City costs are estimated at $23.6 million

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Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago had another bad day at City Hall Tuesday.

Not only did he lack the votes to reject the proposed salary increase for himself and vice mayor — a grandstanding move that would have locked in future mayors and vice mayors — and is apparently losing the effort to annex High Pines/Ponce Davis (more on that later), but he was also censured by a majority of the commission for the false and disparaging remarks he has made about them and other critics on a two-week media tour.

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So, it was apparently Coral Gables Commissioner Kirk Menendez who came up with the plan to give himself and his colleagues some pretty big raises in salaries, more wiggle room in their expense accounts and brand new car allowances where there were none.

Newly-elected Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez apparently agreed, according to City Manager Peter Iglesias, who can count.

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Coral Gables Mayor Vince “Sore Loser” Lago is still upset about having both his commission candidates trounced in the April elections. So he keeps cutting newly-elected Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez — who was once a Lago ally — out of photographs he posts on social media. And he keeps ignoring them at public events, like ribbon cuttings, pretending they aren’t there.

“I have a business. I am a single mom. So when I take time out to go to an event, to a function and you don’t acknowledge it, it’s disrespectful,” Castro said at the meeting, calling the mayor out publicly.

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Three commissioners opposed him on firefighters and tax rate, too

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The residents of Little Gables, an enclave of unincorporated Miami-Dade nestled in North Gables, are voting right now on whether or not they want to be part of the City Beautiful, paying taxes into Coral Gables and getting services — most importantly police and fire — from Coral Gables.

It came as a surprise to at least one city commissioner that those steps were already taking place — and that ballots — which apparently only have a “yes” option — have to be in by Oct. 9. There is a community meeting about it on Sept. 27 at the city’s new police and fire headquarters, 2151 Salzedo St.

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