Opa‑locka commissioners consider $1,000 stipend and insurance language for elected officials

The City of Opa‑locka held a joint workshop on April 6 to review charter board recommendations that would raise the mayor’s and commissioners’ monthly stipend to $1,000 and clarify who pays for elected officials’ health insurance.

The recommended amendment would set a $1,000 stipend and include language intended to make clear that the city would pay an elected official’s insurance while any spouse or dependent coverage would be handled from the official’s allocation or cost‑shared as spelled out in the charter change. City staff said the proposal is intended as an incremental change rather than an immediate conversion to salaried pay.

Why it matters: Changing compensation and benefits in the charter would require an ordinance and placement on a ballot referendum. Commissioners said the figure under discussion — $1,000 — drew pushback from some members who called it too small and urged a longer‑term discussion about converting the positions to salaried roles and better voter education about the change.

City Manager response and next steps: The manager clarified how the city’s employee coverage generally works and said staff will do the financial workup. "For all city employees, the employee itself it's covered under 100%. For any dependent, the city pays 50%," the city manager said when explaining current benefit practice and how dependent coverage is typically split. Staff told commissioners they have not yet calculated the total fiscal impact of the proposed change and will return with cost estimates.

Legal and procedural constraints: The city attorney pointed out limits on what the local government may do to promote a referendum. City staff and the attorney emphasized the commission would need two readings to approve any ordinance sending an amendment to the ballot; the voters would then decide. The city missed the May 22 deadline to qualify for an August primary, so commissioners discussed targeting the July 24 deadline to place an amendment on the November 3 ballot.

Commissioner remarks: Multiple commissioners supported improving compensation and said the stipend under discussion would likely need to be larger to match the time required of the office and the city’s goals to attract a broader pool of candidates. Several members urged a clear, bilingual education effort so voters understand the proposed change.

Outcome: No formal vote was taken. The commission asked staff to calculate costs and to prepare draft ordinance language and educational material; the board discussed aiming for the July 24 filing deadline to reach the November ballot if commissioners decide to move forward.