Miami council approves slate for Senior Center 501(c)(3) board amid debate over financial controls

The Miami City Council on Oct. 21 approved a slate of nominees to serve on the Miami Senior Center’s 501(c)(3) board, with the vote recorded as contingent on the nonprofit’s own approval at its annual meeting.

The decision came after more than an hour of discussion focused on whether the senior center’s nonprofit board should operate independently from the city and how the center’s fundraising and grant receipts are managed. Council members and staff debated auditors’ concerns about the city’s current role in handling nonprofit funds and how small United Way payments factor into the arrangement.

Council members discussed the nonprofit’s bylaws, which currently require at least one city council member to serve as a director; the council said the 501(c)(3) board would have to vote at its annual meeting to change that provision. The council voted to approve the list of nominees contingent on the nonprofit’s…