Miami-Dade County Intergovernmental and Economic Impact Committee Meeting – July 15, 2026

The Miami-Dade County Intergovernmental and Economic Impact Committee (IEIC) met on July 15, 2026, to consider a public hearing on rule changes, approve multiple resolutions, and receive budget presentations from the Internal Compliance Department and Strategic Procurement Department. The committee forwarded most items to the full Board of County Commissioners (BCC) with favorable recommendations. Discussions focused on the proposed FY 2026-27 budget, departmental growth, the definition of savings, and the need for greater transparency and fiscal discipline in light of potential property tax reform.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jose Aldi (Hialeah resident): Stated that the County's Cultural Affairs department awards $200 million in grants but Hialeah received only $50,000. He argued that grants disproportionately benefit well-funded organizations, neglecting low-income, predominantly Spanish-speaking communities like Hialeah. He urged the committee to ensure equity in grant distribution and to make extra efforts to include disenfranchised communities.

Public Hearing

• Item 1G1 (Ordinance amending Rules of Procedure): Prime sponsored by Commissioner Marleine Bastien, co-sponsored by Sen. Rene Garcia, revises notification requirements by the County Mayor or designee to district commissioners on certain administrative matters. The public hearing was opened and closed with no speakers. The committee voted 3-0 to forward it to the BCC with a favorable recommendation. (Adopted on first reading 9-0 on June 2, 2026.)

Discussion Items

• Budget Presentations:
  • Internal Compliance Department (ICD) – Director Ophelia Tamayo presented: ICD's proposed budget is approximately $72 million, though a large portion (enterprise resource planning divisions) will transfer to the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller effective August 3, 2026. Accomplishments include an 11% increase in debt collections (collecting $21 million to date against a $24 million budget target), 52 review reports completed, and implementing AI for collections and reviews. Challenges include a legacy code enforcement system, workforce capacity (recruitment, retention, retirements), and competing priorities. The department kept its growth to no more than 3% per administration's directive.
  • Strategic Procurement Department (SPD) – Director Namiara Upal presented: SPD's proposed budget is $53 million (including the real estate transition from PIOD). Accomplishments include using in-house AI tools recognized by NACO, certifying 449 procurement professionals, conducting 359 vendor events reaching 24,000 participants, and processing $5.4 billion in contracts (179 items) in 2025. Key initiatives: reducing small business certification requirements from over 60 to 30 (cutting processing time by 50%), reducing procurement cycle times (under $5M: 90–120 days; over $5M: 120–150 days), and creating an online procurement status dashboard. The department eliminated 50 positions through the merger with Small Business Services and achieved a 3% growth rate.
  • Committee Discussion: Commissioners (Cohen Higgins, Lopez, Gonzalez, Orbis) expressed concerns that the presentations lacked specific budget numbers and focused on accomplishments rather than financial details. They questioned the definition of “savings” when positions were transferred rather than eliminated. Chairwoman Lopez emphasized the need for transparency and honest accounting, comparing to state-level budget cuts. The Chief of Staff explained that natural growth (COLA, step increases, inflation) averages 9%, and departments were asked to cut to 3% growth due to a 4.2% revenue increase. Commissioners committed to working with the administration to find additional savings and prepare for potential property tax reform.

Key Outcomes

• Item 1G1 (Ordinance on notification rules): Passed 3-0 and forwarded to BCC.
• Item 2A (Resolution extending property tax rolls): Forwarded 3-0 to BCC.
• Item 2B Substitute (Resolution amending investment policy): Forwarded 3-0 to BCC. (Original item 2B was withdrawn.)
• Item 3A (Omni CRA amended FY 2025-26 budget of $73,064,289): Forwarded 3-0 to BCC.
• Items 3B, 3C, 3D (IC3 advisory services agreement for $2,024,106; Animal Services exchange agreement amendment increasing County contribution up to $3,000,000 plus $1,000,000 contingency; and Harris Field Park license for $1/year): All forwarded 3-0 to BCC, with a request to waive these items to the July 21, 2026 BCC meeting.
• Item 6A (Clerk's summary of minutes for IEIC meetings of April 15, May 13, and June 10, 2026): Approved 3-0.
• Discussion item (1F1) – Budget presentations were received; no formal vote. Committee members (Lopez, Cohen Higgins, Gonzalez, Orbis) expressed intent to hold special meetings for deeper budget review and to work with the administration to identify savings beyond the 3% growth cap.
• The meeting adjourned following the discussion.