This post is part of our voter guide for the Nov. 5 local elections. Head to the main landing page for a guide to some other key races.
In addition to three commission races, Miami Beach voters will have to vote on six referenda when they head to the polls. The second referendum reads like this:
Since 1966, the City Charter has established a $6,000 annual compensation for each City Commissioner and a $10,000 annual compensation for the Mayor. Effective with the City’s November 2021 General Election, should Charter Section 2.02 be amended to increase each Commissioner’s annual compensation to $45,381 and the Mayor’s annual compensation to $75,636, said compensations to be increased annually based upon the Consumer Price Index, but not to exceed three percent per year?
If you voted in last year’s election, then this item will probably look pretty familiar to you. That’s because the City Commission placed this same question on the August 2018 ballot — even down to the same numbers — just with slightly different wording. You can read more about that here.
That referendum was voted down by about 53 percent of voters and now we’re here. This item has been a long-time sticking point on the Beach and is part of a larger countywide conversation on how much elected officials should be paid.
It would be asking voters to approve a big raise for Beach officials. The math comes from taking the salaries that have been on the books since 1966 and adjusting them for the cost of living.
These salaries would also increase on an annual basis, based on the Consumer Price Index, but wouldn’t ever go above a three percent increase. And the raise wouldn’t go into effect until after the 2021 election cycle.
If you vote yes, you’re approving a one-time pay increase, plus an annual cost-of-living increase of no more than 3 percent, for the mayor and commissioners.
If you vote no, you’re voting for mayor and commission salaries to stay the same.
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