Miami commissioners approved a record $3.7 billion budget Sept. 24 after a last-minute amendment reversed proposed cuts to festival funding that directly affected Coconut Grove events.

The amendment restored citywide festival and special-event funding to roughly its current level of $3.43 million. The proposed budget had reduced that figure to $1.99 million and eliminated individual allocations for dozens of events, a change first reported by the Coconut Grove Spotlight before the final budget hearing.

The restored money was divided among Miami's five commission districts. District 2, which includes Coconut Grove, received $210,000, while District 5 received $1.45 million.

District 4 Commissioner Ralph "Rafael" Rosado questioned the disparity during the final hearing.

"There shouldn't be a million-dollar gap between us," Rosado said.

Unlike previous budgets, the amendment did not identify which individual festivals would receive money or how much each would receive. Instead, commissioners were given discretion over how to distribute their districts' allocations.

Goombay funding no longer guaranteed

The change carried particular significance in Coconut Grove.

The Miami Goombay Festival, the neighborhood's annual celebration of Bahamian culture, received $143,000 in city funding in the previous budget year, WLRN reported. That amount represented roughly two-thirds of District 2's entire $210,000 festival allocation under the new budget, according to the Spotlight's budget analysis.

Because the adopted budget did not guarantee funding to individual events, the amount the Goombay Festival would receive had not been determined.

Kimberly Davis, president of the Coconut Grove Optimist Club, urged commissioners during public comment to continue supporting the annual celebration of Coconut Grove's Bahamian heritage.

Property tax rate stays flat as revenue rises

The city's combined property tax rate remained at 7.3616 mills, including 7.108 mills for general operations and 0.2536 mills for debt service.

Despite the unchanged rate, rising taxable property values were expected to push General Fund property-tax revenue to about $691 million, roughly $43 million more than budgeted in the previous year.

The final General Fund totaled about $1.3 billion, an increase of roughly $74 million.

Personnel expenses accounted for about 77% of General Fund spending.

Late amendment raised transparency concerns

The budget amendment was dated Sept. 23, the day before the final hearing, and was not publicly available before commissioners met.

For more than a week, the commission agenda had referenced an exhibit detailing changes to the budget, but the online file contained a placeholder indicating the material would be substituted and distributed later.

The Spotlight reported that it began requesting the exhibit four days before the vote and followed up repeatedly. The city acknowledged the request but did not provide the document before the hearing. A Spotlight reporter obtained a copy from the city clerk after commissioners adjourned.

The amendment also distributed $10.5 million in anticipated savings from vacant or frozen positions across city departments. The morning before the vote, a city spokesperson told the Spotlight that the specific positions and departmental allocations had not been finalized.

The reductions included about $3.75 million from the Building Department, $1.8 million from Parks and Recreation and $954,000 from Police. The General Services Administration accounted for another roughly $1.04 million.

Altogether, departmental appropriations were reduced by about $11.1 million, including the $10.5 million in previously identified attrition savings and an additional $611,000 in attrition savings.

The final budget hearing lasted 53 minutes.

$450 million bond heads to Nov. 3 ballot

Miami voters will face a separate fiscal question Nov. 3.

A $450 million general obligation bond measure to finance police and fire-rescue facilities will appear on the ballot. The commission approved placing the measure before voters in a 3-2 vote on July 9.

Commissioners Rolando Escalona, Ralph "Rafael" Rosado and Miguel Gabela voted in favor. Commissioners Damian Pardo and Christine King voted against the measure.

The bonds would finance repairs and replacements of deteriorating police and fire-rescue facilities, including new fire stations and a new public safety headquarters.

City documents estimated that repaying $450 million in borrowing could ultimately cost about $795 million, including principal, interest and issuance costs. The ballot measure would cap the debt millage used to repay the bonds at 0.5935 mills.

The city's capital plan identified about $1.8 billion in capital spending, while previous budget analysis identified a substantial amount of projects without an identified funding source.

The bond referendum will be held alongside the Nov. 3 general election.

Key Biscayne voters will also choose three Village Council members that day. Four candidates remained in the race as of Oct. 1: incumbents Oscar Sardiñas and Fernando Vazquez, former Councilman Luis "Lucho" de la Cruz and Silvia Tarafa.

Claire London had qualified for the race but withdrew her candidacy Sept. 25.

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election is Monday, Oct. 5.