A Miami‑Dade County Charter Review Task Force spent the bulk of its Oct. 14 meeting debating how to address the county commissioners’ $6,000 annual salary and whether to add or change term limits, ultimately deferring a final decision while asking staff to prepare a revised draft for the next meeting.

The most contested proposal, introduced by Commissioner Dennis Moss, would create an independent five‑member salary commission to review and set commissioners’ total compensation annually. Moss said the commission would be composed of appointees he described as community “influencers,” such as the state attorney’s office and the judiciary, and would consider salary, fringe benefits and expense accounts when recommending pay levels. “It is a full time job…$6,000 is ridiculous,” Moss said in arguing for a new approach to compensation.

The alternative on the table, referred to in the agenda as Item A, would give commissioners the option to adopt the state compensation formula for charter counties if they pledge to forego outside employment. Task force members cited an Office of Economic and Demographic Research estimate indicating that a commissioner who affirms full‑time service under the state formula would receive $123,781 annually. Task force member Andre Pierre summarized public reaction he collected in North Miami and said voters view the current $6,000 salary as unfair, but also noted concerns about generous expense accounts and retirement allowances.

Why it matters: Miami‑Dade is the state’s largest county and the county charter currently fixes the county commissioners’ compensation at $6,000 per year; the task force is considering whether to keep the charter provision, replace it with the state formula, or create a new mechanism for setting pay. Any charter change would go to voters on a ballot question and would change how the county’s elected leaders are compensated going forward.

Key details and evidence
- Current charter salary: $6,000 per year, codified in the Miami‑Dade County charter (present since the 1957 charter). A staff explanation on the record noted the salary remains in the charter and therefore can only be changed by charter amendment.
- State formula example: Task force members quoted an Office of Economic and Demographic Research figure that the state formula would produce approximately $123,781 for a commissioner who commits to full‑time service and foregoes outside employment.
- School board comparison: Carlos Maxwell of the county’s Office of Management and Budget said Miami‑Dade County Public Schools reported elected school board members earn $56,587 annually; his office noted their packet did not include whether that figure includes allowances or benefits.
- Public perceptions and prior ballots: Staff noted the question of moving to the state formula has been placed on at least six prior ballots (most recently in 2012) and was rejected; task force members debated whether a different structure (an independent commission) might be politically more palatable.
- Expense accounts and benefits: Commissioners discussed that commissioners’ expense accounts, allowances and retirement sums have grown; one member said the combination of allowances and retirement reached about $138,000 in recent years, a figure many voters found objectionable when explained at the door.

What members proposed and discussed
- Independent salary commission (Commissioner Dennis Moss): A five‑member body appointed by specified officials (for example, judiciary and law‑enforcement or oversight offices as described by Moss) that would meet annually to recommend total compensation, taking into account salary, fringe benefits and expense accounts. Moss accepted amendments during the meeting to set a floor of $6,000 and cap recommendations at the state formula level. He also accepted language that vacancies be filled by the same appointing authority.
- Direct adoption of state formula (Item A): A simpler approach that would set the salary by applying the state compensation formula for charter counties, with the option for an official to affirm full‑time service and receive the state amount (the draft cited roughly $123,781) or keep the $6,000 charter salary and continue outside employment.
- Mixed proposals and safeguards: Members suggested various guardrails: require the salary commission to explicitly consider any expense increases the commission has approved for itself, allow the commission to include private‑sector representatives to improve credibility, set a floor and ceiling (floor $6,000; ceiling = state level), and require annual reports or periodic referenda as accountability mechanisms.

Legal and procedural notes discussed
- Home‑rule / charter authority: Staff explained that the Miami‑Dade County charter, as enabled by a home‑rule amendment to the Florida Constitution, currently provides the method of compensation for county commissioners, so changing the $6,000 figure requires a charter amendment.
- Data sources: Carlos Maxwell (Office of Management and Budget) told the task force that the comparative compensation numbers in the packet were derived from public filings to the Florida Commission on Ethics and reflect taxable income reported by officials; the packet did not separately list non‑salary allowances.
- Campaigning limits: County staff cited Florida Statute 106.113 to note the county cannot spend public funds to promote a ballot measure, though individual elected officials retain the right to express opinions in public.

Votes at a glance
- Deferral of salary commission item: The task force agreed to defer final action and asked the attorney and staff to prepare a revised draft incorporating the amendments discussed (motion and second not identified in the transcript). Outcome: deferred (motion carried). Note: members explicitly asked staff to add clarifying language on appointment, vacancies, the floor and ceiling, and possible inclusion of private‑sector appointees.
- Approval of minutes (Attachment 6) with an amendment correcting a mayor’s city affiliation: Motion carried (mover and seconder not specified in the transcript record).
- Scheduling actions: The task force confirmed a regional listening meeting for Oct. 27, 5–8 p.m., at the North Dade Regional Library (recorded and to be posted later if streaming is unavailable); it also scheduled the next noticed task force meeting for Nov. 17, 9 a.m.–noon in the County Commission Chamber.

What was not decided
- The task force did not adopt either the independent salary commission or the state‑formula option. Members expressly deferred final approval and asked staff/attorneys to prepare a consolidated draft reflecting the amendments discussed for the next meeting.

Next steps
- Staff and the task force attorney were asked to produce a revised draft of the salary‑related charter language that includes (a) the independent commission option with the amendments accepted in the meeting (floor $6,000, ceiling = state formula, vacancy filling by same appointing authority), and (b) the alternate state‑formula option, for the task force to consider at its next meeting.

Quotes (selected) "The $6,000 a year compensation that's set forth in our charter is what the salary is until the charter itself is amended," said a staff member explaining the charter authority for compensation. "It is a full time job…$6,000 is ridiculous," said Commissioner Dennis Moss during debate on the panel floor. "We should have people that are for it and most people love the no," said Mayor Andre Pierre, recounting door‑to‑door feedback he gathered in North Miami.

Ending
The task force left the central question unresolved but narrowed options and asked attorneys to prepare precise ballot language and a consolidated charter amendment draft. Members signaled political concern that a straightforward salary increase could fail at the ballot and discussed whether an independent commission or added private‑sector appointees would improve public trust. The item will return for further drafting and a future vote.