Pérez Art Museum Asks County To Help Fill Budget Gap

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Pérez Art Museum Miami is looking for more county dollars to help fill its budget gap.

PAMM has reportedly asked Miami-Dade for a $2.5 million boost to what it already receives, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.

PAMM currently receives $2.5 million from the county.

On Tuesday, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is expected to unveil his 2015 county budget which will reportedly earmark $4 million for the museum which also wants a million dollars in property taxes from Miami's Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, a special taxing district aimed at improving a neighborhood that stretches from Museum Park north to 23rd Street, CRA director Pieter Bockweg confirmed last week to the Miami Herald.

The need for the increase is because the $130 waterfront museum, which opened to much fanfare last year, has seen its operating expense rise from $5 million to $14 million. Private dollars used to fund the non-profit museum have not kept pace with the increase.

"We've known for a long time they were going to need to grow their operating subsidies. They're open, and that's why they need a little bit more," Mayor Carlos Gimenez told the Miami Herald.

Gimenez's plan to increase PAMM's subsidy has drawn criticism from county commissioners who looking at police layoffs and service reductions without union concessions.

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