The Miami Lakes council kept the town tax rate flat in its first vote on the levy for property owners.
During the first budget hearing held on Sept. 12, the elected officials set the millage rate at 2.0732 for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
It’s the same millage rate as the current budget year. It will cost $2.07 per every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.
Though the levy was not increased, a taxpayer may pay more if the value of a property has gone up.
Mayor Manny Cid wanted to cut the millage rate by 3%, which could further slash the town’s essential services and marquee events and create a deficit of $289,604, according to staff estimates.
Cid repeated past complaints about having both a town manager and a deputy town manager and suggested removing one of those salaries from the budget.
He didn’t complain about job performances.
Cid also recommended eliminating contracts that “weren’t procured” to make up the deficit from his proposed rollback.
Councilman Luis Collazo pushed back against more cuts.
“We have nipped and tucked this budget significantly to the point where we are now getting creative … and we’re teetering on things that are not legal or are improper and furthermore, eroding the viability of the budget that you may inherit,” he told the council.
Collazo reminded Vice Mayor Tony Fernandez that this would be an austere budget that he or Councilman Josh Dieguez would be stuck with – both men are candidates for mayor.
“The tightening of the belt has come with a significant cost,” Collazo said.
Collazo told the council that if Town Manager Edward Pidermann was let go without cause, he would be paid severance. That would be 16 weeks of pay from Pidermann’s annual $220,000 salary and unused vacation and sick time.
During the last spending cycle the town had to move nearly $499,322 from the Miami Lakes Optimist Park fund to the general fund to balance the budget.
If millage was cut another 3%, Pidermann said it would mean no police overtime details for traffic enforcement, auto theft prevention and the “Grinch Busters,” officers who patrol shopping centers looking for thieves during the holiday season.
This year the town will use surplus funds from reserves to balance the spending plan.
The Town of Miami Lakes has the fourth lowest millage rate in Miami-Dade County.
Fernandez and Councilman Ray Garcia joined Cid’s motion to further cut the millage rate but it failed to pass. Council members Collazo, Dieguez, Marilyn Ruano and Bryan Morera dissented.
Collazo, Dieguez, Ruano and Morera voted to adopt the 2.0732 millage rate and the proposed general fund budget of $21.6 million, with Cid, Fernandez and Garcia dissenting.
Over 51% of that will fund the town’s contract with the county for police protection.
Services reduced or cut last year and likely in 2024-2025 include tree trimming; mowing and fertilizing lawns in parks and fewer flowers planted in beds in along right of ways.
The final budget hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on Sept. 26 at Town Hall, 6601 Main St.