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Miami Beach staff present balanced 2026 budget proposal while urging more cuts and prioritization
Summary
City staff presented a balanced preliminary 2026 budget that keeps millage flat for a third straight year, preserves multi-month reserves and shifts more dollars to capital. Commissioners pressed administration to find additional recurring efficiencies and debated which commission priorities to fund in a tight year.
City staff presented a preliminary operating and capital budget update Wednesday that keeps the city's combined millage flat for a third consecutive year while reallocating some of the growth in taxable value into capital projects.
The administration said July 1 property valuations held at a 6.9% increase overall, with much of that driven by new construction rather than existing values. The report showed an additional $1.6 million flowing into the general fund because community redevelopment areas increased at a lower rate than the citywide value.
"This budget shows public safety ... continues to be amongst our highest priorities," Commissioner Magazine said in opening remarks. The administration also reported the general fund and resort tax reserves exceed the commission's goal (three months and six months, respectively) and said it was presenting a balanced budget after identifying a mix of onetime and recurring reductions and enhancements.
The staff presentation listed roughly $55 million in possible enhancements considered this year and said it located about $5.2 million in operating enhancements to recommend. To balance recurring pressures the administration proposed roughly $1.34 million in general-fund recurring reductions, a mix of position eliminations, program right-sizing and cuts to outside professional services.
"We actually gave direction, and you went out and found reductions in efficiencies that actually allowed us to have more enhancements," Commissioner Magazine said, praising staff for early work. Several commissioners said they would ask the manager to test whether the administration could find still more efficiencies before the September budget hearings.
Not every commission priority was funded. The staff list showed about $22 million in commission-endorsed operating priorities and noted only about one-quarter of that total could be included this year.
The city will formally set the maximum millage later this month. Staff outlined the schedule that will send the certification to the property appraiser after the July commission meeting and bring two public hearings in September (Sept. 17 and Sept. 30) for final adoption.
Discussion about the budget extended into capital funding. With additional transfers and a state appropriation, staff recommended funding for several renewal and one-time projects including roofing and HVAC work at fire stations, a property-evidence off-site storage contract for police, additional funding for a central training unit, and the above-ground portion of West Avenue Phase 3, while noting an unfunded remainder on the water-and-sewer side to be addressed later.
