Give us a break, Pembroke Pines

Yesterday, Pembroke Pines hit its residents with painful price increases in the water service.
But it was only the beginning.

We read today in the Sun Sentinel some more bad news:

PEMBROKE PINES: New budget cuts services

September 20, 2008

Residents will pay higher fees and receive fewer services under the city's 2008-09 budget.

Faced with an $12.6 million shortfall, city commissioners on Wednesday eliminated about 74 positions, including 61 vacancies, and cut pool hours, among other measures. The city also imposed a four-day, 40-hour work week, to begin in October for some employees.

Commissioners approved a property tax rate of $4.43 per $1,000 of assessed property value for the 2008-9 fiscal year, up from the current rate of $4.17 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The commission on Sept. 12 also voted to increase the residential fire protection fee to $209.63 per home and condo, an increase from $153.48 this year.

I wrote about the tax-rate trick. Property assessment goes down, they raise tax rate, we lose.


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