County Commissioner Sharief finds new way to fund community projects
-Precedent-setting use of commission district money called “brilliant” and “innovative” by several County Commissioners-
West Park Mayor Eric Jones (far left) along with Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper thanked Commissioner Barbara Sharief (far right) for money she contributed from her office budget to support city events.
From Torey Alston
The City of Miramar will receive $5,000 to support art and cultural initiatives. Hallandale Beach will also receive $5,000 to purchase books for a Micro-Library at a new community center. The City of West Park is in line for $2,000 to support city events including the Mary Kendrick Feed the Needy Feast. All of the money will come from the district office budget of Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief. It’s the first time a County commissioner has proposed using money they haven’t spent from their office budget to help cities with specific community requests.
“This is an innovative and creative method to support my constituents and critical projects in my district. I continue to be fiscally responsible and a good steward of taxpayer dollars, so with this action, $12,000 will support key initiatives in South County,” Commissioner Sharief told her colleagues, also acknowledging approximately $20,000 will be sent back to the County’s general fund.
For accountability and transparency, an agreement has been drafted outlining the one-time, non-recurring payment to each city along with requiring a detailed report on expenditures after funds are received.
Each commissioner’s annual district budget is $341,530. The funds remaining at the end of the year typically revert to the fund balance in the County’s general fund for the upcoming year. The County Attorney opined community projects such as those proposed by Commissioner Sharief were an appropriate use of commission district funds, pending Board approval.
