How Opa-locka is run
Who runs Opa-locka, 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 Opa-locka's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Opa-locka
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
- Travel budget of $10,000 per seat in FY2027
Opa-locka city staff
189 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (sworn officers) 52. FY2026-27. Full-time positions, plus 33 part-time positions. City of Opa-locka · Sep 30, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The budget lists positions and division salary totals, not individual pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Opa-locka 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 against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $0 (2025-09-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. The city's own target: Keep a general fund reserve of at least $500,000 each year: $300,000 that the commission can approve for emergencies or overruns, and $200,000 left unspent as a year-end reserve. The city says it is moving toward a two-month reserve standard. City of Opa-locka · Sep 14, 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.
Comes from
- Property taxes$17.4M · 50%
- From savings (fund balance)$4.7M · 13%
- Transfers in from other funds$4.5M · 13%
- Franchise fees$2.7M · 8%
- Fines and forfeitures (incl. red light cameras)$1.9M · 6%
- Other revenue (mostly police off-duty work)$1.6M · 4%
- Permits$1.3M · 4%
- Other (licenses, charges, grants, utility tax, interest)$808,080 · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$12.9M · 37%
- Transfers out to other funds$6.4M · 18%
- Public works (admin, streets, vehicle maintenance)$2M · 6%
- Finance$1.9M · 5%
- Building maintenance$1.8M · 5%
- Parks and recreation$1.5M · 4%
- Non-departmental$1.1M · 3%
- Contingency$1M · 3%
- Other departments$6.3M · 18%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar an Opa-locka homeowner pays, about 37 cents goes to the city. The 24.0024 mill total was down from 24.2027 the year before. Fire rescue and libraries are county services paid through separate district levies.
37¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Opa-locka
- City of Opa-locka8.9797 · 37%
- Miami-Dade County School BoardOperating 5.4990, voter-approved operating 1.0000, debt 0.13406.633 · 28%
- Miami-Dade CountyOperating 4.5740 plus debt 0.41714.9911 · 21%
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue district2.3965 · 10%
- The Children's Trust0.4638 · 2%
- Miami-Dade Library System0.2812 · 1%
- South Florida Water Management District (incl. Everglades and Okeechobee Basin levies)0.2301 · <1%
- Florida Inland Navigation District0.027 · <1%
- Total (mills)24.0024
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Opa-locka (Miami-Dade County). Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser
Who provides your services
Not everything in Opa-locka is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityOpa-locka Police DepartmentCity of Opa-locka · Sep 30, 2026
- Residential trash and recyclingThe countyMiami-Dade CountyUnder a city contract with the county.City of Opa-locka · Sep 30, 2026
- Commercial trashPrivate companyTwo franchised private haulersCity of Opa-locka · Sep 30, 2026
- Streets and sidewalksThe cityCity Public WorksCity of Opa-locka · Sep 30, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Opa-lockaCity of Opa-locka · Sep 14, 2026
- LibraryThe countyMiami-Dade Public Library SystemMiami-Dade County
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 | Marco IslandFL | Opa LockaFL | LongwoodFL | PinecrestFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 16,194 | 16,559 | 16,641 | 18,206 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $228,744 | $190,000 | $185,543 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | $6,600 | Not confirmed | No salary |
| General fund per resident | $2,120 | $2,108 | $1,641 | $2,460 |
| Debt per resident | $7,547 | $191 | $991 | $2,750 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $31 | $745 | $-11 | $472 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 16.5 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 11.7 |
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).
What Opa-locka publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2025 audit is dated Sept. 14, 2026, after the June 30, 2026 state deadline. It is posted on the Florida Auditor General site. Florida Auditor General
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2027 adopted budget is posted in the city's Document Center. City of Opa-locka · Sep 30, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no contract or pay resolution for the interim manager online. Her $190,000 salary is known from a news report of the vote. The Miami Times
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes are posted as scanned images in the city's Laserfiche archive. We could not confirm member-by-member votes from readable text. City of Opa-locka
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city clerk's candidate page states the $6,600 annual salary for the mayor and commissioners. City of Opa-locka City Clerk
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists positions and division salary totals only. We found no city-published pay list. City of Opa-locka · Sep 30, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2027 budget draws $4.68 million from general fund balance, but the audited general fund balance was $3.4 million on Sept. 30, 2025, all of it restricted. Where will that money come from?
- The FY2025 audit was dated Sept. 14, 2026, after the June 30 state deadline. What will it take to file the FY2026 audit on time?
- The city has been in a state-declared financial emergency since 2016. What must happen for the state to end it?
- The city's 2025 tax rate was 8.9797 mills. How does the commission weigh that rate against rebuilding general fund reserves?
Help decide what comes next
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