Miami Lakes Auxiliary Affairs Committee keeps $30,500 senior services budget, approves $38,500 wish list for council review

Members of the Auxiliary Affairs Committee voted to approve the committee’s recommended operating budget for senior programming and to forward a larger “wish” request to town council for consideration.

The committee approved a $30,500 “need” budget that allocates funds across recurring senior-services line items and then approved a $38,500 “wish” list that asks the council to consider additional items and higher amounts for certain programs.

Under the approved need budget, the committee set these line-item amounts: $500 for community forums; $12,000 for meet-and-eat/bingo programming; $8,000 for senior field trips; and $10,000 for senior socials (theme parties). The committee said the need total matches the amount historically provided to the committee; sponsors and other revenue were discussed as partially offsetting some line items.

Committee members then approved the wish list, which adds roughly $8,000 to the need allocation: the wish totals $38,500 with increases including $3,000 more for meet-and-eat and $2,000 more for senior field trips and a higher senior social line item, among other items.

The committee also set a field-trip per-person budget for a planned theater outing. Members agreed to a $25 per-person cap to cover entry and a snack (popcorn or similar); the committee estimated attendance in the dozens and discussed renting a bus with a lift for mobility needs. The committee recorded that $25 per person times a notional 60 participants would amount to about $1,500 in total cost.

Several procedural points were raised during budget discussion: committee members reviewed past actual spending, discussed which line items are provided by sponsors (and therefore can be listed as $0 in the budget worksheet), and reviewed the committee’s obligation to submit budget requests by the town’s deadlines. Staff said final townwide budget approvals occur in late September; committee allocations remain subject to council decisions.

A voice vote approved the need budget and, separately, the wish list. During the vote the chair called for those in favor; no nays were recorded and the motions were declared passed.

Next steps: staff will present the approved numbers to the town budget process and will notify committee members about the schedule for any budget hearings where the committee can speak to the request.