Miami is about to start its own trolley system, featuring replicas of old-fashioned vehicles complete with rubber tires, wooden seats and leather hand straps.

Commissioners gave the nod Thursday to a $20 million plan that would courier commuters — for free — through Brickell, downtown and Overtown, east to Biscayne Boulevard, and west to the Culmer Center in the hospital district, culminating at the Miami Marlins’ new ballpark in Little Havana.

The orange-and-green vehicles will fire up hopefully some time in March, just before the Marlins throw their first pitch in the new stadium. The city required the company that will operate the trolleys to ensure that 20 percent of its employees and 20 percent of support vendors – who would replace worn out tires, for example — will come from the local Miami workforce.

“This has been the most debated issue since I’ve been in Miami,” said Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, also noting it might be one of the most useful projects the city has undertaken.

The unanimous vote acknowledged that Miami-Dade commissioners must first agree to let the trolleys use county roads.

Commissioners agreed to pay Limousines of South Florida $2 million a year to run and store 28 trolleys at a facility near Miami International Airport. The company ranked highest among four bidders when considering price and qualifications. Experienced in the industry, it has 20 similar contracts in South Florida, including in Doral, Coral Gables, and Hollywood.

The city spent $5.6 million to purchase the fleet from Specialty Vehicles of Indiana. It piggy-backed on a winning bid awarded by Houston Transit.

Miami has identified $20 million to buy the vehicles and help with operations for years to come. The money comes from a number of sources, including $14 million in half-cent transit surtax funds, $4.1 million in stimulus dollars and $1.5 million from the Florida Department of Transportation.

Each year the city expects operating costs to range between $2 million and $3 million. About $2 million of that would be funded from transit surtaxes, not from the city’s general fund.

Riding the trolley will be free.

Thursday, as commissioners debated the plan, which took a year to complete, a shiny new trolley sat outside City Hall, open for viewing.

Anthony Hatten, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, told commissioners that it would be less expensive for a city crew to care for the trolleys the first few years, rather than outsourcing the work.

His statement caught the attention of commissioners, before General Services Administration Director Rick Falero disagreed on costs and said the city didn’t have enough room to store all the trolleys, which will be insured by the operator who stores them.

Commissioners on Thursday also voted unanimously to toughen the city’s financial integrity ordinance, by requiring the city manager to give a monthly report on the city’s finances.

The ordinance already called for a two-year plan by the administration to replenish the city’s general fund reserve if it falls below about $80 million. That’s been the case now for several years, but no plan is in place. The city has about $10 million in reserve.

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