Miami commissioners gave preliminary approval this month to a $3.7 billion spending plan that would push the city\u2019s General Fund to a record of nearly $1.3 billion next year. A final vote is scheduled for Sept. 24.<\/p>\n
So, who gets the extra money?<\/p>\n
The answer starts with public safety.<\/p>\n
The General Fund \u2014 the pot of money that pays for most day-to-day city services \u2014 would grow by nearly $73 million, or about 6%, from the budget commissioners adopted a year ago.<\/p>\n
The Spotlight compared Mayor Eileen Higgins\u2019 proposed budget with that spending plan to see which departments would receive the largest increases in General Fund dollars.<\/p>\n
Here are the top five:<\/p>\n
1. Fire-Rescue: $23.8 million more<\/p>\n
Miami Fire-Rescue\u2019s General Fund budget would rise $23.8 million, or 8.8%, to nearly $295 million.<\/p>\n
Nearly $22 million \u2014 more than 90% of the increase \u2014 would go to personnel costs, including about $8.5 million more for Fire-Rescue\u2019s contribution to the police and fire pension system and nearly $7 million more for the firefighters\u2019 health insurance trust.<\/p>\n
Overall, Fire-Rescue\u2019s overtime budget would rise by about $2 million, or 10%, to $22 million. A $6.1 million increase in staffing overtime would be largely offset by reductions in other overtime categories within the department.<\/p>\n
2. Police: $22.2 million more<\/p>\n
The Miami Police Department is close behind, with its General Fund budget growing from about $416 million to nearly $438 million \u2014 an increase of $22.2 million, or 5.3%.<\/p>\n
About 93% of that increase \u2014 $20.6 million \u2014 is for personnel, including roughly $8.1 million more for the pension system, $5 million more in regular salaries and $2.6 million more for the police health insurance trust.<\/p>\n
Together, Police and Fire-Rescue would receive $45.9 million of the General Fund\u2019s $73 million increase \u2014 about 63 cents of every additional dollar.<\/p>\n
Combined spending on the two departments would reach $732.5 million, more than 56% of the General Fund.<\/p>\n
3. General Services Administration: $8.5 million more<\/p>\n
GSA, which maintains city buildings and vehicles and provides a range of internal services, would appear to be one of the budget\u2019s biggest winners. But much of that increase reflects a City Hall reorganization.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, 32 marina employees were transferred from Real Estate and Asset Management to GSA, accounting for much of GSA\u2019s increase and the Real Estate department\u2019s $5 million-plus decline.<\/p>\n
4. Parks and Recreation: $3.1 million more<\/p>\n
Parks and Recreation would receive an additional $3.1 million, bringing its General Fund budget from $66.1 million to $69.3 million.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a 4.7% increase \u2014 less than the 6% growth in the General Fund overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The budget adds money for contractual services, repairs and maintenance, supplies and seasonal workers. Parks also transferred six positions to the City Manager\u2019s Office earlier this year.<\/p>\n
5. City Attorney: $3.1 million more<\/p>\n
The City Attorney\u2019s Office rounds out the top five.<\/p>\n
Its General Fund budget would rise from just under $16 million to $19 million \u2014 an increase of about $3.1 million, or 19.2%, one of the largest percentage increases among major City Hall offices.<\/p>\n
But, as with GSA, much of the increase reflects money being moved from elsewhere in the city budget. About $2.2 million for outside legal services would be transferred from a citywide account to the City Attorney\u2019s Office, which manages those payments.<\/p>\n
The office is not adding positions. The budget also includes about $241,000 for salary increases, mostly raises for non-bargaining employees.<\/p>\n
There are few significant losers. Code Compliance is essentially flat, Risk Management falls by about $154,000, and the $5.3 million decline in Real Estate and Asset Management largely reflects the transfer of marina operations to GSA.<\/p>\n
Instead, another year of rising property-tax collections gives the city room to spend more across much of City Hall. Property taxes are projected to bring the General Fund about $691 million next year.<\/p>\n
Personnel accounts for much of the additional spending. Salaries and benefits would rise by another $46.4 million, to $972 million \u2014 nearly two-thirds of the General Fund\u2019s entire $73 million increase.<\/p>\n
There is one more increase worth noting.<\/p>\n
It belongs to the office of the mayor who proposed the budget.<\/p>\n
During last year\u2019s campaign, Higgins repeatedly called for a \u201cdeep-dive\u201d into city finances to determine \u201cwhat the heck is going on\u201d with spending that had risen sharply even as Miami\u2019s population remained relatively flat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her first proposed budget would increase spending on the Mayor\u2019s Office from $3.61 million to $4.07 million.<\/p>\n
The additional $458,000 wouldn\u2019t put the Mayor\u2019s Office among the biggest winners in dollar terms.<\/p>\n
But it amounts to a 12.7% increase \u2014 more than twice the rate of growth of the General Fund overall.<\/p>\n
The office would remain at 20 full-time positions.<\/p>\n
Commissioners are scheduled to take their final vote on the budget Sept. 24.<\/p>\n