In his first month in office, newly appointed Mayor Carlos Gimenez is charged with balancing the county’s budget before the 2011-2012 fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

Running on a campaign that prioritized children, the elderly and public safety, the former Miami city manager and Miami-Dade county commissioner pledged to lower the county’s combined tax rate to 2009-2010 levels without implementing severe cuts to essential county services.

“I wanted to keep my campaign promise to lower the combined millage rate back to 2009-2010 fiscal year [levels],” Mr. Gimenez said. “That's what the people voted me into office for and was the reason my predecessor was recalled from office. I knew how to resolve that problem.”

While the county commission agreed to cap the county’s combined tax rate at 9.7405 mills, down from 11.0498 this year, it didn’t support Mr. Gimenez’s call to reduce the library’s tax rate. In an effort to keep area libraries open during a difficult budget year, the commission transferred some anticipated income from the county’s fire rescue district to its libraries.

“I wasn't able to guarantee that it would not affect services,” he said, “but I'm going to do my best to see that it doesn't, at least at the street level.”

Mr. Gimenez discussed how he plans to prepare for the commission’s September budget hearings and reduce the size of the county government at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center with Miami Today staff writer Ashley Hopkins.