Miami-Dade appropriations committee approves consulting audit, defers payment-fee vote and clears fleet, CRA and homeless spending

Miami-Dade County’s newly created Appropriations Committee approved a contract for a private consulting firm to identify department efficiencies and revenue opportunities, deferred action on a retroactive convenience‑fee increase by the county’s long‑time online payment processor, and approved a package of spending and contract extensions across fleet purchases, community redevelopment agencies and homelessness services during a meeting that opened with questions about fiscal oversight and vendor practices.

The committee — chaired by Chairwoman Cohen Higgins and led in creating the panel by Chairman Anthony Rodriguez — approved an engagement to bring in a large consulting firm to “scrub books, operations, and find savings,” with commissioners saying the work should help the county avoid future tax increases by ensuring existing budgeted dollars are well spent.

Commissioner Gonzales, who led much of the discussion on the item, asked how the engagement differs from a typical efficiency audit. A county official responding “through the chair” said the consultant will seek not only cost‑savings and operational efficiencies but also “opportunities to revenue growth,” including department‑by‑department work where appropriate. The item names a large consulting firm with past county experience; committee members cited the firm’s work with Jackson Health System and a referenced $160,000,000 savings there as part of the justification for contracting the firm.

Commissioners also discussed how the consultant will be paid. County staff said the intent is to negotiate an at‑risk, performance‑based contract in which the firm would receive a one‑time fee tied to realized savings rather than an ongoing percentage of recurring savings. Commissioner Steinberg and others asked for the agreement to be structured so any payment to the consultant is a one‑time share of the…