In an uncharacteristically quick and easy first budget meeting, the Miami City Commission breezed through approvals for a slew of departments each taking a piece of the city's $3.6 billion pie.
City Commissioners on Thursday greenlit budgets for various offices including the Department of Off-Street Parking, the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust and the Wynwood Business Improvement District — all with little discussion in a meeting that lasted less than one hour.
The commission will hold a second hearing on Sept. 24 to approve the final budget and officially set the city's property tax rate, which is proposed to remain the same.
READ MORE: Miami commissioners begin $3.6B budget debate amid uncertainty over construction bond, Amendment 3
Thursday's meeting was not without its share of concerns from the public, however. Several city residents spoke up during public comment to flag the city's investment in Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras, like the ones made by the company "Flock."
The city's proposed capital budget includes a $150,000 investment in "investigative tech" upgrades for the police department, which specifically include ALPRs for tracking suspected criminals. ALPRs have come under fire from civilians and elected officials for the ability of police departments to potentially abuse them for tracking immigrants or people not suspected of a crime.
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently pushed to close all contracts for Flock cameras on state-owned roads.
" These systems open the door to widespread abuse from local, state, and federal authorities and can lay the groundwork for a surveillance state, so I'm asking that you strike these appropriations from the budget," said resident Chris Watson during the public comment portion of the meeting.
City leaders also shared their worries from the dais about the threat of Florida's Amendment 3 property tax proposal, a proposed massive cut to taxes for homesteaded properties. It requires 60% of voters to be approved.
Commissioner Christine King asked the city's budget director how solid waste services like trash pickup would be affected if Floridians pass Amendment 3 in November.
"How are we going to address the Amendment three if that goes and our millage rate stays flat? How are we gonna continue to provide services for our residents?" King asked from the dais.
Budget Director Marie Gouin responded that the city may have to consider increasing the solid waste fee for homeowners in Miami during the next budget process in 2027 if Amendment 3 passes.
Miami currently subsidizes trash pickup out of the city's general fund because the solid waste fee has not gone up in more than 15 years. Passage of Amendment 3 would mean local governments can no longer use property taxes for solid waste service, so fees would likely have to go up.
Salaries and benefits for city employees also came under the microscope briefly during the budget hearing, as Commissioner Rolando Escalona raised the issue of Miami spending about 76% of its operating budget on personnel.
READ MORE: Inside City Hall — Miami’s Salary Secret
Escalona asked the budget office to compare Miami's salary and benefits spending to that of other similarly-sized cities in Florida including Tampa and Jacksonville.
The city's proposed budget in brief can be viewed here, and city residents can find their commissioner's contact information ahead of the Sept. 24 budget hearing here.
