Dade Commissioners Hold Second Budget Hearing

MIAMI-DADE (CBS4) – Just before Miami-Dade commissioners discussed whether or not adopt a new $6 billion budget, people in the community came out swinging, especially labor unions representing the hundreds of county employees who would lose their jobs. County police officers would take a big hit.

"These heroes behind me confront what you can't control and they fight what you fear," said John Rivera of the Miami-Dade police union.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez's proposed budget calls for closing a $400 million gap by eliminating some 1,200 county jobs, including 500 that are vacant, and squeezing some $239 million in concessions from unions.

Keisha Culmer owns a salon and says 60 percent of her customers are county employees. She says mass layoffs will have trickle down effect.

"If they don't come and make retail purchases, if we can't offer them services, then I can't make money, said Culmer.

"I don't know what to say to people who don't want their taxes reduced," said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez. "We promised to roll back the tax rate and we have rolled back the tax rate, and we're going to save taxpayers $200 million."

The budget proposal also seeks cost savings through service reductions, ranging from cutting the executive office budget by 20 percent and reining in commissioners' discretionary spending of taxpayer dollars to slicing county government funding for nonprofit groups.

Under Gimenez's plan, organizations serving children, the elderly and providing food will get funded at the same level as a year ago, but all others are cut by 50 percent.

The new budget will go into effect on October 1st.