As Bryan Calvo hits the 100-day mark as mayor of Hialeah, he\u2019s touting early wins\u2014millions in projected savings from government shakeups and stimulus checks for the city\u2019s seniors\u2014and framing them as \u201ccreative\u201d solutions to run the city.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the Miami Herald, he said the over $1.5 million in savings are part of a broader effort to cut costs and redirect funds in a city of nearly 1,500 employees and an annual budget approaching $500 million.<\/p>\n
Sworn in as the city\u2019s youngest mayor in January, Calvo promised a reset in municipal operations, emphasizing efficiency and stricter oversight of spending. His early agenda has included audits, contract reviews and departmental restructuring aimed at reducing inefficiencies and improving accountability.<\/p>\n
As part of that effort, the administration reduced the number of independent departments by merging Risk Management, Grants and Human Services, and Public Libraries into larger units, while also restructuring leadership roles in finance and human resources and creating a new Special Events Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is to ensure that everything is more or less equitable,\u201d Calvo said.<\/p>\n
One of the most visible measures he has taken as mayor is a one-time property-tax stimulus check for senior homeowners earning less than $38,000 a year. The roughly $1.2 million<\/a> program is funded through surplus general fund revenue, driven in part by savings from early pension payments that reduced long-term costs. About 2,225 households, or 6.9% of Hialeah households<\/a> benefited\u2014 with an average rebate of $539.<\/p>\n The measure effectively takes the place of a wider but unsuccessful plan from the previous administration. That earlier proposal would have provided smaller property tax rebates to a significantly larger group of Hialeah\u2019s roughly 32,100 homeowners.<\/p>\n Tackling the water issue<\/p>\n The administration has also identified more than $3 million in unpaid water and sewer bills from 2024 owed by residents, condominiums and businesses, which the city is now working to collect.<\/p>\n At the same time, Hialeah is negotiating its own financial obligations to Miami-Dade County, including a potential settlement in an $18 million water-related debt dispute. Calvo declined to disclose the city\u2019s offer but said it is below $8 million, leaving open whether Mayor Daniella Levine Cava will accept the proposal.<\/p>\n Also, the city advanced an agreement with two companies to launch a smart-meter pilot program aimed at addressing residents\u2019 main concern over average water and sewer bills. The 180-day pilot will be deployed in designated residential and commercial areas across the city and is expected to run at no cost during the testing phase.<\/p>\n No financial deficit<\/p>\n Calvo said Hialeah has reserves and \u201chas no financial deficit,\u201d even as long-term cost pressures remain a concern for residents, employees and city officials.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my opinion, the city benefited for many years from the tax increases that were implemented…. Clearly, there was additional revenue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Those \u201ctax increases\u201d refer to the way Calvo framed his policy agenda, which dates back to his time as a councilman under then-Mayor Esteban \u201cSteve\u201d Bovo. At the time, he advocated during every budget hearing for lowering the property tax rate, arguing that keeping it flat would effectively function as a tax increase for residents in a growing city. But, as Calvo was a political underdog for several years, many his proposals did not gain enough support to move forward.<\/p>\n Hialeah has maintained the same property-tax millage rate for more than 15 years, despite nearly approving a reduction last year during a heated election cycle under former mayor Jacqueline Garc\u00eda-Roves\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n Now, as mayor, Calvo has stopped short of committing to reducing the rate, instead saying any decision will depend on upcoming budget discussions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea is to try to provide relief\u2014or to restore it\u2014to the greatest possible number of people with the most urgent needs,\u201d he said. \u201cAs we move forward with these budget discussions\u2014specifically around the month of September\u2014that decision will be made.\u201d<\/p>\n Calvo says his priority is identifying internal savings before making any changes to fiscal policy, arguing that efficiencies must come first.<\/p>\n \u201cThe task at hand is to generate as many savings as possible,\u201d he said, \u201cso that when that moment arrives, we can ask ourselves: \u2018How can we expand this aid program to reach the widest possible audience?\u2019 That is the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n As Calvo heads into his first full budget cycle, the real question is whether the early savings will last and lead to lasting changes in how the city runs, or whether they\u2019re mostly short-term cuts and accounting shifts made under a new administration.<\/p>\n Governance changes, oversight expansion<\/p>\n Beyond budget measures, Calvo has also moved into administrative and regulatory oversight, creating a new Condominium and Homeowners Association Advisory Task Force<\/a> and a Cuba Business Advisory Task Force.<\/p>\n The condo initiative responds to longstanding complaints from residents\u2014many of them seniors\u2014about deteriorating buildings, rising maintenance fees and mismanagement by condominium boards. With more than 26,000 condominium units in Hialeah, the city is one of the most condo-dense in Miami-Dade County.<\/p>\n While condo enforcement authority remains at the state level, the task force is designed to connect residents with regulators and provide guidance in navigating disputes, a response to what city officials describe as a gap between residents and enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n