The Miami Lakes Cultural Affairs Committee approved budget and procedural rules for its annual awards program, setting a not-to-exceed budget of $3,500 and opening nominations to the public from Jan. 5 through Feb. 2.

Staff presented bids showing catering near $2,400 and a keynote speaker fee of $600; committee members discussed award material options (crystal versus acrylic) and agreed to accept an awards proposal that keeps total costs under $3,500. A motion to approve the event budget cap was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; the transcript does not include a roll-call tally of votes.

Committee members agreed nomination rules: one category per nomination, a minimum word count for nomination text consistent with last year (committee discussed a 200-word minimum), and a requirement that nominations include a photograph of the nominee to streamline production. Another motion — moved and seconded during the meeting — established that nominees must either live or work in Miami Lakes; the committee discussed enforcement challenges and decided the eligibility filter should be applied before nominations reach the committee.

Next steps: staff will post the nomination form and make a printable option available for people without online access. Staff will collect nominations through the deadline and present the qualified list for committee review at the Feb. 11 meeting.