Miami-Dade Commission Approves Mayor's Budget
MIAMI-DADE (CBS4) – Miami-Dade County commissioners have passed a new budget and approved a plan to reorganize county government but it took all night to do it. Commissioners debated until almost 3:00 a.m. Friday.
In the end, the commission approved a $6.12 billion budget with only some minor changes to Mayor Carlos Gimenez's original proposals.
Changes to the original budget include saving several projects commissioners wanted to save.
A trimmed-down version of the popular "boot camp" program for reforming young offenders, which was to be cut, was revived in Gimenez's final proposal.
The county's fire-boat program was spared, albeit with a different way of staffing aimed at saving money. Gimenez also agreed to keep the county-run Head Start program under the direct control of county government for the coming year. The mayor had originally proposed turning over the program to outside agencies, saying that would result in more children being served
The new budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 eliminates the controversial tax-rate increase passed a year ago, while closing a $400 million budget shortfall.
On the campaign trail this summer, Gimenez had pledged to reverse last year's tax rate increase and reduce the numbers of county departments from 42 to 25. Friday's early morning vote means he's made good on both of those commitments.
But it's still not over. The county is still negotiating with county's police, fire and eight other unions. The budget depends largely on achieving cost savings through concessions from labor unions, including erasing a three percent pay increase enacted last year along with an additional 4 percent pay reduction.
County employee contracts expire Sept. 30 and the budget assumes $239 million in savings from labor union concessions that have yet to be agreed to by employees.
As the hearing began, Gimenez announced that the county had reached its first agreement with two employee groups represented by the Government Supervisors Association of Florida. The organization represents 4,800 of the county's 27,000 employees.
But deals must still be clinched with a host of unions, ranging from the county fire department to water and sewer workers. Gimenez has said he will lay off workers if unions don't agree to concessions by Nov. 1.
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