of Broward and ask for Jamie Curran’s sworn testimony regarding the allegation made by Gary Laufenberg & Robert Fiske. "I do beyond my civic duties. I'm not an eight-hour-per-month commissioner," he said. "I spend eight hours a week just in the city manager's office." That is a personal choice. What happened to the choice of the people?

Commissioner Lisa Mallozzi DOURVETAKIS and Mayor Greg Ross agreed. Take the “a” off of that last word and you will get what Lisa Mallozzi DOURVETAKIS and Greg Ross are really saying. (Rumor has it that Mayor Ross is pushing to change the current government type from city manager to strong mayor type. He probably will want another raise. His law practice seems to crumbling.)

"When you want to do something right, this becomes a nearly full-time job," Ross said. "We all have worked hard for the city. We've done real well by the people." Slap in the face of all volunteers in the community, specifically the optimist!

The first public hearing on the pay increase ordinance is scheduled for the Oct. 14 commission meeting.

Object Now! This is a sharp stick in the eye to the residents as later will do no good.