Would everyone please take their seats? We're going to begin now. Thank you. I'm going to ask my dear colleague, Commissioner Gonzalez, to lead us in prayer. And then Commissioner Cohen-Higgins to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, Madam Chair. If you can all bow your heads. Lord, thank you for this wonderful day that you've given us, Lord. We pray that you please bless everybody in attendance, that you bless every commissioner up here in this committee and in all committees, all the directors of Miami-Dade County. Lord, let your will be done and let every decision we make and everything that we do be for your glory and for the betterment of the people of Miami-Dade County. In your holy name we pray. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. And so, Mr. Attorney, at this time, would it be appropriate to extend the reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard? Good morning, Madam Chair. Yes, this would be the appropriate time for the reasonable opportunity to be heard on any non-public hearing items. Okay. I don't have any cards for non-public hearing items. So, is there anyone who wishes to address the commission for the non-public hearing item? Seeing none, then we will entertain a motion to set the agenda. Madam Chair. Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me. My apologies. Good morning, Jose Aldi. This is my first time here. I'm not sure if I'm here for none, but I want to talk on economic opportunity in Miami-Dade County for the residence of Hialeah. So, would this be appropriate time, or do I come back? I just sign up the card. This is your card, Jose? Jose Aldi. I believe you filled out a public hearing card. I don't know if you're, do you know the item number that you are speaking on? I want to speak in general about the grants that are awarded, how it impacts communities like Hialeah for the economic opportunities. Okay. Do I come back? No, no, you may. You have two minutes. Thank you so much. Thank you. Jose Aldi, 788 Southeast Park Drive. I'm here. I've had a lot of experience with the cultural affairs, how they award grants, and your department awards $200 million, and Hialeah only received $50,000 of that. And something that I stress to the cultural affairs department, whenever you provide a grant, you are providing economic opportunities. The companies are getting $1 million grants, $200,000 grants. They're very well-funded, very developed, and it's not fair for, like, low-income communities. I want to leave this for public record that we pay 20, 28% of our taxes go to Miami-Dade County, and we're 98% Spanish-speaking. Unfortunately, a lot of them are residents and don't know the system. But I ask for the cultural affairs board, or even the grants that you award for projects, that they include putting systems for communities that are disenfranchised, communities that are marginalized, low-income. There are different words for that, that they have to make an extra effort. I want to use, for example, I'm a retired employee with the Parks and Recreation Department for Hialeah. When they built the underline, my friends are working for Miami-Dade County. They only wanted a bicycle trail, but it was when related groups, Squire, they got involved, and they wanted the economic impact. But unfortunately, when I would speak, I would not hear it, because I'm not going to hear me when you have related these big companies. But the underline went from downtown all the way south, you know, ignored Allapata, ignored Hialeah, even though we have a lot of green space. So something that I hope you commission, you get more involved. You know, a lot of times we talk about equality, everybody could reply, but equity is like, there's no equity in the way that you award your grants for cultural affairs. I hope you look into that, and sometimes it's not done on purpose, but when you make someone aware of it, I hope you really look into it and make it equitable where, you know, communities like Hialeah, we're 90, we have the highest percentage of Cubans, and we have, we're rich in cultural affairs, but we don't have the know-how. I hope you look out for us. Thank you. Thank you so much, Jose. So seeing no further public input, we're ready to set the agenda, correct? Attorney? Yes, Madam Chair. The matters for consideration at today's meeting are those on the final printed agenda, with the changes noted in the changes memorandum, which include the addition of item 3C and 3D. And with that, a motion to set the agenda is in order. Thank you. I have a motion by Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, seconded by Commissioner Gonzalez. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Okay, so are there any matters, just so that everyone knows, I'm going to take up the discussion items at the end of the meeting. So we're going to move towards the public hearing item 1G1. Would it be appropriate to move to public hearing item 1G1 now? Yes, Madam Chair. Item 1G1 is an ordinance related to the rules of procedure of the Board of County Commissioners, amending Section 2-1 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, revising requirements relating to notification provided by the county mayor or county mayor's designee to all applicable district commissioners of certain matters that originate with the administration. Providing severability, inclusion in the code, and an effective date. Perfect. So a public hearing is now open if anyone wishes to speak on item 1G1. Seeing none, so the public hearing is now closed. Do I have a motion on 1G1 and any discussion? So I have a motion by Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, a seconded by Commissioner Gonzales. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Commissioner Cohen-Higgins? Four. Commissioner Gonzales? Four. Chairwoman Lopez? Yes. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. So colleagues, now would you like to bifurcate any of the items on the agenda for discussion? No? So do I have a motion to approve the agenda? I'll move the remainder of the agenda. Thank you. I have a motion by Commissioner Gonzales, seconded by Commissioner Cohen-Higgins. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay. So I also have a request to waive 3B, 3C, and 3D to the July 21st BCC meeting. Are there any other requests to waive onto the meeting? Okay. Is there anything else remaining, county attorney, on the agenda? Other than the discussion item? No, Madam Chair. Okay, very good. Then we'll move to the discussion item. So we have a budget presentation by the Internal Compliance Department. If you're ready, may approach. Good morning. Good morning, Chief. I'd like to introduce Ophelia Tamayo. She's the Director of Internal Compliance, and she'll be presenting on behalf of the Mayor the Internal Compliance Strategic Objectives for the year. Thank you so much. You're recognized, Director. Thank you. Good morning, Chairwoman Lopez and members of the committee. I am pleased to provide an overview of the Internal Compliance Department. The results we are delivering, the challenges affecting our work, and the modernization priorities that will position us to provide even greater value to the county. At its core, ICD is an operational partner. We help departments strengthen internal controls, improve business processes, recover revenue, manage risk, and use county resources more effectively. Based on the scope of responsibilities and the department's preventative focus, consideration could be given to referring our role as the county's enterprise risk management function. Our mission is to support county administration, and ultimately, county residents, by improving operational performance and strengthening accountability across the organization. Our goal is to identify issues early, provide practical recommendations, and help management implement improvements before small control weaknesses become larger problems. We do that by working directly with county departments, Jackson health system, municipalities, and constitutional offices. ICD brings together several functions that reinforce one another to protect county resources by managing risk, strengthening controls, and ensuring accountability. Credit and collections recovers delinquent receivables and helps protect revenue needed to support county services. Risk management addresses claims, insurance, loss prevention, and the mitigation of property, liability, and personal risks. The Purchasing card compliance division promotes secure and efficient card use while monitoring transactions for compliance. The processing control management team conducts targeted reviews of operations, contracts, revenues, and internal controls. These reviews are intended not only to identify deficiencies, but also to improve processes. These divisions collectively strengthen the county's integrity and operational resilience by preventing loss, managing risk, ensuring compliance, protecting revenue, and driving continuous improvement. While ICD was currently supporting the county's enterprise resource planning system, that responsibility is scheduled to be managed by the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller as of August 3rd, 2026. Our recent accomplishments demonstrate the value of this integrated approach. Debt collections have increased by 11%, not just a reflection of stronger collection activity, but also effectuating compliance where applicable. Processing control management completed 52 review reports in the prior year, identifying preventive control improvements while also identifying about $402,000 in assessments and approximately $613,000 recovered from currently and previously issued reports. Within purchasing card compliance, process improvements reduced monitoring turnaround time, improving responsiveness, and making the process more seamless for cardholders and departments. We are also beginning to incorporate artificial intelligence into selected collection and review activities. Our goal is not to replace professional judgment. It is to automate repetitive work, analyze larger amounts of information, and allow employees to focus on higher value activities. At the same time, several issues could limit our ability to sustain and expand these results. The first is a legacy code enforcement system. Its age limits automation, system integration, analytics, and reporting. The second issue is workforce capacity. Recruitment, retention, and retirement, the three R's, affect our ability to maintain service levels and respond to growing demands. Risk management is also a major priority. The county faces a wide range of exposures, including employee injuries, vehicle accidents, property losses, liability claims, severe weather, and operational disruptions. A more coordinated and data-driven risk management approach can help reduce both the frequency and the financial impact of these events. Finally, ICD must continuously manage competing priorities. Our challenge is to remain responsive while keeping attention on the county's highest risk and highest valued needs. Our first priority is replacing the legacy code enforcement system. This should be viewed as a business process modernization effort, not simply an information technology replacement. A modern platform can improve case management, collections, reporting, data quality, and accountability. Our second priority is expanding the responsible use of artificial intelligence in collections and process reviews. Potential applications include prioritizing accounts, analyzing documents, identifying anomalies, evaluating trends, and responding to routine customer questions. Our third priority is strengthening enterprise risk management processes and controls. We want to move from reacting to claims after losses occur toward identifying recurring causes and helping departments prevent future losses. These initiatives are connected. Better systems produce better data. Better data supports better analysis. And better analysis allows us to direct resources toward the areas where they can produce the greater benefit. Looking ahead, our modernization strategy is centered on three outcomes. First, we will strengthen internal controls and enterprise risk management through risk-based planning, workforce development, and stronger follow-up corrective actions. Second, we will modernize collections by expanding digital tools, improving customer outreach, and giving collectors better information to prioritize accounts. Third, we will continue optimizing the purchasing card program through dashboards, analytics, and more timely reporting. The broader objective is a coordinated modernization effort across the department, rather than a series of isolated projects. In closing, ultimately, ICD's values should be measured by outcomes. Revenue collected or recovered, increased compliance, losses prevented, processes improved, internal controls strengthened, and risks addressed before they become larger problems. We appreciate the committee's support as we continue strengthening ICD roles as a high-impact operational partner to the county administration and departments, and ultimately, county residents. Thank you. Thank you, Director. Are there any questions of the director on her presentation? Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just, to our director, I appreciate the presentation on the slides. I'm looking through my papers here. Do you have a printout of that presentation for us so that we may have a copy on the dais? And at our previous hearings, where I know a number of departments, if not all major departments, have been giving presentations, I previously mentioned on Monday that I know that the charge from the administration was to keep all departmental budgets at no greater than a 3% increase year over year. Does your budget reflect that charge and that mandate? Yes, it does. Okay. Thank you so much. And you're passing out the presentations. I appreciate it. Thank you. Nothing further, Madam Chair. Thank you. Any further questions? Seeing none, thank you so much, Director, for your presentation. Thank you. Now we'll hear from the Strategic Procurement Department. Thank you, Chair. We invite Namita Upal, our director of the Strategic Procurement Department, to present. Good morning, Director. You're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning. I'm Namita Upal, Director for Procurement. What I'm presenting today is a reflection of values and the principles that the board has always focused on. Strategic Procurement Department, the vision is to be the global leader of purpose-driven procurement. Why the word purpose matters. Purpose, I'm sorry. Purpose word is a reflection of the values that the board has adopted. Being transparent, being fair, being inclusive. It's not a matter of just getting a contract done and getting approved. It has value. It delivers value to the residents. It delivers value to the departments. The contracts enable departments to reach out to the customers and deliver service. And the board has always proffered on going above and beyond. Make sure the processes are transparent. Make sure we are responsive to the constituents. Making sure we are resilient and adaptive to the evolving needs of the environment. We are ethical in our business practices. We are efficient. We train our people. We train our vendors. We are inclusive. And just yesterday we heard community benefits. So that is the whole purpose. The word purpose includes all of these values in our contracts. That is the goal. That is our vision. And that's what we strive for. The major functions for my department, for Strategic Procurement Department. Of course, we bring you the contracts for goods and services, architecture and engineering services, design build, public-private partnership. Last year, the board approved the merger of small business services with procurement. With that, we have all of the certification programs, miscellaneous construction contracts program, equitable distribution program. My team also manages the vendor registration throughout the county for all county vendors. We do run two academies, procurement academy for training programs for county staff. They're procurement professionals in all county departments. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of jurisdictions, cities and counties, who have taken advantage of our procurement training. We're also partnering with some international countries who are relying on us for training programs, too. We also have vendor training academy that offers a lot of vendor training opportunities, vendor registration boot camps, how to do business with the county. And those are provided online, as well as in person. We also reach out to your district offices to do training programs. That's all encompassing in the vendor academy that we have. This year, as a part of the budget, the mayor has proffered the movement of real estate management division from PIOD to Strategic Procurement Department. And with that, the acquisition and sale of properties, any development agreements, and leases will fall under the Strategic Procurement Department. Our main customers, key customers are obviously the first customers are the county residents that we provide service to. Mender community, county departments, constitutional offices, and municipalities. There are a lot of municipalities who piggyback on our contracts. And they also use our training programs that we offer. Just very high level key accomplishments. We actually were probably one of the first ones to use AI tools, and we developed those in house. One of the AI tools is in the appointment of the selection committee. The other is the training AI tool to train my staff. That AI tool is actually includes all of the code, the regulations, and rules, and processes. And staff can actually go in the tool and say how to do an RFP in Miami-Dade County. So it will share information that is relevant to Miami-Dade County, not the other jurisdictions. So those two tools were actually recognized by NACO as one of the pioneer tools. We were selected by FAPO for Excellence in Procurement Award. We were selected by National Procurement Institute. We also launched a certification program that's probably one of its kind in the country. It's a certification of public procurement professionals, and we have certified over 449 individuals in the county. And other jurisdictions are modeling our program and our, through this certification. We reached out to, we did actually 359 events for vendors, reaching out to almost 24,000 participants. We bring items to the board and the volume that you see in every board and committee. In 2025, we brought $5.4 billion worth of contracts for board approval, 179 items. And we thank the Chair for appointing the STRIP Task Force, and you will see the recommendations coming very soon. We analyze over 200 pieces of legislation and are making significant recommendations for making the process better under the STRIP. Like any other department, we do have key issues. Some of them, of course, complicated when it comes to federal, state, and local regulations. And we're hoping that through the STRIP, we can amend some of the local regulations so we can expedite the procurement process. We have multiple systems that don't talk to each other, so we're trying to figure out. Of course, the informs is our system of record, but to get the job done, there are multiple systems that we use. So we're trying to create platforms, so there is, staff does not have to rely on multiple systems to get from point A to point B. Staff retention has always been an issue. I did lose, and I had mentioned it to Commissioner Cohen, I did lose like six or seven key people to constitutional offices in just past one year, and retention is always key. We're trying our best to retain. A few priority initiatives, streamlining. These are the three initiatives that we actually came out of the STRIP, and we were already working on some of them. Streamlining this small business certification program, and what we are proffering is the, there were 60 requirements. Over 60 requirements for a vendor to get certified. We are reducing it down through the board approval to 30, and reduce the processing time to get certified as a small business by 50%. I know the board always is questioning about why procurement takes long. And one of our commitment to the board is to reduce the procurement cycle time. Our goal is for procurements under 5 million, we should be able to move, we should be able to make an award recommendation between 90 to 120 days, and over 5 million between 120 to 150 days. And that's from the receipt of proposals to the mayor making the recommendation. That is our commitment, and that is what we are working towards very diligently. And lastly, creating an online dashboard. That's key to our vendors, key to our constituents, and the board. You can go online and see what the status of each procurement is, and that is one of our key initiatives. Future outlook, of course processing time, making sure we do this with speed and efficiency. 90 to 120 days under 5 million, 120 to 150 days over 5 million. We did launch a comprehensive small and local business plan, so ensuring that taxpayer dollars remain within the local economy, that's key. And also, the last one is the coming up with one single bidding system for capital projects. And those are the few key priorities that we hope to accomplish very soon. I'm here for questions. And Commissioner Cohen against, we were consistent with every department. We are also, we're asked for 3% and budget will reflect that. Thank you. Thank you, Director. Are there any questions of the Director in our presentation? Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. To the Director, and Namada, this is for you and for the previous Director that gave a presentation. What was it that you were asked to present to us today? A budget presentation? I'm not being facetious, I'm not being sarcastic. Was the request a budget presentation? That's my understanding of what was to be presented, was a budget presentation. Or am I wrong? Maybe I'm wrong. Chief, you're recognized. The staff was all asked to prepare summaries of the drivers for their budget, the accomplishments for the year. And so that you all would have clarity on the assumptions that went into how they prioritize their work for the upcoming year. At 2, I think, or 2.30 today, the Mayor will actually be presenting her proposed budget. So I appreciate that, but here's the reason I'm asking, because we've just had two, I mean, on our agenda, it says, Discussion item regarding the proposed fiscal year 2627 budget presentations, and then it lists the department. We've just had two presentations devoid of any numbers whatsoever. There's not a number that has been presented. We're talking about accomplishments, but we're not talking about numbers in a budget presentation. So I'm just not sure that I'm understanding whether or not the presentations meet the request that has been made. And I understand that the budget will be printed at 2.30 today and that there are things that will be, you know, appropriately revealed at that time. But for example, in transportation at the hearing that they had yesterday, the department had came in and said our annual budget is $2 billion. She started there appropriately because it is a budget presentation. I haven't heard a number from either department on what their, what is their budget? Through the chair. I'm not sure, Ophelia or Named, if you're prepared to give your total numbers, your expense proposed or for the current year. So they can respond to that. Commissioner, our proposed budget is $53 million, including the real estate transition of the real estate, of which 33 million is personnel, 12.2 is operating, and 7.2 is transfers in general to the department. Your department budget is at $53 million, okay. If the adoption of the real estate function is adopted, yes. And that is within or below the 3% charge? Yes. From last year to this year? Yes. So, Commissioner, one of the things that we did last year, and that's going to be reflected, is when small business function merged with procurement, one of the charge that I got was to a reduction of 50 positions, which we did. Plus, this year, if the real estate function approves, there's 3%, and then also the some position eliminations that we have contemplated. And thank you for that. And if the director on the ICD department can approach and share, again, I'm not trying to get into any details before the actual budget is printed, but I think macro numbers are appropriate during a budget presentation. So ICD, if you don't mind approaching, I have a few questions. And through the chair and commissioner, I think one of the other things that's important to note about both of these departments is they're not 100% general fund. Okay. And so what we were doing this year when you reflect or focus on the 3% was really trying to make sure that we bend the cost curve related to the general fund departments. So both of these women actually have departments that are revenue generating. So we are very intentional about making sure we protect the investment in the parts of the organization that generate revenue that helps support the general fund. Sure. I understand that. Thank you for clarifying. Thank you. Welcome back. What is your budget? So my budget won't technically change drastically because the enterprise resource team, which is comprised of two different divisions, is going to be transferred. So that portion actually represents a large portion of this budget right now. What's remaining will be administration, credit and collections. Credit and collections is a self-funded. So they are self-funded through the collections they do. The process and control reports that are produced are also not completely general fund. And our risk management is actually self-funded through the insurance. So right now, as we have proposed in the budget, it's about 72 million. But again, a large portion of this, probably half or more, is the technology divisions that are going. Going where? To the clerk of the court and controller. And on your debt collections page of your presentation, you have here 11%. I'm sorry if you went over that previously, but what does that mean, the 11%? So we have a budget to collect $24 million, right, in a given year, gross collections. And so right now, to date, we have collected already $21 million. And again, this is what goes back to the departments and to Jackson as collections. We are like their last line of collections, as you very well know. And so our team has been above and beyond in making these collections quicker than budgeted. So that's why we're over our budget number in collections, which is actually a good thing. So I'm sorry, and I appreciate the explanation, but I still don't understand. What does the 11% represent? Over the budgeted amount that we thought we were going to collect. So I say we budget like $24 million to make sure we're self-funded. I see. We've collected in advance. $24 million. You've collected 11% above that? Yes. I understand. Okay. All right, thank you for clarifying that. Nothing further, Madam Chair. Any other questions? Yes, Commissioner Gonzalez, you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I guess we'll start with you. You did mention that there's a 3% reduction. Is that correct? We maintained no more increase than 3%. Yes. Can you explain what the 3% reduction is attributed to? Yeah. We looked at- Ophelia, let me just, through the Chair, Commissioner, I want to make sure you understand the 3% number that keeps floating around. The departments were asked to reduce by, it's almost 5%, because the natural inflation was between 8% and 9%. We asked them to reduce so that the growth in their department was no more than 3%. So if you remember, the growth the county experienced was only 4.2%. So we couldn't afford to maintain, if you recall, the proposed 7% growth rate. So each of the general fund departments was asked to see if they could reduce their growth rate down to 3%. That was the assignment. So it's 7%. So it would be 4%. So what is that 4% that you're not counting on? What specifically are, what specifically is the department cutting to avoid that excessive 4% growth? Great question. So we looked at our personnel. So we have right-sized the personnel. So if we had vacancies that we really didn't need, we took advantage of that. We've also looked at the costs, the operational costs, and we've also streamlined that as well. And if we had consulting costs, we also looked at that and saw that if our team could do it, then we could save some money there as well. So we have given back. And so just to be clear, as the chief stated, you are growing by 3% instead of 7%. Okay, thank you. And Namada, if you can come up, because you also mentioned that you folks were able to eliminate 50 positions. And then so what is the, I guess the 4% savings that you folks, what is that attributed to? So 50 was because we merged with small businesses and procurement, and then we were able to identify synergies between the operations. On top of that, we have proffered elimination of more positions, plus freezing some of the positions that we think we don't need it right now, but may need it in the future. And also eliminating any other operational costs that we could cut down to. Okay. So your growth is only going to be by 3% as well? Yes. Okay. Thank you. No further questions. Vice Chairman, you're recognized. Thank you. My question is for you, Ophelia. What is the size of your department? How many? Right now I have with risk management, right? So risk management division in the new budget year is coming over. It's about 311 total. But please keep in mind that as of August 3rd, I will lose the OES division, which has about 36 positions, and the ETS division, which has about 46 positions. Okay. Okay. So the 311. Minus. Make up for the 72 million budget. Right. Okay. But then I'm going to, the significant portion of that is the. Do you have that breakdown, what it will look like? I know you kind of were touching that right now, but I don't know if you gave us the number. And then as you're looking for that number, what percentage, what's the breakdown between your operating and your personnel costs? I'll give you that right now. Thank you. And through the chair, some of the changes that Ophelia is speaking of may not be reflected in the budget that's published today. They will be in the change memo. We are in the process of working with the clerk and comptroller's office. I think I said that right, clerk and comptroller's office, to ensure that we transition the right number of employees and the right amount of funding to support this effort. So I just don't want anyone to have the expectation they'll see that this afternoon. Some of the changes will not be reflected until we are able to finish that project and put it in the change memo. On that, what's the anticipated time? Transition date? No, the anticipation that you'll figure out the change in the department. Actually, we are very, very close. August 3rd is the date that we're hoping to have the transition completed. Okay, so we should be able to see those numbers reflected in the budget? For the 26-27 budget that you all will opine on in September. Thank you. Employee-wise, it's just over 50% county employees. Some of the operational costs are driven by the consulting services as well. And again, mainly for the system. What do you mean for the system? The enterprise resource planning system. For OES? So you're 50-50. You're operating? Just over 50, but yes. 50% is personnel costs? Okay. And do you know how much of that you will offload once it moves over to the clerk's office? Or estimate? Through the chair. Ophelia, I'd really prefer we not give an estimate at let's get the right number. We're very close, Madam Chair and Commissioner Orbis. And I could even give you a heads up as soon as we get that completed over the next week. Okay. All right. Well, thank you. I think the presentation would be helpful to have a breakdown of what you're anticipating is going to be shifted away from your department. I think that would be helpful for us to be able to see what we're actually looking at as we look into the budget that's going to be presented. I think that information you gave was very helpful and it would have been good to have it. So if we can have that updated in this presentation you gave us and this one, it would be good to know that the shift in the department and how it will look after that transition is done. I agree. Thank you. I have some questions. We'll provide that. Thank you. Namada, you can come up as well. I have questions for both of you. So we'll start out with vacancies, which has always been a pet peeve of mine in budgeting. So both of you said you were obviously reducing personnel. Do you have a schedule of the remaining vacancies that you have in an aging for those vacancies? You don't have to have them now, but do you have it? Yes. You do have it. So I'd like to see those. I'm collecting them for all the departments that are making budget presentations. It's important for me to see the aging because you may have gotten rid of some of the vacancies, but I will need to know how you justify keeping any vacancy in your budget that is greater than 90 days. Okay? So that's just giving you full warning on that. Namada, you talked about the constitutional officers in your presentation, and I am a little confused. How much of... Because, you know, we've heard from the constitutional officers on Monday. How much of what you're doing... Like, I'm trying to understand what part you're doing for them that they're not doing for themselves. So I had the impression they're doing their own procurement, but I'm seeing here that you're doing some procurement for them. Can you explain that in greater detail? Yes. Madam Chair, for Sheriff's Office, we're doing all of their procurements now. Clerk and the controller is doing, I would say, most of their procurements, but they use county contracts. And my presentation, what I said was I lost seven key professionals to the clerk because they chose to go and accept the positions with the clerk. Sorry to interrupt. To who your customers are. And you had constitutional officers as your customers. So I'm trying to... Yes. So Sheriff's Office... ...you're giving to which constitutional officers would be helpful for us to understand. Okay, so we're doing all procurements for Sheriff's Office. And elections, we do the procurements for them, for the ones where we are obligated by the Florida statute. For example, the buying the system and things like that. So we do procurements for them. Property appraiser, we do not do any procurements for them. Clerk and the controller, they have established their own procurement team to do their own procurements. Okay, so it'll be helpful for us when you can give us the numbers as to what, you know, the value of that service that you're giving them. Okay. Because then I'm going to ask them what are they doing on their end as well. So I also wanted to talk with you, Namada, about the strip committee. So their recommendations, when will those be presented to us? No. I'm thinking next week, I believe. I don't know the strip committee. Chief, yes. That's a great question. I'm not quite sure. Yeah, it's been a question I've been asking since apparently you've all been doing your work. And it's the one place that I love to drill down on, which is procurement. As you know, as we have seen some of the procurement processes be questioned, you know, I've had concerns about how we procure things. So it's important for me to understand the work of the strip committee, its recommendations, and whether or not there were any savings as a result of their recommendations. I'm hopeful that not only were we increasing efficiency by having created a strip committee of people who, you know, have used the system and can tell us, you know, their experiences and then come forth with recommendations that would make the system more efficient. I'm interested also, did they identify any savings in their efficiency studies that they were doing with procurement? Do you know, since you were there? I don't know if they were able to quantify, but we did identify, through the strip, we did identify the savings and the number of days and moving things faster. How do you equate that to dollar savings? I don't think that was the exercise the strip committee did, but definitely the time savings were significant that you'll see. So hopefully someone will be able to tell me when I'm going to see those recommendations. That's one question. The other, you mentioned, Namada, that, you know, when you were evaluating systems, you mentioned that many don't speak to each other, right? I'd like a listing. You know, I was a member of the House's IT committee when we did this work, and I thought it was a very useful exercise to understand where are the deficits in our IT systems or in any system that doesn't speak to each other. Absolutely. So I'd like a list of all of the systems that are not speaking to each other, and if they are speaking to a system, which ones? I think it'll be very helpful for this committee to try to understand whether or not, because I see a lot of items that come before us that have to do with extending contracts or the legacy, you know, I love that word, the legacy systems. I don't know that that's the best use of our funds, nor whether it's efficient in trying to achieve the outcomes, which obviously we are purchasing systems for. So I'd like to see an analysis by department, which systems, when they were bought, when they were replaced, if they had to be replaced by something else because it didn't work, and those systems that are not speaking to each other, creating much greater inefficiencies within government. Commissioner, may I ask a clarification? Sure. So you wanted the list of the systems that procurement team uses? Yes. Okay, okay. I'll get to IT. Okay. Yeah, no, just the ones you were referring to, because I find it curious that we know that they don't speak to each other. So it is a known fact that we're inefficient, and that's costing us money. So I'd like to know which ones those are. In addition, you mentioned in your proposal, under your priority initiatives, you had budgetary impact. And, you know, I see that there's no budget impact. Where do I see savings? I don't hear savings. Let me tell you why I asked this question. When the governor's budget would come to my committee, I said, great, thank you. And then I would meet with every department, and I wouldn't say, you get to decrease your growth to 3%. I said to the departments, go back and reduce your budgets by 3%. So I'm curious, is there any budgetary savings anywhere in your budget? Anywhere? Through the chair. You can answer it. Well, I'm just curious, how do you define that? That means that what we were spending, so let's assume I was spending $100 million last year. Is there anywhere where you can tell me in that $100 million budget that you were able to achieve some savings? Commissioner, by mere fact that we were able to eliminate 50 positions and some of those were filled, that's $5 million right there. Because we were able to combine the functions and synergies between two, procurement and small business, right? So that was straight away $5 million. So your budget contemplates eliminating 50 positions? It already did. Okay. So that means, were those filled positions? Some of them were, yes. Were there people in there? Yes. Have they been terminated or you just moved them to another department? I think some of them went, I have to, some of them if they had rights to the position, I don't know how that process works. You see where I'm going, right? Yeah. It makes zero sense to me to tell me that you eliminated 50 positions, but then I find out that those 50 people are somewhere else in the budget. Through the chair. Yes, chief. Thank you, Mr. Lopez. I think one of the great things about the county is it is a very large institution. And so when positions are eliminated, depending on the classification of the employee, they have particular employment rights. And so we actually worked very, very hard. This board actually directed us to make sure the 150 people who were laid off all had jobs. So what we did is the positions that were eliminated, we worked. And I love to give credit to Virginia Washington, our head of people, who personally tried to make sure that every human being found a position that they were qualified for so that they did not necessarily have to leave the county. So the elimination of the positions funded or unfunded did result in savings because those individuals, some left the county, others went into positions that had great need. One of our great stories that the mayor loves to tell is about those who worked in parks as lifeguards and were able to get vacant positions in the fire department as lifeguards that were really difficult to fill. So Nomada, Ophelia, any one of the departments that's had vacancies that had to be eliminated or positions that were filled that had to be eliminated, we actually take pride in trying to make sure that the individuals, the humans, are not displaced to the extent that's possible. It doesn't undermine the savings. No, no, I appreciate that very much. However, you know me, truth in budgeting. You're going to hear me say this until we're done. One, the public deserves to know that that's what you did, right? The public deserves to know that you, one, eliminated vacancies, if they were vacancies. Two, if you had to terminate people, how many left the county and how many did you place in another position within the county? Because, in fact, I don't know that that's called a savings. That's called a transfer in my book, in my accounting book. So you have to be very clear when you're talking about savings, because I'm going to be watching very carefully, all of it. And if you had to move a person because they had employment rights, that's understandable. But that's not actually a savings. That became a transfer to another position within the county. And that is what I am trying to get at, that we have to be honest about what we're doing. It's okay. But to stand there and tell me that, you know, we got rid of 50 positions is not true. If 20 people were transferred to another place because they had employment rights, that's the kind of level of detail I will be looking for during this budget process. So let me keep going here. So I found it interesting. I think, Director, so with the transfer of positions to the clerk and comptroller's office, right? Well, you know, he just presented his budget. Did it have those? He's going to come to us for a budget. Here we go again. Listen carefully. I look at a budget from a global perspective. I look at everyone who is asking us for money. The clerk came with his budget asking us for money. So if we're moving from ICD, and I don't remember how many people, but you said quite a few, that showed then that you had a savings. Is the clerk going to come and tell me now when you finish this agreement that he needs money for those? Or did his budget that he presented here on Monday contemplate that? Through the chairwoman. The budget that the clerk presented to us, which was due several months ago or weeks ago, did not contemplate this particular move. So it will be, for all intents and purposes, you look at the general fund, it will be a transition of people and money from one area to another area. So it's not a savings. No. It's not a savings. That particular element is not a savings. So when you present your budget, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. I should not have to ask this question, is what I'm saying. You should be very clear. We're moving people to the clerk, and the clerk's going to need that very money that was in my budget is now going to his budget. So again, it's not a savings. You see where I'm going? This is why the public, listen, I'm just stressed that we are not transparent with every one of these details, because that's what the public is requiring, and they deserve. And certainly my colleagues and myself need to, in order to make a decision, in order to go out there and tell the public what's happening here, I am only getting the information because I'm asking the right questions. And I should not have to do that. It should be totally transparent to this committee and to the full board when we make those decisions. And to the points that my colleagues have made here today, yes, the budget will be rolled out this afternoon, and we're grateful for that. But actually, none of these presentations are what this committee needed. Not at all. It's wonderful. It's wonderful. Your accomplishments, what you hope to do. But you know what? Without dollars attached to each one of these assumptions, it is difficult for me to say, wow, I know what's going on. I don't. And I don't think my colleagues do either, as you've heard today. And honestly, I am somewhat befuddled that we haven't been able to cut our budgets. I mean, when you think about the $150 billion budget the state has, every department, every department was required to do at least 3% budget savings. And so it's really hard for me to understand how we're not capable of finding any savings. And as I like to say, you know, and it's not an indictment to any department or person, but there's always waste in government. Always. I have found it at the state. I'm certain if I did my job here, which I intend to do come next budget cycle, I will find savings. I know how to do it. We certainly had budget chairs and budget staff that knew how to do it at the state. We, I, I'm going to pledge to the taxpayers that are listening here today, this committee will, in fact, do its job. We may not have had enough time to do it this session, but we will, in fact, do it next year. We are going to see drilling down like you've never seen before, because there is ways in which to save money. And unfortunately, we, we just haven't had the, the opportunity to work closely with the administration to find those savings. So that, those were just several of my questions, I'm sure, as we move into the budget cycle. I know that Commissioner Gonzalez and then Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, Commissioner Gonzalez, you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. And if I could get the directors to come up for one second as well, because I think, I think the chair makes a great point. Um, and so that's kind of the reason why I started off by asking the difference between that 3% to 7%. I thought it was 6%. That's why I asked for the 3% reduction, because in reality, we're not really reducing. We're still growing by 3%. So I'm going to, to echo the sentiments of, of the chair, comparing it to the state. And this is one of the reasons why I've always been a fan of Vicky Lopez, right? The governor for the entire time that he's been governor, right? And specifically the state under Speaker Chris Sprouls, Speaker Paul Renner, Speaker Danny Perez with the governor have lowered every department and the state budget by 3%. So that's not like they could have grown, but they didn't grow. It's more like they did it at a cheaper rate. So this is a conversation that, that, that I wanted to, and my, my, my team is working on scheduling meetings with directors. But now I'm, I'm, you know, listening to this conversation and hearing, um, the chair and also hearing the sentiments of, um, my colleague, Danielle Cohen-Higgins and Natalie Milana Orbis. Is there a world off the top of your head, right? And I'm, we're not going to hold you to this right now, but is there a world where you could see your departments having no growth, 0% growth, which would mean that what you had last year, you could use this year. Do you think, do you think that that is possible? Commissioner, I think it's an excellent question. Um, one of the things I just want to make sure is clear. I think you all understand that, which is the budget that we are working with had a 4% COLA. So that was already pre negotiated, right? We also have what are called step increases that are in our collective bargaining agreements that average 5%, right? So I have four plus five is nine. Those are two things that we cannot take away out of the budget. So those were natural, uh, drivers for the increase of the budget. And then you would add on top of that, the natural inflation, right? Toilet paper, gas, all the different things that we have to pay for in order to run the county. And so when you just go baseline, no enhancements, no new programs, no new services, no new employees. We're at about a 9% on average, because it's an average, right? Increase year over year. The OMB projected that we could come in at a 7%. So we started off with saying to the departments, even though your natural growth is nine, can you cut so that we get down to seven? The things that you can. And the first place to go, because much of our budget is people, is to look at the money that's budgeted for positions. And so departments cut and reduced the vacancy positions. And we tried our best, because it's a value statement, not to cut filled positions unless we were eliminating a program or a service that was commiserate with that. When we finally got the tax roll in, and the average reflected for the general fund was about 4.2% growth, we knew we couldn't grow by seven. We need to be consistent with what our revenues would reflect. So the departments then were asked to go back and cut more to get it down to no more than a 3% growth. Now remember, the natural growth was much higher than that. So I appreciate that we're saying we didn't save any money, but the departments did have to do the heavy lifting of saying, what are we not going to do anymore? Because the revenue is not matching the natural growth that was incorporated into the budget without adding any enhancements, despite all of the enhancements that have been requested over the course of the year. And so I actually really appreciate Chairwoman Lopez's challenge, and I am thrilled to have a strategic partner, not just with the Chairwoman, but with this committee, on what we're going to do to continue bending the cost curve next year and to actually look for the things that we need to eliminate or reduce so that we are on a positive trajectory, given the fact that revenues are down and inflation is up. And so I want to make sure everyone's clear that the department directors were asked not to get ahead of the mayor and OMB as we're literally dotting the I's and crossing the T's on what you will see in her proposed budget. And we are more than happy once that is published to come and meet with each one of you about any particular department's budgets that you have concerns or you actually see opportunity that we may have missed. This is why we're proposing and we look forward to the county commission saying to us, did you think about this? Did you consider this? I see something that you all may not have considered or missed. Thank you, Chief. And, you know, I appreciate that explanation. And I also want to point out that, you know, I did meet with you and Mr. Baker and the mayor, and I know you guys have been working very hard. I do. And I recognize that you've been working very hard. But I guess I think the hesitation that we're seeing from the board members up here in this committee in particular, and I think other board members as well, is the projection has always been for growth. And thank you for explaining it so eloquently. I understand where you're coming from, but the projection is always growth rather than a projection to save. And so I've heard, I've actually heard Commissioner Cohen Higgins and Commissioner Lopez say this many times, and specifically because Commissioner Lopez comes from the state, perhaps it would behoove this committee to, as the chief has stated, after the budget has been presented, perhaps it would behoove this committee to have departments come up and then perhaps we could take a look to help. I want to recognize that from the conversations I've had, not only with the chief, but with Mr. Baker, that they have been, you know, working very hard. But I think it would be a great idea, as I've heard Commissioner Cohen Higgins and Commissioner Lopez say in the past, for us to take a shot at it too and help to bring whatever costs can be brought down down so that perhaps this commission and this mayor can deliver for the very first time ever a reduction in taxpayer savings for certain departments. And there are departments that don't need, that can't have reductions, right? But then maybe there's some departments that can, I don't know, maybe grow by 1% instead of 3%, maybe some departments that can lower, some departments that need the 4% or some departments that might need the 7%, right? But overall, to Commissioner Lopez's point, perhaps there's a world where government doesn't continue to grow and rather it shrinks every year. Because if we just keep projecting for growth and for growth and for growth, and sometimes that's necessary, Chief, and I understand that. But if we just keep projecting for growth and projecting for growth, we're kind of telling ourselves it's impossible to ever shrink when perhaps all we have to do is roll up our sleeves and get down to it. And I think this committee is ready, willing, and able to do it. Thank you, Madam Chair. I will just say, before I recognize Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, that not only were we able to save money at the state, we were able to put money in reserve, which is critically important. And currently, as we face what could be a severe reduction of revenues with the property tax reform constitutional amendment, we should really be thinking about saving for that rainy day, because we'll have to, it is here. You're absolutely right, Commissioner Gonzalez, it's raining, and it's going to start storming. And we need to be fiscally responsible, and I know that, I think I speak for all of the members of this committee, we are ready and willing to roll up our sleeves and do the work as soon as the budget has been published. Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I think this is a very important conversation that we're having at this committee, and frankly, I think one that our chairman intended for us to have by having these budget presentations at. The committee level, and I think that there needs to be a recognition that things might need to be done differently in Miami-Dade County as a result of the fiscal climate that we are forced to face as a reality. We are accustomed, absent 2008, 2009, the real estate crash, we are accustomed to being flushed with cash, and those days are over. And so I frankly, strongly believe that, I don't know that this is a philosophical conversation, but conversations where we are asking questions that essentially boil down to, is it responsible for us to keep doing things the way that we always have? I think the answer to that is clearly no. And frankly, you know, the budget dashboard, which was presented to this committee a few months ago, it's my understanding that it is ready. I plan to use that as a tool, not only for this budget cycle, but for future budget cycles, so that when we have budget presentations from departments, we will have an electronic reflection in front of us, in addition to whatever is placed in front of us on a PowerPoint presentation with actual numbers that are, you know, that are, that the departments are working with as opposed to stagnant snapshots in time by way of memos. But I also wanted to add to our chief, I think that we, and I look forward to working with my colleagues, I think the sentiment is the same. And I don't think that the request is an unreasonable one. And we'll see what happens come November and what the voters of the state of Florida ultimately decide to do. And on Monday, when we had the budget presentation from, from our budget chief, I asked him, I said, is there anything in this budget that anticipates or contemplates a potential yes vote on that referendum? And the answer was no. And so, you know, I get that we're going to work to try and get through this year's budget. My concern is beyond. My concern is, right, as my colleagues have said, are we planning for a rainy day that we believe is likely to come that's just a few months down the road? And the answer is no. And what does that mean for us financially? I also think that it's important, Chief Carla Denise, when we talk about the natural growth in our budget being at approximately 9%, I don't know that that's necessarily fair to call natural growth only because, frankly, it's contracted growth. It's growth that we implemented through policies that we passed saying that we are going to agree to call us at 3, 4, 4 that we're contracted and mandated to do. But I don't know that that's considered natural growth. And I know we're going to reconcile that, like, right now, right, and as we plan the budget. So to my colleagues and to those that are paying attention, you know, I think that the chickens are coming home to roost. I think that the way that we budget in this county needs to be studied greatly. And I also think that savings is not an unrealistic ask and expectation considering the size of our budget in Miami-Dade County, considering the amount of dollars that we move. And so I would like for us to work towards that end. And as you know, Chief, I've worked on legislation in the past to bring in outside consultants to help us with these issues that couldn't come to fruition for a number of reasons. And so here we sit tackling a difficult budget year that we anticipate will only continue to get more difficult. All of that to say, in the end, when the budget passes, you know, everybody has conversations about whose budget is it? Is it the mayor's budget or is it our budget? Right. Whose budget is it? If we take ownership and we decide that it's our budget or it's all of our budget, we have to put in the work along with you, the administration, to do these deep dives. And I am saying, and I believe my colleagues have made it clear, we are willing to do that. I think we have to do that. And the time for that is now. So whether it's special committee hearings, whether it is special sessions, I don't necessarily want two budget hearings that go 12 hours. I don't want that. My great colleague, Commissioner Gonzalez, was very active a couple of budget cycles ago. He was the only kind of voice that was just kind of peppering with questions. I'm not sure that that is like I think we should do it in either special meetings or special committees. Whatever the proper forum is, but I, along with my colleagues, believe that there is opportunity for us to do better with the numbers in our budget without necessarily laying off thousands of people and doing any kind of dramatic, you know, sweeping, you know, consequential changes. There is so much in our budget in Miami-Dade County that I believe that if we were to dive down, that we could accomplish a budget where we were yielding reserves and saying, yes, we are saving for a rainy day. Our budget is extremely healthy, even though we're in extremely challenging economic times. And I look forward to working with my colleagues towards that. And I don't want this to be accepted as, oh, just, you know, words on a microphone and we're going to go along our merry way and no one's ever going to remember the conversation. Let's do that work. Thank you, Madam Chair. Clearly, and I'll ask the chair to give us the authority to call special meetings to drill down on each and every one of the department's budgets. Vice Chairman, you're recognized. Thank you. So, yeah, I wanted to just put some other further questions and some statements on the record. Let me preface by saying that I love our county employees. I've been a county employee for 20 years. There's, you know, probably no one up here that understands better what it is to be a county employee and how they are the heartbeat of our community. I would like a breakdown as we enter the budget process of what percentage of our employees are unionized. And not specifically airport, seaport, Jackson. I'm talking about the ones that impact our general fund the most. I think it's important to see that. I understand that this year we are not opening our bargaining contracts. And I think, did you want to say something? Well. Finish your statement. We just want to make sure you're. Yeah, I just, I think it's a mistake. I think sometimes we need to do hard things. And letting this moment pass by, just agreeing with what they have right now may not be the best decision. We just want to clarify what we are doing with the union contracts. Do you want to speak to it, Arnold? Yeah. Through the chair. So, through the chair, we've met with all the bargaining units, with the exception of the PBA. Well, we've met with them, but I have not agreed. And the fire union. And all the unions agreed to zero COLA this year. All the contracts are signed. And we did it in anticipation of the election in November. And they have a reopener in January. So, we're going to have to make some hard decisions in January with those collective bargaining. What about the merits? The merits are baked in into the contract. Again, when negotiations are reopened in January, we're going to look at all of those things. Okay. Yeah, because I would hate for the employees to be impacted in the end because we don't want to make a tough decision today. That's what I want to avoid. And I've asked you all in our meetings that we've had prior to this for the budget, specifically about the unions. I think it's important to get that straightened out before we have to impact them in the end. What was the COLA last year that was approved for our employees? Through the chair. The COLA that went into effect in April was a 4% increase. And what's the COLA this year? We did not budget a COLA for April of 27. So, that's Chief Palmer just referenced. But that means you're flat at 4%. Correct. So, you left it at 4%, but you have the option of doing 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. Through the chair. What we did was that we closed the contract with no financial increases or impact, and we agreed to do a reopener after the election in November because we were not wanting to commit to flat. There is a scenario where we may need to decrease the compensation. So, by saying 0, 0, 1, we're committing to something that right now we don't have confidence that we would be able to sustain if the property tax proposal goes into effect. Okay. Sorry if I shifted. I mean not the unionized employees. For non-unionized employees, what was the COLA last year? It was 4. And this year, were you speaking about non-unionized just now? Yeah, both. We actually apply the same cost of living increase to all employees. Okay. We don't distinguish for non-bargaining versus bargaining. Okay. So, just like my colleague, Commissioner Cohen-Higgins, said, I think we need to look at what natural growth is and contemplate if it's absolutely necessary. I think that was an excellent comment because natural implies there was no control. The commissioner said it very eloquently. Those were decisions that were made three years ago. So, if I have the math right, we did a 3-3-4. That was put into place three years ago, right? So, again, that's a policy decision that was made prior to us understanding and appreciating today's circumstance. Okay. Thank you. And, you know, I don't want to harp on this. I know we've all said it, but I think we need to contemplate the passage of expanded homestead exemptions. We need to start doing that now. We shouldn't wait until next budget season to plug in those reductions that are more than likely coming our way. It's a reality, and we need to take that into consideration. So, thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Vice Chairwoman. Yes, Commissioner Gonzalez, you're recognized. And just to piggyback off of what Commissioner Melian Orbis said, right, because even if in November the homestead exemption expansion doesn't happen, most of the candidates for governor, especially the frontrunner, are already contemplating, regardless, a reduction in homestead exemptions. But even if a homestead exemption reduction didn't happen, we have a chance to make history and actually reduce government in Miami-Dade County. Because if we just keep projecting growth, it's almost like you're budgeting for next year, expecting that you're going to win the lottery or expecting that you're going to get that promotion. But then you don't, right? And you probably shouldn't have gone to Europe. And by the way, I say this not in criticism. I know that you folks have been doing a tremendous job at trying to match the circumstances. But there again is the suggestion, especially with the tone of this committee and of the chair, that we can definitely help. We can definitely help. And I look forward to the coming weeks and even into August. I look forward to working on this with the administration and figuring out a way how maybe we can make history this year. Yes, thank you for that comment, Commissioner Gonzalez. You know, for me and all of us, we are on the ground talking to our constituents and they're tightening their belt and there's absolutely no reason why they should be alone. We should be leading the charge. And I truly believe and I truly believe and I'm grateful that we can work with the administration. There should be a very close relationship with us trying to figure out where where could we suggest and recommend other savings. And I think I think the work of this committee will absolutely help us do just that, just like we do in the state. We we dig deeply into the details of every department's budget. We can do it here, especially since I know I have the commitment of my colleagues on this commission committee. So I'm looking forward to a very vibrant discussion on on all of this and looking forward to being able to tell the taxpayers of Miami Dade County that we did our job and we did it well and the outcome was positive. So if there's no other items, I would entertain a motion to adjourn, so move or stand adjourned. Thank you, everyone.