Remarks by Phyllis Smith
334 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 5 of 14
- Play at 2:46:56
“Okay. I wanted to mention about Juneteenth that the breakfast was beautiful. Beautifully done. They had people from different faiths come and give prayer. They had singers. They had poets. They had a magnificent breakfast. And I didn't know that that was around a $20,000 cost.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 2:48:01
“I have one more question, Vice Mayor, before you move on. If it's budgeted for 15,000 and you only use 10, do you give extra gifts to use up your 15 or do you move that 5,000 to another event?”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:06:54
“So Aventura Mall has 13%. How's Aventura Mall paying? North Miami Beach resident tax dollars is still paying for Aventura Mall's cost?”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:08:10
“The one thing is there are people that don't want to wait, even though we're changing their wait time, they want to even wait less. And so we could do that if we kept it within the tax dollars within the city.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:08:31
“This is fine. Yes. We're going to the next one.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:32:07
“Does anybody follow the ridership? Not what's told by the company, but what is an actuality of the trolley?”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:32:41
“When they do the rate study for what people should be paid, The people that do all the work in the field, that should be the first one we study and see how much other cities pay them. I like our money spent where the public can see it, where they can see the road improvement, the sidewalk improvement, the infrastructures that need to be done. They actually see it. And I think we're really lacking on that. The city looks worse every year instead of better. I get more complaints about broken sidewalks. And I think that that should be a priority with the money. I also feel very strongly that we…”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:56:01
“I, too, want to thank you. The good news is the public sees it, too, so that's wonderful when you're a commissioner, to getting nice phone calls instead of aggravation and complaints. My question is about the money. Isn't the deadline over that if they did not spend the $9 million that we had put aside for Miami Gardens, is that deadline over and how much money did we get back?”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:56:35
“No, that was the money that we had to pay them back.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:56:43
“Okay, so if that's not in your office, then let me go to another question. In reference to the fact that we have a difference of income from the water plant, What are we going to do to compensate that? Is there a plan in place without penalizing the North Miami Beach residents to raise their water rate to compensate? Do we have a plan B to compensate for the deficit we're getting in the water plant income?”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 3:57:28
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 4:00:33
“But there was a deadline. You're saying they're accepting more.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 4:00:40
“There was a date certain deadline. There was a date. Yes, ma'am.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 4:02:11
“I just wanna follow up one quick thing. The problem is the cost for the utility keeps going up. The chemicals go up. The maintenance is old. Some of our equipment is old and needs replacement. But the one thing we have to do, unfortunately, is look not, not... to raise the cost of water to the public. They are choking. They are choking. So this presentation, utilities is a, I was on the PUC for years. It's really a very unique field because it's a lot of numbers, it's a lot of understanding. But the basic line is how much does it cost the residents? Thank you, Commissioner.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 4:02:57
“And that the water plan stays A number one. That can never go less than A above number one.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 4:28:36
“Is there more information other than what... Thank you. Is there more information other than what each city's paying? In other words, are they entitlement city? How many residents do they have? Et cetera, et cetera.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 4:29:15
“Right. Okay, all right. I'd also like to know if their election is with the county or they have an election that the clerk has to run because that's another whole job the clerk does.”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 4:29:55
“And what is your current salary? I would like to know. I think it's 135. Is it more?”
City Commission · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 18:56
“I have a moment of personal privilege. What? I just want to put on the record, there's no way I can listen to what's going on at this meeting and read three things that I have to vote on that are put in front of me now. I want that on the record. so maybe i have to say a no vote because i have to know what i'm voting for and i have said this i think this is my 12th time for saying so it's an even dozen i i read this and i review with the manager and i'm appreciative of his con his comments and he teaches me and sometimes i teach him so i just wanted on the record that i cannot do the right…”
City Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 20:49
“Well, the whole agenda's supposed to go through the manager, and he hasn't even seen them.”
City Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 21:15
“I would suggest we do it until we have the opportunity to review it.”
City Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 35:43
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 44:00
“I'd like you at the end of the resolve, and I hope I can get a consensus on that, an unanimous consensus, because when you see all these women gave up their evening, you're not seeing who they are. They give up their days, they give up their weekends. to help our community and they do it voluntarily. My favorite four letter F word, they do it for free. So I'd like to see and resolve that the meetings of the minds can be where it needs to be that they're back in our library. And I hope my fellow commissioners will agree.”
City Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 48:24
“Thank you. That's the answer. The answer is a private meeting with you or your group or whoever and the manager to see what can be worked out.”
City Commission · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 49:26
“I believe the manager alluded to that. So I heard him say it clearly. So you'll meet with the manager and maybe you'll have a second meeting with the manager and the director of the library. And we'll get this taken care of because we have a commission meeting to go. Thank you.”
City Commission · Jul 21, 2026