Charter review board unanimously forwards salary, benefits proposals for mayor and commissioners to commission

At a meeting called to order at 6:43 p.m., the City of Opa-locka Charter Review Board voted 5-0 to forward two proposed charter amendments to the City Commission recommending changes to elected officials' compensation and the approach to benefits.

The board approved a motion, moved by Vice Chair Williams and seconded by Board member Bridal, to send two options to the commission: a proposal to set elected-official pay at $1,000 per month and a companion approach describing how city-provided health benefits would interact with that salary. Madam Clerk explained members had received a packet including a 2023 salary survey, Florida League of Cities data and Miami-Dade and Broward fee information.

Clerk materials cited the current elected-official salary in Opa-locka as $5.50 per month, or $6,600 annually. Board members discussed implementation logistics: any increase would require a budget amendment because the FY2026 budget is already adopted, and the manager's office would determine fund transfers. Madam Clerk noted a ballot language option could specify that a change would not take effect until FY27 so the city could plan for costs.

Board members pressed on benefits design and voter clarity. Vice Chair Williams and others urged focusing the ballot on a simple salary change, with benefit enrollment and payroll adjustments handled administratively by the manager's office rather than embedded in the charter question. As one board member put it, if officials choose city insurance, premiums would be deducted from the established salary; if they decline, they would keep the full amount. The city's attorney representative, Samor, advised that compensation and any authority for commissioners to set their own pay would require separate charter amendments and that the board should not combine those two actions in a single ballot question.

Board member Dennis, referencing years of service and past compensation history, urged the board to move the item forward and said prior ballot attempts had failed in the past, making voter messaging important. Clerk and members agreed the next step is for the city attorney's office to draft formal amendment language for the board to consider at the next meeting; the City Commission then decides whether and when to place the question on a ballot (primary deadline cited by staff: May 22, 2026; general-election deadline: July 24, 2026).

The motion to forward the two proposals passed on a roll-call vote, 5-0. The board scheduled the next meeting for Thursday, January 8, 2026, at which the attorney-drafted language will be presented for a final board vote before submission to the commission.