HALLANDALE BEACH
STATE OF THE CITY, PART 2
HALLANDALE - I do need to take a moment to talk about Hallandale Beach and its financial outlook. As you know I’ve mentioned the property values have gone down once again this year. Last year we lost over $14 million. Through the City leadership cost cutting measures the shortfall was cut to $5.5 million. In the end the city commission set that tax rate slightly less than the rollback rate. I voted against last year’s budget. My vote was not against the city manager or our staff.
I felt it imperative to make a stand and speak out against any proposed increases in salaries as part of the union negotiations. This is not necessarily a popular position. I cannot go into great detail over this topic as that we are still in the process of union negotiations. I will implore every citizen in our community to support city commission when hard choices are going to have to be made during this budget cycle. Under the current situation and due to the tremendous amount of losses incurred through the stock market decline, pension obligations must be addressed in a realistic and fair manner. Most importantly they cannot be compounded by increases in benefits.
Hallandale Beach has been extremely conservative within our budget. We cut costs without directly impacting the quality of life. This year we will again challenge and staff to create efficiencies within our existing structure while providing the same level of services our residents expect. The last thing in this economy we all need is an increase in taxes.
Do not get me wrong. If it does mean cuts to police and fire services or other services that sustain our quality of life I will reconsider that position. It is unrealistic to promote tax cuts while eroding our quality of life, in particular our public safety. The question will become, are increases warranted to ensure staffing levels and maintenance of our infrastructure.
In a recent Forbes study, the United States ranks low on how much tax we pay as a country in comparison with a high standard of living. We need to reconnect taxes with services, not big government, especially, on the local level.
It is important when you’re talking about leadership and politics and particularly today’s climate to discuss integrity, ethics and transparency. It is also important not to talk the talk but walk the walk. It is no surprise to some of you in this audience that the City Of Hallandale Beach has been somewhat under siege when it comes to these issues. Regretfully, some people operate with a negative view of things. That is a reality of life.
Those of you that know me, I lead in a different way. With optimism and vision! I want solutions. I will put everyone on notice that I will not stand idly by while lies and misinformation is being spread about our great city I will fight the new “scare errorists”.
Due to the unrest in our community and the county it is all too often that and old school negative politics of scaring people by exaggerating one piece of information or an opinion, misleading citizens to believe their government is corrupt, or making their opinion their facts not the facts.
Being a public servant is not about making the limelight, getting your name in the press or manipulating figures to fit your opinion. It is about service. It is about transparency. It is about improving the process where it needs be improved. It is about eliminating waste. It is, yes about addressing mistakes but most importantly creating solutions to problems. I will continue to work alongside of this commission and our staff to meet these goals of public service. “Leaving the city better than when you arrived should be the main goal.”
We have one of the strongest ethics manuals in the county. Changes that other cities and the county have been discussing have been practiced in our city. We are still working to improve them. A goal to provide as much information as possible on our web-site while keeping within our means is important. I have brought back programs from the US Confernce to save the city money. Or new site has city videos from around the city highlighting our services. We have added web streaming and archiving so residents can watch all of our meetings and get the facts first hand.
I’ve shared with you to my main goals so far: Continuing to work on seeing our two pari-mutuels and business community grow. Continuing to strive to ensure that our government is accessible to everyone, that information and facts are shared to enlighten our residents, not to envoke cynicism or distrust of our city. Thirdly, I need to talk about our neighborhoods.
Hallandale Beach is unique in the fact that we have all types of housing, single-family homes, multifamily, town houses, low-rise condominiums and high-rise condominiums. We are also blessed that we have well established single-family neighborhoods. We have been working towards the goals of our master plan establishing redevelopment along our corridors and commercial areas, directing redevelopment from core neighborhoods.
Due to the housing crisis many homes have fallen to foreclosure. These forclusures are a threat the fabric of some of our neighborhoods. Through the American Resource and Recovery Act our city will be receiving $1.5 million to address foreclosures in our community. We’ve continued to work with our community partners to provide housing assistance and continue to provide affordable housing assistance through our Community Redevelopment Agency.
In Washington we met with Congressional Chair of the Urban Caucus and member of Appropriations for Energy and Water Chaka Fatta of PA. He remains keenly focused on the foreclosure issue. He is developing a national model to address foreclosure financing for citizens at no fault of their own are losing their homes. Investing in funding for a home up to $20,000 dollars can save up to $100,000 in lost revenue. I want to bring this model to Hallandale.
We have taken action as the first city in Broward to to request a special taxing district to address the cost of foreclosures in our community. This means the cost to clean board and maintain vacant properties and other code efficiencies will be directly taxed to the property owner and not paid by our tax payers. We also will continue to focus on section 8 housing that is popping up & impacting on established single-family areas. We support these families but will not tolerate absentee landlords. There is nothing worse than getting a call from a resident who is being abused or threatened by their landlord and are living in deplorable conditions due to property owners’ neglect.
Also in working towards a sustainable equal opportunity city we need to complete the Foster Road projects. Residents of the North West have been working collaboratively with our city to address blight within this area. Foster Park needs to be finished the way the residents want. We need to look at building a pool utilizing and adding to the funding set aside in our CRA budget so children do not have to unsafely cross the railroad to enjoy a day at the park. Upgrading all of our parks is important and we will be going out for RFQ for the completion of our Parks Master Plan. The job is still not over.
We need to continue to work on education and jobs throughout our community particularly in the areas that are economically struggling. Thank you to those that attended the Jobs forum. We will continue to work to create jobs in our community. Commissioner Sanders knows firsthand working with Eagles Wings that residents do not want a hand out they want to hand up. The only way to reach this goal is through training programs and education. We need to work to recruit higher education opportunities within our community.
The other goal this year will be a complete count. Every resident that is here when the census is sent out needs to send in their form. Every resident, if you are from Canada, South America, Europe, New York, Nebraska, if you lay your head down on a pillow here in the city when you receive the form you count in Hallandale Beach. When the form comes in the mail fill it out and send it in right away! It means dollars will come to our city to help pay for infrastructure, schools and other services. It will help offset tax increases in the future if every man, woman and child is counted. It is totally protected information. If there are 6 people that stay in your home, count everyone. There are only 10 questions. Take the 10 minute to fill them out. Our future depends on you.
My discussions here today would not be complete if I didn’t talk about one of the nearest dearest goals that I had over the past couple years, that is to promote the “greening” of our community. Over the past year our city has received $165,000 that will be utilized to retrofit City Hall. It’s a start but frankly it’s not enough. We need to truly get serious about changing the way we operate. Waste is waste.
As I mentioned before any successful business including government should be focused on eliminating waste. It is the low-lying fruit that can really make a difference in the bottom line. A month and a half ago I was encouraged to attend the US Conference of Mayors Water Council meeting. I continue to follow all of these issues on the national level of transportation, housing emergency management and yes water. It is such a critical component of our sustainability. Water is not the reason I bring up this meeting today.
I had an opportunity to meet an amazing gentleman Ray Anderson. You may have never heard of him but he is the owner and operator of a multibillion-dollar industry called Interface. This company manufactures carpet tile. So you may ask what is so exciting about carpet tile and what does it have to do with Green and water.
The amazing part is the story is how a man who created a billion-dollar industry based on 98% petrochemical industry became named a "hero of the environment" by Time magazine and “America’s greenest CEO” by US world-weary news and world report. While I certainly cannot tell his entire story and frankly could not do it justice I do want to share some of it is interesting facts from his journey. His Goal was to change the industrial model from “take make waste” to one of sustainability. His goal was to go from a petrochemical dependent industry to a zero carbon footprint manufacturer.
Of course his college and Wall Street truly believed the goal was insurmountable and would cripple his business. He believed and proved them wrong that “Mount sustainability” as he would call it would be successful and increases the company’s bottom line, not reduce it.
From 1996 to 2008 interface reduce its carbon footprint 171% while increasing sales by two thirds. Not only did Ray believe this was his moral mandate he needed to be an example to the world that if he could do it anyone can do it. He also understood that as consumers began to go green his product would become less and less desirable.
I was intrigued by reading Confessions of Radical Industrialists” that while this mountain seemed insurmountable it could be accomplished in any business by taking some simple steps. The easiest step is cutting waste. By analyzing practices and procedures to utilize less energy and less raw materials it can really help the environment. If you do have to use raw materials reevaluate them see and where they became better products. Even in your office use less paper turn off the lights turn off the air so you don’t need a sweater. Simple changes in the way we act and interact with our world will make a difference. The simple fact is cutting waste will save money. I have received books from Interface and they are my gift from Ray to you today.
Thank you for attending today and allowing me the privilege to share my vision. I want end by sharing a special commitment to you and what my credo is. This pledge has hung on the wall in my office since being sworn in.
The Anthenian Oath: We will never bring disgrace to this our city, by any act of dishonesty or cowardice; nor ever desert our suffering comrades in the ranks, we will fight for the ideal and sacred things of the city, both alone and with many; we will revere and obey the city’s laws and do our best to incite a like respect in those aboveus who are prone to annual or set them at naught; we will strive unceasingly to quicken the public’s sense of civic duty. Thus, in all these ways, we will transmit this city not only, not less, but greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.
As always please feel free to contact me at anytime with you questions at: 954-457-1318, c/t 954-632-5700 or email me at www.MayorJoyCooper.com
