North Bay Village

Noise, Salary Increases and Bonds

Tense night at NBV City Hall

By Youseline Aldajuste

Last week’s North Bay Village City Commission meeting was tenser than usual as city officials discussed an allegedly noisy restaurant, another pay raise for the city manager and the interest rate on bond issues.

Residents of Grandview Palace Condominiums presented the commission with a petition complaining that the Havana’s on the Bay, a new restaurant on East Treasure Drive, created an intolerable level of noise and that the police refused to take the matter seriously.

According to the petitioners, the restaurant hosted a party with more than 400 guests last Thanksgiving. The noise level that night became too much for residents, so they called the police. Police officers showed up immediately; however, the petitioners claimed the officers participated in the festivities.

“The noise was so loud that you couldn’t hear yourself think that night,” Luciana Loredo, a Grandview Palace resident, said during the Dec. 11 meeting. “Unfortunately, when the police got there, they joined the problem instead of solving it.”

North Bay Police Chief Scott Israel assured the commission that he resolved the matter as soon as he became aware it.

“We addressed the problem as we heard about it,” Israel said. “Two days after the incident, the city manager and I went to speak to the owner and informed them that they did not have a license to entertain, so they should not be playing loud music … and I believe since then the noise level has come down.”

Israel told petitioners that the department does not tolerate the behavior they witnessed that night, and reassured them that police will regularly monitor the ambiance at Havana’s on the Bay.

Also raising eyebrows was a request from City Manager Jorge Forte for another 6 percent salary increase.

Forte received a $30,000 increase a year ago, and an additional 6 percent increase in October to offset the cost of living in North Bay Village. Mayor Joseph S. Geller said another 6 percent increase in the city manager’s salary would be excessive.

“Though Mr. Forte has done a wonderful job as city manager of this town, I feel that a 6 percent increase in salary is little too much,” Geller said.

After a back-and-forth argument, the commission approved a 4 percent increase for Forte, bumping up his yearly salary to $142,000. Although Forte’s contract entitles him to an annual raise, the commission determines the amount.

The commission also discussed a public awareness campaign to educate the public about the Jan. 29 referendum for three bond items totaling $19.3 million, which gave city officials the opportunity to argue about how to calculate the bonds’ interest rate. A disagreement about the numbers between Commissioner Oscar Alfonso and financial advisor Lourdes Abadin forced Mayor Geller to postpone the presentation until a special meeting could be scheduled to discuss the funds.

The Jan. 29 referendum includes a $2 million bond for beautification and renovation of the John F. Kennedy Causeway; a $7.9 million bond for construction of the Public Safety Complex and City Hall; and a $9.4 million Parks & Recreation bond.

Though the City Commission disagreed over how much was needed to begin the public awareness campaign, it authorized an initial expenditure of $45,000.

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