Council Member Herzberg and colleagues questioned why the town pays roughly $105,000 to provide school crossing guards when the county and the sheriff's office operate similar programs for unincorporated areas and contracted municipalities.

Herzberg asked whether crossing guards had once been voluntary and whether Miami Lakes can change how the service is provided. Deputy Town Manager Tony Lopez told the council he had contacted other municipalities: certain cities contract with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office to receive crossing-guard services under that agreement; other municipalities operate the program directly. Lopez said the sheriff's office program provides crossing-guard services for unincorporated areas and municipalities with contracts and that costs are typically passed through based on direct personnel costs.

Council members asked whether the town could scale the program, reduce the number of posts, or contract out for services. Tony Lopez and other staff said options likely include: 1) continuing the current town-run program, 2) contracting with the sheriff's office (or vendor) to supply guards, or 3) reducing the number of posts/coverage based on need. Council members also asked about the effect of minimum-wage increases and whether the program costs reflect mandated pay changes; staff replied that some budget increases are driven by minimum-wage or pay-policy changes.

Why it matters: crossing-guard funding is a recurring operational cost that primarily benefits schoolchildren but also represents a nontrivial line item in the operating budget; alternatives or efficiencies could reduce general-fund pressure but may change service levels or cost-sharing with the county.

Next steps: staff to provide cost-comparison options (town-operated, sheriff's office contract, vendor) and the service-level implications of any change.