Miami-Dade commissioners weigh sheriff funding, transit cuts in proposed budget

Miami-Dade County commissioners are deciding how to spend a proposed $14.3 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, including how much funding will go to the sheriff’s office and public transit during a Thursday night meeting.Commissioners are working to balance the budget while keeping services in place without raising taxes.“The problem that we have this year is that we have had to be able to balance a budget, make sure that we try to continue our services and not increasing taxes, that’s my priority,” County Commissioner Rene Garcia said.One of the major sticking points is funding for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz is asking for an additional 6% in funding, on top of the roughly $55 million increase already proposed.Cordero-Stutz says she needs at least $1 billion to operate the office and hire more deputies.“Without the requesting funding there will be no additional hires, zero,” Cordero-Stutz said.Under the proposed budget, the sheriff’s office would receive about $1.2 billion. But Cordero-Stutz says that would not cover the office’s operational needs, including new deputies, 911 call takers, dispatchers and investigative personnel.“Under the proposed funding, the consecuencia are immediate, all 6.5 academy classes currently scheduled for next year will be cancelled. That means we will not be bringing in the new deputies we desperately need,” she said.Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, however, says her proposed budget fully funds the sheriff’s office and its needs, including money to hire 200 new positions.Commissioners say they’re working toward a compromise.“What we are saying is we are closing up those vacant, we all want to support the sheriff, we want her to bring in new recruits, and I think we will come to a middle ground,” Commissioner Raquel Regalado said.Another major issue is public transit.Miami-Dade residents have pushed back against proposed bus service cuts.Ahead of the final vote, Levine Cava said her administration moved money around to help protect early-morning bus service.Late-night routes could still be at risk.Garcia said one option could be a small fee increase, which he said has not happened in more than 13 years.“Apply maybe a small fee increase, which we have not seen in over 13 years. So it’s important to balance all those things out, and hopefully we will be able to keep the system where it is right now. There may be some reductions, but at the end of the day, the early morning routes is what we need to protect and save,” Garcia said.Regalado said she has also proposed changes to MetroConnect that she says could free up millions of dollars for bus service.“I brought an item from MetroConnect that’s also in this proposal that actually flips the way we do MetroConnect. That would save us potentially $3.5 million that we can now apply to the buses,” Regalado said.

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