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Continuing an annual tradition, Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbott presented the State of the Town Address on Thursday, Oct. 13, at Town Hall, providing residents with an overview of the town’s activities and initiatives during the past year.
Residents gathered at tables and chairs set up in the Town Council Chamber and after a brief introduction by town manager Raphael Casals the Miami-Dade Police Honor Guard presented the colors. Members of Cub Scout Troop 840 then came forward to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Next, Cutler Bay High School student Alandra Vidalis sang the National Anthem.
Mayor Meerbott then came to the lectern to begin his address.
“Thank you for joining us here tonight,” Mayor Meerbott said. “It’s really an honor to have you all with us. Wow, what a year for Cutler Bay. When I was first elected as mayor four years ago, I imagined that each year would get progressively easier, with the wisdom and experience each year brings, but it seems like each year was trying to one-up the year before it.
“2022 has been without a doubt an eventful year, but because of the power of our community working together, we’ve been able to navigate through these challenges and adapt and make progress, and achieve many of our goals.”
Mayor Meerbott then introduced the other members of the town council: Michael P. Callahan, Robert “B.J.” Duncan, Suzy Lord and Roger Coriat. He also introduced other VIP guests and members of the town staff. He thanked the many companies that sponsored the event.
The mayor mentioned the challengers they had faced — the severe flooding in early June, the help they received from the county and the way residents pitched in to help others, how the experience added to the Storm Water Master Plan, and how financial help from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) would fund future improvements.
Meerbott told of the town achieving a Flood Plane Mitigation rating of 3, the highest in the county, which resulted in lower flood insurance costs for residents.
“Our finances continue to be strong,” Meerbott said. “We’ve maintained one of the lowest millage rates in all of Miami-Dade County — 2.8332.”
He said that they have kept the town going with only 32 full-time employees because they had secured $31 million in grants and funds. He said that property values in Cutler Bay have risen by 11 percent. He praised the Code Compliance Department for streamlining the forms and procedures used. He told how the town’s events and programs were back in full force after the pandemic.
Details of these accomplishments and more are outlined in the 2022 Year in Review booklet, available at https://my.yupub.com/?tid=06d705fc-62bd-4c10-9765-01a2ef19ef24.
“The real strength of Cutler Bay relies on its people, which is our community,” Mayor Meerbott said in the special video presentation for the group. “We often talk about going back to 1992 when Andrew hit, and that’s when the power of the community really came out. When people were in need, people didn’t hesitate to come out and help each other, and that’s alive and well today.”
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