By Bari Auerbach

Here are some city priorities for ’08-’09 with innovative suggestions on how to make the best even better “on a budget”…

*Limit budget increases and operating costs: Wouldn’t it would be wise to add just a few extra budget line items? After all, there should always be funding available for residents to enjoy luxuries like designer sun visors with the Sunny Isles Beach logo – or free beach cabanas stocked with unlimited supplies of suntan lotion!

*Consolidate departments: Just imagine if the city’s Building Department merged with the Cultural and Human Services Department…then there could be big parties complete with lavish displays of fireworks when new developments passed all their inspections.

*Bring Broadway to Collins: Patrons of the arts would certainly condone putting more money into the budget to fund cultural events – especially if residents could get discounts on tickets to Broadway hits…Mamma Mia! Can you imagine getting all dressed up and using extra Hairspray without feeling Wicked or Les Miserables about splurging on entertainment?

*Improve traffic quality: To relieve congestion and generate revenue, the city could create Sunpass lanes on Collins Avenue…Another good idea to prevent accidents would be to up the fines when new cameras catch red light runners so violators would have to forsake trust funds or stock dividends.

*Get more environmentally-friendly vehicles: I’m sure if the city were to dig deep, they could come up with a way to replace shuttle buses with a fleet of “Go-Green” limos that would truly be in keeping with the Sunny Isles Beach reputation for ultimate luxury!

*Provide funding for landscaping –To accomplish this goal, the city could recruit volunteers to sell flowers on street corners to help boost revenues!
*Implement and fund capital improvements: Wouldn’t it be wonderful to also throw some extra “capital” into building a big new

*Purchase new police vehicles: To enhance response times, perhaps it would make more “horse cents” to rent the fastest thoroughbreds from Gulfstream Park - specially trained not to trample on any new landscaping!
*Continue adopting ''Go Green'' initiatives: Even more money could be trimmed from the budget if the city kept re-printing the same exact good news about Sunny Isles Beach since it just keeps “recycling!”