The Miami City Commission put off a decision about bringing $450 million of fire, police and ambulance bonds to voters.
Mayor Eileen Higgins had asked the members to approve the bonds for an August referendum but agreed to push back the referendum date to November at the urging of several commissioners.
Several commissioners said they wanted more time to consider the matter and requested their vote be delayed to May 28, a move which passed 4-1 on Thursday.
Existing public safety buildings need repairs, Higgins said, with issues including raw sewage flowing on the first floor of police headquarters, no showers in some buildings, roof problems that allow rain in, and insufficient electrical outlets.
Higgins said the problems in the facilities have been growing for 20 years.
In large areas of
Fire Rescue Chief Robert Hevia said two of
Proceeds from the bonds would be used to build a public safety headquarters, add four fire-rescue stations and renovate some existing stations.
Commissioner Ralph "Rafael" Rosado said police, fire and rescue personnel deserve better work conditions and residents deserve better response times. However, he said, he wanted more information about the 2017 "Miami Forever" bonds and what portion of them would be used for public safety facilities.
Commissioner Christine King said the city might be able to use public-private partnerships to pay for some of the capital improvements, despite prior bad experiences using them for building fire stations.
Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela said the requested work needs to be done, but he needs more time to consider the proposed bonds.
The mayor said the city could sell the properties that house buildings that will be replaced and use that money to help pay off some bonds.
