How Cutler Bay is run
Who runs Cutler Bay, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Cutler Bay's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Cutler Bay
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- Twenty weeks of base salary as severance if the council lets him go for convenience
- Town keeps paying his health insurance premium for twenty weeks after such a termination
- No severance if fired for misconduct or ethics violations
- Life and health insurance budgeted at $1,300 a month per member ($78,000 for all five in FY2026-27)
Cutler Bay city staff
42 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Town of Cutler Bay · Sep 22, 2026
The budget lists the salary budgeted for each town position by department. Florida has no statewide public pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Cutler Bay in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $27.4M (2025-09-30). Town of Cutler Bay · Jun 29, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27 (tentative).
Comes from
- Property taxes$12.3M · 40%
- Half-cent sales tax (state)$4.5M · 15%
- Utility taxes$4.5M · 15%
- Electric franchise fees$2.9M · 9%
- Building permits$1.6M · 5%
- State revenue sharing$1.4M · 5%
- Communications services tax$1M · 3%
- Other (gas tax, fees, fines, grants, interest)$2.5M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27 (tentative))
- Police (Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office contract)$14.1M · 46%
- General government (incl. debt service and insurance)$7M · 23%
- Parks and recreation$3.4M · 11%
- Community development (building, zoning, code)$2.2M · 7%
- Public works$1.7M · 6%
- Town clerk (incl. election costs)$904,030 · 3%
- Other (finance, town attorney, mayor and council)$1.4M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Cutler Bay homeowner pays, about 16 cents goes to the town. For FY2026-27 the town kept its rate at 2.8332 mills, which is 6.94% above the rolled-back rate of 2.6494 mills.
16¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Cutler Bay
- Miami-Dade County School BoardOperating 5.4990, voter-approved operating 1.0000, debt 0.13406.633 · 37%
- Miami-Dade CountyOperating 4.5740 plus debt 0.41714.9911 · 28%
- Town of Cutler Bay2.8332 · 16%
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue district2.3965 · 13%
- The Children's Trust0.4638 · 3%
- Miami-Dade library district0.2812 · 2%
- South Florida Water Management District (incl. Everglades and Okeechobee Basin levies)0.2301 · 1%
- Florida Inland Navigation District0.027 · <1%
- Total (mills)17.8559
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the Town of Cutler Bay (Miami-Dade County). Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser
See what a Cutler Bay home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Cutler Bay is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorMiami-Dade Sheriff's Office (town contract)55 sworn deputies and 5 civilian Sheriff's Office employees serve the townTown of Cutler Bay
- FireThe countyMiami-Dade Fire RescueStations 34 (Cutler Ridge) and 55 (Saga Bay) are in the townMiami-Dade Fire Rescue
- LibraryThe countyMiami-Dade Public Library SystemSouth Dade Regional Library is in Cutler BayMiami-Dade Public Library System
- ParksThe cityTown of Cutler Bay Parks and RecreationTown of Cutler Bay
- Streets and sidewalksThe cityTown of Cutler Bay Public Works DepartmentTown of Cutler Bay
- StormwaterThe cityTown of Cutler Bay Stormwater UtilityTown of Cutler Bay
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | North Miami BeachFL | North LauderdaleFL | Cutler BayFL | Ormond BeachFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 44,365 | 44,888 | 45,361 | 45,723 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $260,000 | $230,000 | $366,097 | Not current (2022) |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $11,224 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,773 | $1,208 | $678 | $1,164 |
| Debt per resident | $4,066 | $0 | $544 | $649 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,888 | $212 | $97 | $271 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 6.5 | 0.9 | 8.7 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). North Miami Beach and North Lauderdale and Cutler Bay pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Cutler Bay publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list how each member voted on each motion, e.g. the 4-0 consent agenda vote on July 15, 2026. Town of Cutler Bay
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online Town of Cutler Bay
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe charter sets the base pay, adjusted yearly by inflation. The budget states $22,449 for the mayor and $44,896 for the four other members. Town of Cutler Bay · Sep 22, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published Town of Cutler Bay · Sep 22, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Police services cost $14.1 million of the $30.7 million tentative FY2026-27 general fund. What is the town doing to manage the Sheriff's Office contract cost?
- The FY2026-27 rate of 2.8332 mills is 6.94% above the rolled-back rate of 2.6494 mills. What would the town cut to levy the rolled-back rate?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The council held budget workshops on June 17, July 30 and Aug. 25, 2026, and set the proposed tax rate on July 15. The first budget hearing was Sept. 8, and the second hearing and final adoption were scheduled for Sept. 22, 2026. See who is running for council
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