Miami Gardens elected officials and neighboring municipal leaders used the City Council meeting on Sept. 24 to press residents to attend a county hearing on Oct. 9 about water billing practices by the City of North Miami Beach.

County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert (District 1) told the council that North Miami Beach has been charging higher rates to customers outside its city limits and that the practice violates state and county law. “If they’re going to provide water outside of their city limits, they have to have an agreement with the city,” Gilbert said at the meeting. “They couldn’t arbitrarily charge 20% surcharges anytime they wanted to.”

Gilbert said an ordinance before the Miami-Dade County Commission on Oct. 9 would require North Miami Beach to follow the law or allow the county to step in. He asked Miami Gardens residents and council members to attend that meeting in force. “On October 9, we have an ordinance coming up for final passage…follow the law or the county has the ability to tell you what to do,” Gilbert said.

Michael Joseph, identified at the meeting as mayor of North Miami Beach, outlined a recently passed North Miami Beach water-relief package that includes a 10% discount on water bills for eligible residential customers and a separate credit for customers who sign up for automatic bill pay. Joseph said North Miami Beach staff were present outside the meeting to share information and signups.

Councilwoman Linda Julian said her office is chartering buses to bring Miami Gardens residents to the Oct. 9 county hearing. “On October 9, we are asking that you come and that you get your voices heard,” Julian said, announcing a 7:45 a.m. meeting point at Miami Gardens City Hall and flyers available through local volunteers.

The issue drew repeated emphasis from Gilbert, who framed the dispute as years-long and urged residents to attend the county meeting to support enforcement of existing rules. “That would have brought that type of fairness,” Gilbert said of past legislative efforts; he described the county ordinance as an enforcement mechanism.

No formal action on water provider oversight or an interlocal agreement was taken by the Miami Gardens City Council during the Sept. 24 meeting. The council did approve a separate set of agenda items and budget measures that were handled later in the evening.

Why it matters: The billing practices under dispute affect Miami Gardens residents’ household costs and, according to Gilbert, the local economy’s competitiveness. Council and county attention to the issue could result in changes to how outside customers are billed if the county ordinance is adopted.

What’s next: The Miami-Dade County Commission is scheduled to consider the ordinance on Oct. 9; Councilwoman Julian said buses will depart from City Hall that morning for residents who want to attend.