Intergovernmental and Economic Impact Committee - Regular Meeting

Would everyone please take their seats? We're going to begin now. Thank you. I'm going to ask my dear colleague Commissioner Gonzalez to lead us in prayer and then Commissioner Cohen-Higgins to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. If you can all bow your heads. Lord, thank you for this wonderful day that you've given us, Lord. We pray that you please bless everybody in attendance, that you bless every commissioner up here in this committee and in all committees, all the directors of Miami-Dade County. Lord, let your will be done and let every decision we make and everything that we do be for your glory and for the betterment of the people of Miami-Dade County. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Good morning, everyone. So, Mr. Attorney, at this time, would it be appropriate to extend the reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard?

Okay, I don't have any cards for non-public hearing items. So is there anyone who wishes to address the commission for the non-public hearing item? Seeing none, then we will entertain a motion to set the agenda.

I believe you filled out a public hearing card. I don't know if you're, do you know the item number that you are speaking on?

No, no, you may. You have two minutes. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Jose. So seeing no further public input, we're ready to set the agenda, correct, attorney?

Thank you. Second. I have a motion by Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, seconded by Commissioner Gonzalez. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Okay, so are there any matters? Just so that everyone knows, I'm going to take up the discussion items at the end of the meeting. So we're going to move towards the public hearing item 1G1. Would it be appropriate to move to public hearing item 1G1 now?

Perfect. So public hearing is now open if anyone wishes to speak on Item 1G1. Seeing none, so the public hearing is now closed. Do I have a motion on 1G1 and any discussion? Second. So I have a motion by Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, seconded by Commissioner Gonzales. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. So colleagues, now would you like to bifurcate any of the items on the agenda for discussion? No? So do I have a motion to approve the agenda? Thank you. Second. I have a motion by Commissioner Gonzales, seconded by Commissioner Cohen-Higgins. All in favor? Aye. Okay, so I also have a request to waive 3B, 3C, and 3D to the July 21st BCC meeting. Are there any other requests to waive onto the meeting? Okay. Is there anything else remaining, County Attorney, on the agenda?

Okay, very good. Then we'll move to the discussion item. So we have a budget presentation by the Internal Compliance Department. If you're ready, you may approach.

Thank you so much. You're recognized, Director.

Thank you, director. Are there any questions of the director on her presentation? Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to our director, I appreciate the presentation on the slides. I'm looking through my papers here. Do you have a printout of that presentation for us so that we may have a copy on the dais? And at our previous hearings where I know a number of departments, if not all major departments, have been giving presentations. I previously mentioned on Monday that I know that the charge from the administration was to keep all departmental budgets at no greater than a 3% increase year over year. Does your budget reflect that charge and that mandate? Yes, it does. Okay, thank y

Thank you. Any further questions? Seeing none, thank you so much, Director, for your presentation. Now we'll hear from the Strategic Procurement Department.

Good morning, Director. You're recognized.

Thank you, director. Are there any questions of the director in our presentation? Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. To the director, and Namara, this is for you and for the previous director that gave a presentation. What was it that you were asked to present to us today? A budget presentation? I'm not being facetious, I'm not being sarcastic. Was the request a budget presentation? That's my understanding of what was to be presented was a budget presentation, or am I wrong? Maybe I'm wrong. Chief, you're recognized.

So I appreciate that, but here's the reason I'm asking because we've just had two, but I mean on our agenda, it says discussion item regarding the proposed fiscal year 2627 budget presentations and then it lists the department. We've just had two presentations devoid of any numbers whatsoever. There's not a number that has been presented. We're talking about accomplishments, but we're not talking about numbers in a budget presentation. So I'm just not sure that I'm understanding whether or not the presentations Meet the request that has been made, and I understand that the budget will be print

Your department budget is at $53 million.

And that is within or below the 3% chart from last year to this year?

Okay, and thank you for that. And if the director on the ICD department can approach and share. Again, I'm not trying to get into any details before the actual budget is printed, but I think macro numbers are appropriate during a budget presentation. ICD, if you don't mind approaching, I have a few questions.

Sure. I understand that. Thank you for clarifying. Thank you. Welcome back. What is your budget?

And on your debt collections page of your presentation, you have here 11%. I'm sorry if you went over that previously, but what does that mean, the 11%?

So I'm sorry, and I appreciate the explanation, but I still don't understand. What does the 11% represent?

I see. We've collected in advance. $24 million. You've collected 11% above that? Yes. I understand, okay. All right, thank you for clarifying that. Okay. Nothing further, Madam Chair. Any other questions?

Yes, Commissioner Gonzalez, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess we'll start with you. You did mention that there's a 3% reduction, is that correct?

Can you explain what the 3% reduction is attributed to?

So it's 7%. So it would be 4%. So what is that 4% that you're not counting on? What specifically are... what specifically is the department cutting to avoid that excessive four percent growth

OK. And so just to be clear, as the chief stated, you are growing by 3% instead of 7%. Okay, thank you. And Namida, if you can come up, because you also mentioned that you folks were able to eliminate 50 positions. And then so what is the, I guess the 4% savings that you folks, what is that attributed to?

OKAY. SO YOUR GROWTH IS ONLY GOING TO BE BY 3% AS WELL?

VICE CHAIRMAN, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED. THANK YOU. MY QUESTION IS FOR YOU, OPHELIA. WHAT IS THE SIZE OF YOUR DEPARTMENT?

I know you kind of were touching that right now, but I don't know if you gave us the number. And then as you're looking for that number, what percentage, what's the breakdown between your operating and your personnel costs? I'll give you that right now. Thank you.

On that, what's the anticipated time? Transition date?

Okay, so we should be able to see those numbers reflected in the budget.

And so you're 50-50? You're operating... Just over 50, but yes. 50% is personnel costs and... Okay. And do you know how much of that you will offload once it moves over to the clerk's office?

Okay. All right, well, thank you. I think this presentation would be helpful to have a breakdown of what you're anticipating is going to be shifted away from your department. I think that would be helpful for us to be able to see what we're actually looking at as we look into the budget that's going to be presented. I think that information you gave was very helpful and it would have been good to have it. So if we can have that. updated in this presentation you gave us and this one. It would be good to know that the shift in the department and how it will look after that transition is done.

No, but you can come up as well. I have questions for both of you. So we'll start out with vacancies, which has always been a pet peeve of mine in budgeting. So some of you both of you said you were obviously reducing personnel. Do you have a schedule of the remaining vacancies that you have in an aging for those vacancies? You don't have to have them now, but do you have it?

You do have it. So I'd like to see those. I'm collecting them for all the departments that are making budget presentations. It's important for me to see the aging, because you may have gotten rid of some of the vacancies, but I want to I will need to know how you justify keeping any vacancy in your budget that is greater than 90 days. Okay, so that's just giving you full warning on that. Namida, you talked about the constitutional officers in your presentation. I'm a little confused. So how much of, because we've heard from the constitutional officers on Monday. How much of what you're doing,

Sorry to interrupt. I'm referring to who your customers are, and you had constitutional officers as your customers, so I'm trying to... Yes, so sheriff's office... ...as you're giving to which constitutional officers would be helpful for us to...

Okay, so it'll be helpful for us when you can give us the numbers as to what the value of that service that you're giving them, because then I'm going to ask them what are they doing on their end as well. So I also wanted to talk with you, Namita, about the Strip Committee. So their recommendations, when will those be presented to us?

That's a great question. I'm not quite sure. It's been a question I've been asking since apparently you've all been doing your work. And it's the one place that I love to drill down on, which is procurement. As you know, as we have seen some of the procurement processes be questioned, I've had concerns about how we procure things. So it's important for me to understand the work of the Strip Committee, its recommendations, and whether or not there were any savings as a result of their recommendations. Because I'm hopeful that not only were we increasing efficiency by having created a Strip Comm

So hopefully someone will be able to tell me when I'm going to see those recommendations. That's one question. The other, you mentioned, Namra, that when you were evaluating systems, you mentioned that many don't speak to each other. I'd like a listing. I was a member of the House's IT committee when we did this work and I thought it was a very useful exercise to understand where are the deficits in our IT systems or in any system that doesn't speak to each other. So I'd like a list of all of the systems that are not speaking to each other. And if they are speaking to a system, which ones? I t

Okay. Yeah, no, just the ones you were referring to. Okay, yes. Because I find it curious that we know that they don't speak to each other. So it is a known fact that we're inefficient, and that's costing us money. So I'd like to know which ones those are. In addition, you mentioned in your proposal, under your priority initiatives, you had budgetary impact. And, you know, I see that there's no budget impact. Where do I see savings? I don't hear savings. Let me tell you why I ask this question. When the governor's budget would come to my committee, I said, great, thank you. Then I would meet w

That means that what we were spending, so let's assume I was spending $100 million last year. Is there anywhere where you can tell me in that $100 million budget that you were able to achieve some savings?

So your budget contemplates eliminating 50 positions? Okay. So that means, were those filled positions? Yes. So have they been terminated or you just moved them to another department?

You see where I'm going, right? Yeah. It makes zero sense to me to tell me that you eliminated 50 positions, but then I find out that those 50 people are somewhere else in the budget through the chair.

It doesn't undermine the savings. No, no, I appreciate that very much. However, you know me, truth in budgeting, you're going to hear me say this until we're done. The public deserves to know that that's what you did, right? The public deserves to know that you, one, eliminated vacancies, if they were vacancies. Two, if you had to terminate people, how many left the county and how many did you place in another position within the county? Because in fact, I don't know that that's called a savings. That's called a transfer in my book, in my accounting book. So you have to be very clear when you'

That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I should not have to ask this question is what I'm saying. You should be very clear. We're moving people to the clerk and the clerk's going to need that very money that was in my budget is now going to his budget. So again, it's not a savings. You see where I'm going? This is why the public, listen, I'm just stressed that we are not transparent with every one of these details. because that's what the public is requiring and they deserve. And certainly my colleagues and myself need to, in order to make a decision, in order to go out there and tell the publi

Thank you, Madam Chair. And if I could get the directors to come up for one second as well, because I think the Chair makes a great point. And so that's kind of the reason why I started off by asking the difference between that 3% to 7%. I thought it was 6%, that's why I asked for the 3% reduction, because in reality, We're not really reducing we're still growing by 3%. So I'm going to. To echo the sentiments of of the chair. Comparing it to the state is one of the reasons why I've always been a fan. Vicky Lopez right. The governor. For the entire time that he's been governor right. And specif

Thank you chief and you know I I appreciate that explanation and I also want to I also want to point out that you know I did meet with you and Mister Baker and the mayor and I know you guys have been working very hard I do and I recognize that you've been working very hard. I guess I think the hesitation that we're seeing from the board members up here in this committee in particular and I think other board members as well is the projection has always been for growth. And thank you for explaining it so eloquently. I understand where you're coming from, but the projection is always growth, rath

I will just say before I recognize Commissioner Cohen-Higgins that not only were we able to save money at the state, we were able to put money in reserve, which is critically important. And currently, as we face what could be a severe reduction of revenues with the property tax reform constitutional amendment, we should really be thinking about saving for that rainy day because it is here. You're absolutely right, Commissioner Gonzalez. It's raining, and it's going to start storming. And we need to be fiscally responsible. And I know that I think I speak for all of the members of this committe

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I think this is a very important conversation that we're having at this committee. And frankly, I think one that our chairman intended for us to have by having these budget presentations at the committee level. And I think that there needs to be a recognition that things might need to be done differently in Miami-Dade County as a result of the fiscal climate that we are forced to face as a reality. We are accustomed, absent 2008, 2009, the real estate crash. We are accustomed to being flushed with cash, and those days are over. And so I frankly strongly believe that

Clearly, and I'll ask the Chair to give us the authority to call special meetings to drill down on each and every one of the department's budgets. Vice Chairman, you're recognized.

Thank you. Yeah, I wanted to just put some other further questions and some statements on the record. Let me preface by saying that I love our county employees. I've been a county employee for 20 years. There's probably no one up here that understands better what it is to be a county employee and how they are the heartbeat of our community. I would like a breakdown as we enter the budget process of what percentage of our employees are unionized. And not specifically airport, seaport, Jackson, I'm talking about the ones that impact our general fund the most. I think it's important to see that.

I think sometimes we need to do hard things, and letting this moment pass by, just agreeing with what they have right now may not be the best decision.

Yeah, because I would hate for the employees to be impacted in the end, because we don't want to make a tough decision today. That's what I want to avoid. And I've asked you all in our meetings that we've had prior to this for the budget, specifically about the unions. I think it's important to get that straightened out before we have to impact them in the end. What was the COLA last year that was approved for our employees?

So you left it at 4, but you have the option of doing 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.

Okay. Sorry if I shifted. I mean not the unionized employees for non-unionized employees. What was the COLA last year? And this year, were you speaking about non-unionized?

Okay, so just like my colleague, Commissioner Cohen-Higgins said, I think we need to look at what natural growth is and contemplate if it's absolutely necessary.

And I don't want to harp on this. I know we've all said it, but I think we need to contemplate the passage of expanded homestead exemptions. We need to start doing that now. We shouldn't wait until next budget season to plug in those reductions that are more than likely coming our way. It's a reality, and we need to take that into consideration. So thank you, Madam Chair.

Yes, Commissioner Gonzales, you're recognized. And just to piggyback off of what Commissioner Millian-Orbis said, right? Because even if in November the homestead exemption expansion doesn't happen, most of the candidates for governor, especially the front runner, are already contemplating regardless a reduction in homestead exemptions, but even if a hopes that exemption reduction didn't happen. We have a chance to make history and actually reduce government in Miami-Dade County because if we just keep Projecting growth. It's almost like you're budgeting for next year, expecting that you're go

Yes, thank you for that comment, Commissioner Gonzalez. For me and all of us, we are on the ground talking to our constituents and they're tightening their belt and there's absolutely no reason why they should be alone. We should be leading. And I truly believe it. I'm grateful that we can work with the administration. There should be a very close relationship with us trying to figure out where could we suggest and recommend other savings. I think the work of this committee will absolutely help us do just that. Just like we do in the state, we dig deeply into the details of every department's