The Hialeah City Council voted to approve the first operating budget amendment for fiscal year 2026 after amending the measure to limit a holiday incentive to lower‑paid employees and keep other departmental appropriations in place.

Council members debated the item at length after the administration placed a $1,000 blanket incentive for city employees inside the budget amendment, an allocation council members said was announced to staff before the council reviewed it. Peter Dufaria, director of budget and finance, told the council the package included several carryovers and targeted appropriations, and that the $1.5 million incentive figure represented a citywide distribution as proposed by the administration.

Opponents said the timing and optics were poor given outstanding resident relief discussions. “I don't like it… I would have liked to have discussed it as a board,” said Mister Zogby, who warned approving a blanket payment without prior council conversation could harm trust with residents. City Attorney clarified that amending a presented budget item would require five affirmative votes under the charter; passing the amendment as presented required only a majority of members present.

Council members discussed possible alternatives — narrowing eligibility by salary band, excluding part‑time employees, or using tiered amounts. Staff provided counts during the meeting: 908 employees earn $80,000 or less across full‑ and part‑time roles (665 full‑time when part‑time is excluded), and 459 employees earn $50,000 or less (181 are full‑time). Those figures informed bargaining between members.

After negotiating options on the dais, council members approved an amendment that targeted employees earning $50,000 or less. Under the amendment, full‑time employees earning $50,000 or less will receive $1,000 and part‑time employees in that cohort will receive $350. The amendment also preserved other elements of the budget amendment, including a $500,000 contribution to the fire trust to address higher insurance claims, which union representatives said are driven in part by recent state law covering occupational cancer for firefighters.

The amended budget passed by roll call of the members present. The council president said remaining budget items — unencumbered carryforwards and certain police and fire appropriations — should move forward to preserve ongoing services and obligations.

What happens next: The measure was adopted as amended in this meeting; any further changes to the presented budget would require the five‑vote threshold the city attorney described.