Dear Neighbors,

Not sure about what the incorporation of Westchester will mean for you and the residents? Here are some examples of how it will very likely change things based on the other areas in Miami-Dade that have incorporated in the past:

1. Higher property taxes are a certainty. Almost every other municipality in Miami-Dade has a higher tax rate than the unincorporated areas so there is little room to doubt our taxes would go up too.

2. Having a second layer of government means more public employees. Everyone from the city hall telephone operator to the new mayor will be drawing a public salary, which will mean higher taxes, and, very likely, public pensions for those employees too. Unfunded public pension liabilities are a huge problem nationwide and a small municipality will not be in a position to absorb that expense long term.

3. Municipalities usually have their own layer of code compliance rules and enforcement. This typically results in city officials giving residents a hard time (and fines) over choices they make about their own private property from the style of their fences to the color of their houses to the number and type of vehicles in their own driveways. Our area is a nice area already and we all coexist just fine with minimal problems; there is no need to have the petty-patrol roving about slapping fines on people for matters of personal preference. The county’s code compliance officers are already more than sufficient to cover the important safety matters.

4. Since the proposed city is mostly residential areas, there are fewer businesses and almost no industrial areas whose taxes would absorb the cost of city expenses. Therefore homeowners and renters would feel an even sharper impact in their property taxes from incorporation than other municipalities with more businesses and industry would. Being part of the larger unincorporated area helps to spread-out the cost of our expenses over more residents and, importantly, over businesses and industry throughout the unincorporated county areas.

5. A second layer of government means twice as many opportunities for public corruption. We’d have to exercise oversight over both county and city officials who could all stand to benefit if leaned-on by certain people for valuable contracts and development deals. For example, it has been reported lately that UM is itching to turn Tropical Park into the new Orange Bowl by building their new stadium there; how much do you think a deal like that would be worth to a less-than-ethical mayor of the new municipality given that the new municipality is planned to encompass Tropical Park?

6. We have not seen anyone mention this yet but municipalities also have the power to levy and increase other taxes like the municipal public service tax on your electricity, fuel oil, LP gas, manufactured gas, natural gas, and water. If the municipality was hurting for cash for lack of businesses and industries to tax since we are so residential, what is to stop them from jacking-up the taxes on your water, gas, and electric bills? Nothing.

7. Another layer of government means more public meetings to attend to hold officials accountable. It is already difficult enough to keep the County Commission honest and to keep them from wasting our money; why would we want to also have to fight with a municipal government too? Double the meetings, double the hearings, double the budgets, double the wasted time.

This is just a brief list of the potential problems a new municipality could bring. This is one of the reasons we are so intent on ending this now long before it ever has a chance to go to committee hearings. They should have gotten our consent first as required by law; now, they need to dissolve this MAC until they get that written consent from 20% of us as stated in the Code of Ordinances.

We must make our voices heard.

ATTEND THE NEXT TOWN HALL MEETING AT THE WESTCHESTER LIBRARY ON THURSDAY 03/10 AT 7 PM SO YOU CAN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ABOUT THE INCORPORATION OF OUR AREA!