In its final vote, the Miami Lakes council approved a historic low property tax rate.
Mayor Manny Cid and the council voted for the rollback rate of $2.07 per $1,000 of a property’s taxable value during their Sept. 26 meeting.
That levy will generate the same tax revenue as the current year.
It left Town Manager Edward Pidermann with $828,746 less than needed to pay for forecasted expenses in the $20,373,623 general fund budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
A transfer of $499,322 from the $1.8 million Miami Lakes Optimist Park master plan for capital improvements will offset the difference caused by using the rollback rate, the town said.
Councilman Ray Garcia led discussions on giving the Blasting Advisory Board a budget, increasing police services, tree trimming and sidewalk repairs.
Not in the final budget approved by the council was $320,000 to hire and equip two new police officers, which was a goal of the elected officials.
Also not funded was overtime for police traffic and auto burglary prevention teams, new details created this year. That prompted the council to transfer $50,000 previously approved for a study about whether to create a town police force and $17,500 from the park fund to pay overtime for those details until April.
Next year, the council will revisit whether to fund the police study and find money for the special details to continue through the fiscal year.
The proposed budget originally had $40,000 for police overtime to ensure there will be no less than four officers and a supervisor working every shift, an allocation that remained intact.
The council also approved a transfer of $7,500 from park funds to give the Blasting Advisory Board a budget so that it may lobby the state legislature.
Town staff said there was enough money in the spending plan for tree trimming and sidewalk repairs.
Cid said he voted against the general fund budget because two new cops will not be hired.
Vice Mayor Carlos Alvarez was absent.