Miami’s proposed spending plan: more building inspectors, return of Goombay Festival

In stark contrast to the austerity that marked the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Florida, the city of Miami’s plan for spending more than $1 billion in public funds next year includes funding for parades, fireworks displays, more cops, new building inspectors and body cameras for code inspectors.

The city administration’s proposed $1.3 billion budget for the upcoming budget year, which begins Oct. 1, reflects a rebounding economy without a major hit to property values, a key factor in keeping governments’ finances healthy. As a result, City Manager Art Noriega wrote in his budget message that the city does not have to make cuts — or raise taxes.

“In a welcome change from our previous budget, the city’s proposed spending plan for the coming fiscal year does not anticipate any service cuts or city employee layoffs; rather, it includes the restoration of key city services impacted by COVID-19 and the addition of new public safety positions to safeguard our community,” Noriega said.

The proposed budget will be debated and could change before two public hearings in September, when commissioners will make the final decisions on how to spend public dollars.

EVENTS

The current plan places some marquee city-sponsored events back on the calendar, including public celebrations on New Year’s Eve and July 4th, the Three Kings Parade and the Gay8 Festival.

The budget also includes $40,000 for the Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove, an event that celebrates Bahamian culture and has not been held in several years.

MORE INSPECTORS

The city also wants to hire more than two dozen new building inspectors. Administrators said the request to beef up the city’s building inspection staff was being discussed even before the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside on June 24, but the disaster further highlights the need.

“I’ve not been shy about letting it be known that we need additional staff,” said Building Director Asael “Ace” Marrero, in an interview this week.

In the current year’s budget, Marrero secured 10 additional staffers for the unsafe-structures division. Before this year, that division had only one inspector for the whole city.

The plan also funds 16 new police officers and 13 new fire-rescue positions.

VENTURE MIAMI

Another $3 million would go toward an expansion of Noriega’s office for an initiative called “Venture Miami,” a team that would include 12 new city jobs.

In February, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez tweeted a picture of a what appeared to be repurposed city office space for the team “that will steer the course of the Miami Tech Movement.”

In the tweet, Suarez said he had named Saif Ishoof, Florida International University’s vice president of engagement, as Venture Miami’s leader. As part of a partnership with the Knight Foundation, venture capitalist Melissa Krinzman is serving as the “VC-in-Residence” on the team.

This week, Noriega told the Miami Herald that specifics about the initiative’s long-term plans are still being discussed.

“That is just a placeholder in the budget for now,” Noriega said. “Details are still being worked out with the mayor and the commissioners. It most likely will be finalized with much more detail by the end of August.”

WHAT ABOUT PROPERTY TAXES?

On July 22, commissioners voted to maintain the same property-tax rate for the upcoming budget year, at $7.99 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. They set a ceiling for a rate that can be lowered before the budget receives final approval in September, but the rate cannot easily be raised.

Increased property values mean a flat propertytax rate will still translate into a slightly high bill for a typical Miami homeowner.

Under the rate, the owner of a median home valued at about $175,700 would pay about $1,024 in property taxes. That marks about a $20 increase from the last budget year, assuming the owner qualified for the standard homestead exemption and the home’s assessed value increased by 1.4%, the maximum allowed by law this year for an owner-occupied home.