Lax oversight tied to over-billing in Miami-Dade tax districts - Miami Herald
Residents living in some special taxing districts were over-billed through an arm of Miami-Dade government that was top-heavy with managers and other professionals, failed to scrutinize vendor bills and sat on revenue surpluses rather than refund... The report by the county’s Audit and Management Services Department offers the most detailed look yet at the numbers behind a top headache for the administration of Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who has already apologized for mismanagement of the county’s... In June, the administration said the fee increases were needed to correct chronic under-billing for dozens of districts. In June, the administration said 231 districts faced increased fees for 2016. On Tuesday, the administration will ask for increases for only 140 districts, according to a Gimenez memo. The increases affect about 36,600 properties, down from June’s total of 118,000. In an even more dramatic turnaround, 64 percent of districts will see some sort of fee decrease in 2016. In June, none were slated for decreases. “More people were over-charged than under-charged,” said County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, a top critic of the Gimenez administration’s initial fee-hike plan. Source: www.miamiherald.com
