Community Newspapers SERVING MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SINCE 1958
SUN
FEBRUARY 14 , 2011
S unny I sles B each
Progress Report
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ISSUE WHERE IN THE WORLD IS SIB SUN
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HONORING TEACHERS
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A SOLDIER, AN OFFICER... WELCOME HOME!
VOL. 29, NO. 7
BY BARI AUERBACH
T
he “State of the City Address” recently delivered by Sunny Isles Beach Mayor Norman S. Edelcup was filled with good news about continued prosperity and progress – themes continued on the agenda for the Jan. 20 City Commission meeting featuring even more good, progressive news for residents and visitors alike: ‘CLEAN AUDIT’ At the Jan. 20 City Commission meeting, the City of Sunny Isles Beach Audit Report for fiscal year 2009/2010 was presented, highlighting the following good financial news: “This is a ‘clean audit.’ There are no instances of non-compliance and no deficiencies…The city is also eligible to earn a “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting” that may be awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The GFOA established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure - and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.
Mayor Norman S. Edelcup was also pleased to report, “The state of the city’s financial condition continues to be very secure and strong…This past year we have been able to maintain our funding on scheduled capital improvement projects and at the same time maintain a healthy general fund reserve in excess of $10 million. “The city added $454 million in new construction to our tax base in 2010. This basically offsets most of the decrease in the existing real estate tax base In the seven years that I have been Mayor, our taxable property values have risen from $2.5 billion to $5.6 billion, an increase of 124% even after 3 years of economic down turn! “Our millage rate of $2.886 per $1,000 of taxable value was a small increase from prior years of $2.65 per $1,000. The rate is 14% less than the 3.35 millage rate we had in 2003 when I became Mayor.”
MERRY WEDDING at
PELICAN COMM. PARK
‘WELCOME BACK CHIEF MAAS’ At the Jan. 20 City Commission meeting, it was announced that Police Chief Fred Maas decided to rescind his retirement and would be reinstated as Police Chief (starting Jan. 31). “The Chief has always done an admirable job and we look forward to seeing him back,” Mayor Edelcup said. “He found retirement ‘isn’t all it’s cracked up to be’ and he’s anxious to get back into ‘the thick of things.” Commissioner George
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