Homestead Council Round-Up

The Homestead Council is considering several items tied to city government and public safety, including a charter review workshop and a new police records management system.

The Council will hold a workshop to discuss items proposed by Councilwoman Erica Ávila and other matters brought up during the recent Committee of the Whole meeting.

A major item involves single-member districts. Currently, candidates for council run in the district where they live, but they are elected by voters from all of Homestead. The proposal would change the method of electing council members from at-large elections with residential area requirements to single-member district elections, with council members elected by voters residing within their respective districts.

The single-member district election amendment would begin with the 2027 municipal elections.

Another proposal would reduce the mayor’s term from four years to two years. If approved by voters, the mayoral term amendment would apply prospectively beginning with the next mayoral election and would not shorten the term of any mayor serving at the time of approval.

Another proposal would clarify that any portion of a term served by a council member appointed to fill a vacancy would not count toward the calculation of charter term limits. If a council member had to leave office, the individual appointed to serve in the former member’s place would not have the remaining time served counted toward term limits.

These items will be discussed at an upcoming workshop before returning to the Council for possible placement on the November ballot.

The Council is also considering a contract with Mark43 to provide an updated computer-aided dispatch system and records management system, known as CAD/RMS.

Homestead Police Chief Mario Knapp discussed the importance of the Mark43 system and how it would benefit the city’s law enforcement operations and public safety efforts.

The new system would create a unified platform designed to improve day-to-day operations through better data flow between dispatch, reporting and analytics. It would also provide a modern, scalable foundation for future public safety needs, strengthen compliance, accountability and risk management across the department and reduce reliance on outdated systems and disconnected processes.

The project would involve multi-vendor procurement for an integrated public safety system, combining sole-source, cooperative and professional services. The cost over five years would total $1.91 million, including an initial startup cost of $621,353.