Prior to the Town's incorporation in 2000, the Miami-Dade Public Works Department performed several tasks along the canals which were funded from the Miami-Dade Stormwater Utility Fee.

In 2003, via Resolution No. 03-31, the Town of Miami Lakes created its own stormwater utility and began performing maintenance along the canals as part of those responsibilities. The level of service in some of the tasks have been improved by the Town, such as the surface level canal cleaning, where the Town has been performing it in a monthly basis and the County offers a quarterly service for below surface cleaning. Presently, the canal system is owned by the County with surrounding communities paying a percentage share for the maintenance of the canals running through each area.

The Town's percent share of its canal system is calculated at nineteen percent (19%) for work performed on Golden glades, forty-five percent (45%) for work performed on Graham Dairy Canal, eighty-eight (88%) for work performed on Peters Pike canal and six percent (6%) for work performed on Red Road Canal.

The annual costs are estimated to be $160,000 per year which represents an increase of $62,000 from the previous storm water inter-local agreement with the County which was approved in 2012. The increase is due to an increase of costs to labor and materials to the County and provides for a contingency for emergencies and obstruction removal. In a recent bid for these services released by the Town, the Town found the County's pricing to be comparable or better than those received from private vendors.

In negotiations with the County on the new agreement, the Town suggested and the County accepted the following amendments to the contract as approved in 2012:

• Article III (2nd paragraph) – “The TOWN has elected to perform culvert cleaning above water, flat mowing, and slope mowing within the TOWN's boundaries, and at no cost to the UTILITY”, has been added to clarify and establish the Town's responsibilities of canal maintenance.

• Article V.D – “The UTILITY must notify the TOWN in writing of such changes prior to the next maintenance cycle” has been inserted into that paragraph to keep the Town informed of any changes or adjustments to the tasks and levels of service.

• Article V.J – “Upon request by the TOWN, the UTILITY shall provide quarterly reports showing tasks performed, dates of work completed, number of crews, and pre-audited cost of service” is a new added paragraph for performance management purposes. In previous agreements, the Town received an annual report with payment without knowledge of the County's schedule of services and work performed. This will allow for quarterly tracking.

The Town supplements the County's services though a contract with SFM Services. This contract includes Slope mowing and litter removal monthly.

The budget for the above services is funded from the Stormwater Utility Fund, with a proposed allocation of the $218,125 for FY 2016-17.