The Mayor's Reason to Vote Against the Budget

I wanted to give this statement on why I have decided not to vote in favor of the Budget. Over the last year, there has been an uproar over local property taxes, and the legislature has reacted by imposing mandatory roll backs, plus placing on the ballot a constitutional amendment to cause property taxes to be cut even more severely. The first phase is costing the city $3.8 million. The constitutional amendment will cause an additional $7 million, totaling almost $11 million. Neither one do I believe are constitutional, but that is not the point here. Several Legislators that voted in favor of the January 29 referendum are publicly stating they are asking the public to vote against it. That is also not the point here.

The problem is not with the appropriateness of spending in the City of Lauderhill, but in the broken, unfair, inequitable tax structure that has been created in the State of Florida. It is just wrong. People who have remained in their homes for many years pay artificially low taxes, but in return, are trapped in their homes. Those not covered by the homestead exemption and new residents are forced to pay an unequal excess of taxes to make up this difference, but they can freely move around. Compound this with State Legislature unfunded mandates, and the uncontrollably spiraling cost of government services, and you can begin to see the situation. It isn’t the few thousands of dollars most people comment on. It’s the millions of dollars in forced expenses that are the source of the problem. It isn’t the cities that created this problem, but it is the cities, and ultimately the residents and businesses that will suffer for it.

In response the City of Lauderhill has put forward the budget you see here tonight. I have to compliment the Staff and Commissioners for addressing many of the concerns of the city; given the extraordinary restrictions they have been presented. The budget attempts to meet those concerns while avoiding as much pain as possible, though there are several areas I disagree with. Many will be hurt with this budget, but not nearly as many that ultimately will be hurt in the future if this process continues forward.

My vote against the budget is a vote of protest. Protesting the process and inequities of the system created by the Legislature. A protest of things to come. If no one stands up to voice these concerns, no one will ever take the necessary steps to fix them.

At such time in the future that someone starts to address the underlying, inherent problems in our tax structure, and allows cities to adequately address its critical needs in a responsible way, only then we will be able to properly see to the needs of our residents and businesses, which I can then support.