Oh, Please. >> Okay. Member Shepard >> present. >> Member Seagull >> present. >> Member Verdelli. Member Zerelli >> present. >> Member Kornfeld is absent. Vice Chairperson Greenwald
>> present. >> And chairperson Rii >> present. and assistant finance director Matthews >> present >> and town manager Labidity. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Pledge of allegiance. Please stand
alsisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay, we need to approve the agenda. Do I have a motion to approve? >> Motion to approve the agenda. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I.
>> Thank you. Uh do we have any public comments? Hearing none. Uh the first item is to approve the minutes of June 24th, 2025. Are there any corrections to the
minutes? Do I have a motion to approve the minutes? >> Motion to approve the minutes as written. >> Second. >> Thank you. All in favor? >> I finished business. We have none.
Uh the first item for new business is to nominate a chairperson and vice chairperson to serve one-year terms ending March 19th, 2027. So I open the floor for nominations and I'd
like be first one. I'd like to nominate Dr. Greenwald for chairperson. I have a second. Second. >> All in favor? Are there anyations? I >> Okay, there weren't any.
>> So, uh the next one is vice chairperson. Are there any nominees? Anybody want to do it? >> Okay, >> I accept. >> All right. Any other nominations? Okay. All in favor?
>> I >> I thank you. Great. Um, next will be the financial overview of fiscal year 2026 covering the period of October 1st, 2025 to
January 31st, 2026. >> Good morning everyone. Um, chairperson, members of the board, this morning I'll be giving you a brief summary of our unawited budget versus actual budget expenditures
for fiscal year 2026. This covers a period October 1st, 2025 through January 31st, 2026. The data indicates that both revenue and expenditures are tracking with the
town's budget targets for this time frame. Overall, the town's financial performance reflects a commitment to management's careful fiscal management and continues on with this progress to its financial planning goals. I will
first begin and you have the financial data in your agenda packets. Um I'm going to start off with the general fund. Um the general fund remains financially strong. As of January 31st,
revenues total 13.5 million representing approximately 73% of our annual projections. Um the primary driver of these upfront um revenues was driven by adverum taxes
which accounted for 84% of the projected amounts that were expected in for this fiscal year. Um this reflects the seasonal nature of property tax collections and it explains our strong revenue position at this time. On the
expenditure side, the general funds total 5.9 million or 30% of the annual budget. Based on um the number of months in the year, we we would be around 33 and a3% since we've gotten we're onethird of our
fiscal year. Um this level of spending is consistent with the historical patterns at this point in our fiscal year except for certain capital projects that are scheduled later on in the year. Again, the general fund current position
reflects strong liquidity control spending and no unusual budgetary pressures at this time. Um the next fund I'm going to dive into is our discretionary sales tax. Um the Palm Beach County infrastructure
discretionary sales con revenue concluded on December 31st, 2025. So after that point in time, we're we will no longer be receiving revenues. Um
however um there there was a month um in the back and we received that as of January um 2026. the total collections exceeded our expectations by over 20%. So that puts
us in a strong um financial position as far as that fund. So it it's a fa it's favorable and our capital funding position is is better because of that uh $20,000 increase.
The next fund I'm going to dive into is our building department fund. The building department continues to perform well. Revenue total 1.24 million or 49% of the annual projections um year to
date. Expenditures are tracking at 790,000 or 29% of the budget. These numbers indicate strong revenue generation relative to spending and reflect sustained fiscal stability
within the department. The town continues to benefit from its interlocal agreement with the town of Gulfream contributing to our revenue diversification. So year to date we are under a little under our projections for
the town of Highland Beach. However, um our revenues have been bolstered by or um the revenues generated through Gulfream. So that's good for the town. Um we have several projects on the way and the this will impact expenditure
pacing um through um year end. Um overall the building fund remains financially healthy and well positioned through the end of this fiscal year. Um, I'm going to turn to the water fund.
Um, at this point, after two of six bimonthly billing cycles, the revenues are at 34% of our annual budget, which aligns with the projected billing patterns for this point in time
of our fiscal year. Our expenses are 26% of budget, indicating controlled spending of our operating costs. Some capital projects are still pending and we expect expenditure levels to increase as these projects advance through the
year. At this time, the water fund is performing in accordance with budgeted expectations. Last but not least, our sewer fund. The sewer fund generated 729,000 in revenue or 30% of the annual target.
Billing is currently just below the anticipated 33% pacing. However, it continues to fall within an acceptable range for this stage of our billing cycle. Expenditures are at 941,000
or 21% of our annual budget and these spending uh are primarily due to the sewer relining projects and other ongoing capital projects um for the fund. These capital investments are consistent with infrastructure
maintenance priorities by the town of our long-term system sust sustainability. In closing or in summary, the general fund remains robust with strong revenue collection and conservative expenditure
execution. The discretionary sales s collections exceeded our expectations. The building fund continues to generate stable revenues with manageable spending. Water and sewer are pacing appropriately based on billing cycles
and capital scheduling. At this time, there are no significant variances or structural concerns that we are aware of or should be concerned about. Um I the town's financial position reflects
continued fiscal discipline, strategic capital investment and alignment with adopted targets. We along with under the direction of our town manager Marshall Labd will continue to monitor our revenue pacing, capital
project executions and our enterprise funds performance as we move into the fiscal year. Thank you. I welcome any questions you may have about the information that was presented to you. >> Couple things. >> Sure.
>> Um, first of all, thank you for the uh report and the data. I mean, I go through this uh for some years now and this time of year it's pretty hard to really tell where we are because it's so dependent on capital expenditures to date. Uh, so I always ask the same
question, which is, do you have any concerns about what's going on and how we're tracking so far? >> No concerns at all. I think we're tracking under budgets as far as our expenditures and we're tracking higher for our revenues. >> Okay.
>> Um, we so part of what we do here is we prepare our financial statements timely. So unlike other cities where you hear nightmares of people doing their bank wrecks 6 months after within a week of the month closing with our bank
reconciliation that we tried to get our data in so that we can provide management with accurate information that's timely for decision making. So at this point there are no indications. I
think we're we're performing strong and based on the numbers, we should do well through through the end of our fiscal year. >> Okay. My my second comments probably best addressed by uh Marshall. Uh during our last meeting, we spent a
considerable amount of time talking about how well the building department was doing and the fact that they were actually spinning off money that we were going to need to do something with. Uh and various options were discussed including you know lowering
rates. Uh more money was going to be shifted into capital projects uh which you know we agreed were were necessary and a good use of the funds. And then there was a significant amount of discussion about possibly using some of
the money for uh if you will value added services. Uh part of it was possibly improving the permitting process through uh changes in it. Uh possibly uh doing some things in terms of and these were
just ideas that were thrown out but additional personnel act sort of as ombbudsmen for people who were seeking permits to help them through the process. And since it looks as though the building department is on track and doing very well again, I just wondered if there was any followup on some of the
discussions that we had at our last meeting. >> Uh yes, thanks. Um the building department's doing well. Uh we had a tricky quarter or the last five months if you
will in the building department uh wherein the revenues from building permits or just to say building permits and building activity inland beach has kind of fallen off the cliff. Um, we are
being uh boyed, if you will, by GFream where it's more single family and I think Jeff's uh put a stuff together here. I'll be sharing with the commission and I'll be sure to get it to you all. um reertification,
insurance, um all of these other secondary issues I think are having people have reservations for further investment in condo improvements because that's really where a lot of the volume of building
permits for us comes. Not so much the single family stays pretty consistent, but when uh the condos stop making improvements, you'll see that precipitous fall in permits. And we we are experiencing that right now where we're off by I don't know 70% on
permits. >> Um but at the same time, Gulf Stream's through the roof, right? Cuz you know, they do a $27 million home project. Wow. All of a sudden, the permit revenue. So our our model actually works well. So when the condo goes down, we have a a
GFream holding it up. the the two balance each other cuz conceivably Gfream could find itself at times where it just totally collapses and then our condos pick up. So we we're doing a pretty good balance between the two communities. Um but we are seeing a a
drop off. Um hopefully it's momentary episodic if you will, just kind of in the moment and we'll start seeing that pick back up, but we're seeing a lot of fall-off on the condos. Um we did institute the 12% reduction in fees, so we did bring all the fees down.
Um because again we have some statutory uh limitations on how much dollars we can can save for down periods. Uh but I'm glad we do have a little bit in there uh should this slowdown uh have a a longer
uh uh reach as far as the number of permits if it just lasts longer than we expected the scope and scale of it. But we're kind of watching that. Um we're doing you know on budsman we do meet with folks a little more often. I don't know that we've had an official uh position to create that. I know we had
that conversation. I don't know anything really came of that. As as much as uh we do uh I know the building department makes itself readily available to at any anybody's desire. Um and sometimes property owners start with me just to
snowball ideas on you know what their next project um will be. But the condos are slowing down. Um oddly enough uh it could be a whole host of issues. It could be temporary in nature, but it's really falling off, but um you know,
GFream's kind of rebalancing, and so we're going to meet our goals. The budget's going to move forward, everything's good. Um the trick with that sometimes is is you know, you get a big permit, but a project takes two and a half years to build out, and we're responsible to carry all of those inspections on that initial payment. So,
we're in good we're in good space. Our model is good because we can cut down uh the model that we built can can change with volume which is good rather than having every trade on staff and a full-time basis would put us in a
spot where there's no work. So, we can slow down the cap uh inspection side of it and kind of rebalance that model, which is good for us. U but the building's kind of a it's a tricky spot. when I got that information uh from Jeff and I'll share it with you. I think it's pretty interesting where we're just it's
just like right off, you know. Um, so I I just think, you know, we had a couple really banner years, but I think maybe there's some fatigue, cost, special assessments, insurance, the reertification, like all of this stuff I think may make everybody a little bit
tense and let defer maybe some of those other capital projects they wanted to do on the individual unit basis. >> Would the concrete reertifications void it up? maybe
on a temporary basis and and it was maybe artificially high for a period of time. >> Um that's a good question. I don't know if they get that. I'll ask that to Jeff. I think um it did um and we're not done. There's, you know, we just had a presentation to the commission yesterday
from the building department. Uh we have a a another, you know, smaller size condo that needs phase two. They'll jump in, pull a permit, that'll uh move it back up. Um, but again, I I think he's also looking
at you could look at inspections, you could look at the trades and break it down a little bit further. And I think that's where his concern is is we're not seeing it at the unit level. You know, just the big projects are kind of coming to an end. And Golf Well, GFream's when they do a project, it's it's a it's
a big project on single family side. >> First off, >> this is on now. >> Yeah. >> First off, the Gulfream Highland Beach is a good hedge. That's brilliant. Smart move. I mean, um, the combination of the highrises with the high-end single families give you a natural hedge in the
marketplace. >> Second thing is is I think it's basically been COVID fatigue. I mean, during COVID, we had a massive influx of people. When I bought, money was cheap. Everybody was like, "Hey, let's just do it. Let's get it done." I mean, uh, so right now, you've been talking to realators and stuff like that. I mean,
it's not the first thing they'll tell you is it's not co anymore. And, uh, I think it's just been a slowdown. And um I think that will pick back up again once interest rates correct. But uh but no, it's that I think that's just the natural. I mean, we were flooded I think I think exactly what you said. It
was it was an overreach in the beginning. We were flooded with all these opportunities and people came down by the Grove and that's why re that's why remodeling was through the roof. Um just my opinion, but I think uh I think the way you're hedging it off with Golf Stream is just a great idea. It it again
it does help kind of at this point and I I think you're right it'll it'll pick up because if we we did some analysis several years ago and we look back at the last couple of recessions and slowdowns and we found when there is a natural recession Highland Beach kind of
takes off. So I don't know if it's because there's money gets cheaper in a recession uh contractors are a little more aggressive with their pricing. uh having a more affluent community to take advantage of those opportunities. Highland Beach usually has done well through those. I just think this just
might be a a period of fatigue on expenses, you know, especially taking over with the fire. Now we're doing fire inspections into the condos. They're doing other type of improvements on um you know, their beach clubs and you know, water manes and sewers are
starting to to age out. So, I think the focus is back on that versus, you know, maybe some of the condo folks because those are all special assessments. Maybe people a little tired at the moment. >> To add to that, >> yeah, >> real estate in Hunt Beach has slowed
down. Condo sales, condo units available has grown. >> So, at some point when that teeters to a point where people feel like the market's at the right level, that's going to increase the renovations because no one's going to move into a condom and go, "Yeah, I love this place." Everyone does something when they move out.
>> That has been kind of our uh bread and butter. Like you say, they folks will come in and they'll buy a nice condo and they'll be like, "That's not the color I wanted. That's not the cabinet design. That isn't the lay." And you know, that usually has worked well to kind of keep the building department moving forward.
And again, the building department is not in a money- making mode. It's just in a sense of >> right >> keeps keeps that department kind of flush and moving because it's an enterprise fund. So, it's off the books. if you will. So, it's not an ad valorum uh piece that'll get into a conversation
I think we we in this group especially I think in this budget cycle is going to be a little more challenged by is and that is the legislative push to eliminate or greatly reduce uh ad
valorum property taxes on homestead properties and we're about 42% homestead. Um the full elimination puts us in a real real rough spot. Uh regardless and and I want to get beyond uh in these conversation which is hard
to do in today's society where everybody's a little polarized and uh a little politically divisive regardless of your position on the issue because nobody likes taxes myself included. Nobody likes to pay taxes. So we just don't do it. This is natural as an American. We just don't like taxes.
Right? However, structurally it puts us in a structural imbalance regardless of all the great things we do on our fiscal prudence, our spending caps, all these charter limitations we have that at times we've become frustrated with, you know, has also protected us in the long
term. Um but when you lose you know 42% of your revenue overnight and it doesn't and it handcuffs you you know could you could say in a good way that you know police and fire have to be maintained
>> with the elimination. So you know and police and fire are about 80 85% and it's totarity when you think of the the station debt um of our budget. So you lose. So basically the quick math of it is is we
would probably roll down to 9 million. Our budgets at about 15 that's $6 million. 80 you know 80% um it it and I I tell the commission this.
You fire me, Susie, and the rest of the administrative staff, you're still $4 million$ four and a half million dollars in the hole. And we can only roll police back a little bit. So, and fire back to a a to last year's numbers according to the the latest proposals, we're in a
tough spot like and you can't raise taxes on the non-h homesteads fast enough to close that gap. So, there'll be some real conversations with this group come summer as to, you know, the commission uh if it if it goes through. I mean, we won't know until the voters
vote on it. Still requires 60% approval by the voters. They tried this in 2010 and 11 and it failed. 60%'s a tough threshold to reach. But it's taxation. If they write it the right way, it's hard for people to say no to it. Um, that'll challenge us a bit because some
of the timelines they are saying is January of 27 it starts. You're like, "Wow, we get six months to restructure all that." And there is no supplements. Originally the conversation said we're going to take property tax away and
we're going to fill the hole maybe with uh sales tax or the state's surplus funds to make communities whole in some fashion. That's not part of the conversation. It's it's gone. Figure it out. Um, so
that's uh for me those are my restless sleepless nights is that's it's pretty the type of cuts we would have to do in a in a small town like this without a commercial base are very draconian. It it's very impersonal like we just have to cut large sums but you just the the
the scope of the cut you can't function either. Um you know and I always my always joke is is you know cops are good at enforcement but they're not great CPAs. So, who's doing the books? Like, you you can't just cut the whole thing
down to the baseline and then you still have to meet all the other statutory requirements and technical requirements. Um, so it's going to be challenging if it if it goes through. Um, I'm hoping reasonable minds uh prevail. I think they're going to have a special session
on it where this is all they talk about. Um, >> I assume Peggy is carrying our flag and the flag or isn't wearing >> a tough conversation. Um, >> really, >> uh, we've had some honest conversation.
Um, she's given me, you know, how the sausage is made. She voted for the House's total elimination bill that went through. She voted in favor of it, as did pretty much most of uh, the Republican delegation. um voted for
doing that. But again, there's still a lot of political theater would be the safer words to use where, you know, she has indicated don't worry just yet. This is some posturing moves politically amongst the two chambers because the House and the Senate aren't seeing eye
to eye. The governor and the House aren't getting along. So, um those things are in the House. uh her contingent there kind of wanted a 10-year phase in to give which would be somewhat reasonable like if you're going
to totally restructure everything to give you a phased opportunity to adjust our model change our business delivery mechani you know figure it out you know not you've got six months and the the floor comes out from underneath you so um and this is all precipitated
by the fact that there's some bad actors here and there that >> it's funny. It's funny. So, um I guess this, you know, this is our home, so we can have a little more free conversation. Uh there are, you know, it it tends to do that way. The legislature
tends to act uh disproportionately to a bad actor. We're upset with these three communities over X. You're all going to get washed with it. It's kind of the the baby with the bathwater mentalities. We're going to wash it all out. Um, a lot of this
started with, whether you like it or not, DEI initiatives that were being spent by local governments that politically weren't palatable. The legislator, the governor's office, that created some some fighting. Um, you know, uh, again, our model, we don't
have a lot of that kind of stuff. You know, we just don't do it. We And it's small town saves us, too. like we just don't have the, you know, the the breadth of need to do some of these other type of programs. The other thing that they're starting to have concern is is tax dollars going to nonprofits.
That's a little more on the inside of baseball. A lot of communities take your general tax dollars, not here. We don't do it. Takes general tax dollars and then they fund community service groups, nonprofits all the way through the community. Some of that isn't being received well because what some of those
groups do. Um, but there are a handful of bad actors and everybody gets washed out. My concern is is that on the coast really gets hit the hardest because we're pretty much residential. Uh, us Golden uh, what
Golden City down in Broward, Bamer Isle. I mean, like you think of all these cool little towns, Manalapan, Palm Beach. Palm Beach is boyed a little bit by some of that commercial restaurant districts, the small towns, but but when you really, you know, dig into your reading,
these are all donor communities. You know, God bless you all. You generally are the donors to most of uh the political movements in the state come from these coastal communities. Um but there is a um a large contingent of
leadership in the state uh that directly have stated communities such as Highland Beach should not exist. Uh we should fold into the larger cities. We should fold into the county. We shouldn't exist. We're unnecessary. Um I contend to the opposite especially
under our constitution that we're a home rule state. And that's what they're trying to change. um the level of attacks or the preemptive actions that the legislators taking in the state of Florida to local governments I've I've never seen heard or witnessed when I go
to uh talk to my national colleagues around the country have never seen it at this level to really shred local governments down to the bare bones. So we're in a very challenging time coming forward especially if they eliminate it in pole. Um, now if they do other things
like just improve or raise uh the homestead exemption, right now it's, you know, 50,000. If they take it up to 300,000, 400,000, we'll be okay. We'll take a haircut. No big deal. We're prepared. We're financially sound. We're nimble. We can move. Uh we're not
overstaffed like some other smaller communities. So, we can make those shifts and changes because it's not going to hit us much. Plus, um, our tax base is large enough where we can that's not a huge huge hit. Um, now if they
say, you know, 65 and older, it's just like total elimination for us regardless. You know, it's the same same concept. Um, so we don't know. No. Uh, you know, the House took its position, total elimination, can't touch police and fire.
Okay. So, that's where the House is at. Um, the Senate hasn't weighed in. hasn't made any proposals. They say they're working with the governor. The governor's rhetoric is total elimination and so he might go even further. I don't know what that is. Um,
you know, maybe schools right now schools are exempt, you know, school funding taxes, you know, maybe he wants to go all the way and just eliminate everything. I I think then it totally doesn't get 60% at the state level based
on, you know, the electorate. So, um, >> Marshall, what is the, uh, so the way I read it is there, yeah, there's going to be a drop on homestead. >> Mhm. >> But then there's going to be an increase on non-h homestead. We would have to,
um, but under statutory, there are increase caps, if you will, on non-homestead. So even though it's at a 10% instead of the 3%, you know, accelerator each year, you know, to make up that difference, you can't do it all
in one fall swoop. Say, hey, we lost 42% non- homesteads going up 42%. It's not directly proportional. It takes a little bit of time to climb, but you >> but it's 10% per year. >> Yeah. But we would I would imagine the commission, you know, there'll be some
combination if that comes through to you can't just totally hit non Homestead fast enough. So there'll be some cuts, some definite upward movement on the the millage rate for for uh non-h homestead properties probably a you know elimination of some capital larger
capital projects would be suspended and then we would have to uh you know we do have you know budget stabilization funds this would be a definitely a budget stabilization moment where we would have to do that until we could regain some some balance. So, so for what I'm
hearing from you is the the commercial cities that do have the tax duplicate, they're not really pushing back hard. Oh, we're all pushing back hard because uh there was an article out of uh uh the Associated Press out of Tallahassee.
There's 116 local communities that will be structurally in a structural deficit. It's not correctable by just we we're jammed. Bokeh's in there. We're in there. Palm Beach. I mean, there's 160 and these aren't like oneoff communities that are
in bad financial condition. These are well-run cities with generally, you know, respectable tax rates. You know, we happen to have a very low tax rate. Um, that probably kind of changes a little bit. Um, but there's 116 communities
that if total elimination is put in place that are subject to real financial strife. some communities un unlike ours that have prepared and planned a little bit, you know, could go into bankruptcy and that could be a a real
bad situation for the state where many communities start to fall into, you know, that bankruptcy state, you know, and that's uh coming from Detroit through the recession, this is not a good spot. Detroit, Flint, you know, there's a few in California
that were there that those are not spots you want to be in. because you really a a community you can't you they can't go bankrupt. So it's it's a weird >> I went through I went through >> you have to go into for I don't want to
say like forfeite but you go under state ownership and then they just basically start >> they'll make all the decisions for you without the electorate which is not healthy either. We had the great the great Cleveland default, >> right? I mean, it's it's those are those are real things that are not healthy and
good. Usually, you know, um some of the other challenges, you know, they make statements uh you know, legislative leaders, you know, they don't really see the unintended consequences of everything. Um that's the unfortunate thing. They don't listen because they don't like local government enough. They
won't listen to our, you know, concerns. We're not saying don't do something if that's really where you want to do, but let's let's think this through. Especially if you're saying you can't touch police or fire and then they'll say, "Well, just fold into the county." Well, we went through our fire
experience. Uh Del Rey is a couple million dollars more than what we do. The county cost is probably three to four times our cost for the same thing. Uh a sheriff taking over your police department, they're not doing it for free. The sheriff just doesn't come and
say, "Oh, we got you. You're free now. We're just going to" No, no. They're going to charge you very similar structures. They might try to say they could save you 12%, but it's not getting you to the numbers you need. So, there isn't like this fallback position of safety. Um, outside of,
you know, complete annexation, but that process, they didn't remove that. They're not proposing to remove the annexation process. You still have to go and there has to be a petition to do it. The state can't force a community to do it. We changed our charter. So, it's a referendum to change how we deliver
police and fire. I mean, it's it's a really challenging. >> So, so here's the question. >> Mhm. >> There's a possibility that anything could happen. What's the probability of this? >> The probability of a real reduction of property tax is real. It's going to happen. I I think um well,
you know, people tell me just to relax. You know, I've had legislators say, "Oh, don't worry yet." Well, those are really bad bad advice to not, you know, >> I I think >> I think it's got a very high probability just looking at demographics.
>> It's going to go >> from the the political nature of the state, there's a real good chance, but 60% threshold is hard to meet. >> I'll say a couple of issues. I'm not asking for anyone's opinion on the issues, but they're popular nationally
that have passed statewide proposals. marijuana, abortion, those have succeeded in other states. They failed here because of the 60% threshold. You know, usually 55% voter approval, that's you're doing great. Like I tell a candidate, you win with 55%. You're
doing amazing. Well, here the threshold's 60%. That extra 5% is hundreds of thousands of people agreeing or voting to the opposite and then you could say it's a midterm election. So, there's a lot of lot of things that are moving. Um,
it it's it's just not a clear-cut path to success. Now, if they did a homestead increase, I could see that passing the 60% threshold because it doesn't wipe out anyone and it does provide real
um help to those that need it, right? You would think the ones that are struggling can't afford to pay their bills. Well, the ones that can't afford to pay their bills usually, not always, aren't living in hundred a million- dollar home, right? They're usually struggling
through rent. Renters aren't saved by removing property taxes because the business of providing apartments, their property taxes go up. So, rent's going to precipitously match and go up, too. So, renters are thinking they're going to get a a savings. They're at a loss
with this, too. Um, it's a real challenge. But if you move the homestead up proportionally to say say they did 300,000, well that's real help for seniors. It's real help for those that are struggling in life to make ends meet because the cost of living that that
that really reaches what I would think would be a goal. But total elimination, you know, I guess would help too. Uh probably all of us in the room, I guess we would do well. I I'm a homesteader. I I get it. It'd help. Um,
but at what cost? What's the unintended consequence? You know, >> that's going to kill the the vacation market. Not, you know, the second home market in real estate because a lot of Florida is second home. No birds. >> It doesn't. It depends though. Buying
homestead in Ohio isn't worth the paper it's written on. Okay. So, I homestead down here and keep my home up there. >> It's a The homestead benefit in Florida is great. So, it's gonna stimulate the real estate market in Highland Beach. >> I think it's going to stimulate changing
your status to homestead. So, if you've got a Right, it you you all know these folks either in your neighborhood or in your condo, this isn't their only place, right? The people that have second homes, this is one of four or five. They're all usually high value. They'll
probably make this the homestead, right? If you no longer have to pay property taxes on a1 to8 million property, that's a real number, right? >> What advantage is that to the state of Florida in general having
all these people come and homesteading? I mean, what advant we're going to get charged. It's going to probably be a raising our taxes for Palm Beach County, maybe. Well, the county can't do it either. And that's probably the more directed target of some of this stuff is
some of these larger counties. You they've telegraphed their problems. And you can see it from the CF CFO driving around, you know, fraud, waste, and abuse on a relatively poor e financial model that they can't show us what they're doing.
They're showing you what they find to be their problems. these larger cities and counties where they're saying, "Hey, the population grew, but you're collecting so much more because the values went up and you're spending your money on all of
these wasteful services and this and that." That's what they're targeting. But we get, you know, we're the baby in the bath water kind of get washed out where, you know, uh, we keep our taxes low. We provide the services only directed by the residents. We're like
the I truly believe that we are the quintessential local government that everybody wants to live in where you get great services. You have low taxes. It's exactly what you want. You're not paying for all the stuff you are like, "What is that? I don't want that. I don't We
don't do that here. We're very and we have a a cap." So, as crazy as your electeds might be or as wild as a town manager you might get, there's a cap. I can only spend 900 grand. on, you know, a 25 million $30 million
budget. It you that's not wild, right? But these other communities, there's no cap and they spend and and um and I think that's the debate. Other states are doing it. Ohio's trying, Michigan's trying. I talked to some folks from Utah. They're going to go for it. They're all just kind of watching
Florida to see if it can pass muster. >> Yeah, it's been a hot topic in Ohio. Yeah, it's big like to just homestead taxes just, you know, >> um >> Ohio's looking for elimination. Ohio's going to be school only. >> That's kind of what Florida wants to be. School only or second property. So, if
you're a snowbird, you're going to pay you know, if if you happen to be uh you know, you're probably I'm thinking 40% more in taxes, local taxes, 50% more for second home folks. You can see your tax
bill kind of grow like that. But those that have homesteaded, you know, you're doing great pretty well. Yeah. >> And the 42% figure that you cited, is that percentage of our revenue? >> Uh, it's a percentage of our household. So, it's you're right. Safe. It's not.
>> Yeah. Yeah. But not >> may not be directly proportional. >> That would be smaller though on a revenue basis, I would guess. >> You would think, but enough when the county did the calculation, the property appraiser is great. she's been just not political but just said okay you want to
do this they ran the numbers so the complete elimination it's uh in today's dollars it's about $4.7 million and I look at Suz's uh math here if we were in today's budget to lose you know
4.7 we would take us down to right about 9 million uh you know and if you go and look at your police and fire their uh police and fire together are see 12
and a half. So we're three and a half million short just to fund police and fire. That doesn't include support services. Wonderful Susie, your wonderful town manager. >> Your wonderful town clerk. We're not in that mix. So I'm saying like you fire
all of us, you're still $3.5 million in a hole that you got to dig out of >> the money. Where are we going to get the money? tax the other properties is the only option because we don't have we can't so we've been told by the legislature in loose terms oh just come
up with more fees fee driven well we don't have a lot of transactional opportunities here so so if you call for a fire rescue you better have your credit card in your hand because we're not going to touch you until you pay us 600 bucks I mean like it's I'm just it's
I'm tongue and cheek but I mean like there's You want to go to the library to check out a book? Well, you >> bucks, you know, like how do you do that where it kind of works against it? You know, >> the town I grew up in, small town, no tax duplicate. They charge for ambulatory. >> If you got if you got taken to the
hospital in the ambulance, you got you got a bill for 600 bucks two weeks later. It just happens. I mean I >> we we do that here like there is we can't cover the full cost or your because most most folks in our community
are Medicare they cover 600 bucks. If you were to calculate the fire's actual cost to do that it's probably $2,200 if especially if we transport you 22 to 2500 bucks. We get 600. We don't, our
fee schedule says we only cover, we only charge you another $200 two or $300 on top of the 600 for which 70% pay it. And our model is to not chase our res. We're not putting anybody into collections cuz to you all, this is
why you created fire department, not to be charged, but for your safety. So you're paying in your tax dollars for the service. Now that it's just us, we're not doing extra territorial uh pickups and stuff on your dime now. So, it's just us. >> Well, I think what the politicians have to understand is I live in a township in
Ohio. Beautiful countryesque horses, blah blah blah. But here's the issue. Uh, my neighbor's son is way up the food chain in the FBI and Devin looks at me straight in the face and says, "Well, if something happens, you better be able to hold your house for 20 minutes because that's how long it's going to take for a
sheriff to get here in the county. So, you better be prepared to hold your home for 20 minutes. That's the pitfall of giving up our local police department because they're not going to be there like that. They got to come from wherever they're at." >> Well, especially if you don't pay. if you're just going to rely upon the
sheriff at no cost contracts. Laxah Hatchee Groves has tried that and basically Bradshaw I mean there's you know there is some statutory limitations so you don't have to have a police but he's like you know something happens it could be a couple hours before we get
there because you're so far off the grid >> here there's no substations near us because Delray and Bokeh clocked on. So if we were to rely on the sheriff, it would take take forever unless you made a contract with them then which then puts cost back onto the role to cover
your expectations of how fast you want somebody to respond. >> And we're trying we've been trying so hard to build the the opposite model, you know, >> right? And again, we're we're not rolling back to pioneer days where, you know,
>> grab a gun, save yourself, best of luck to you. Well, that's not really what we're trying to build here. Um, and we have that ability, too. And you should be under and you are allowed under state statute to do this, to create Highland Beach, to create, if you
will, your bubble and provide the services as you want them. Um, without tax revenue though, it's going to be tricky. It'll be just a different different model, but it's it's it's happening. The House already passed it. They're willing and
it's on they're fine with it. The Senate's going to be close. The governor wants full elimination. And I don't know what the and is. That scares me. Um the Senate's probably going to be somewhere in there, too. But it's just then it's got to go to the voters and the voters are going to have to I have a
sneaky suspicion the Chamber of Commerce is going to come up because business taxes for business property is going to go up and the Chamber of Commerce isn't going to be excited about that. That could be the and that the governor sees and says but you can't increase you know commercial property tax. It'll be
something crazy like that and then >> and the world changes you know. So let just >> all this is totally hypothetical but sure this goes through they eliminate property taxes or >> nonhomes homesteaded ones.
>> Can the town have a user fee for the police department? Is that a legal thing? You go $6 million there's 4,400 residences in town. For $1,500 there's your police service for $1,800 a residence. You might not do it by
residence. You could do it partially by value, you know, assessed value like we do with taxes, but you call it something else. >> Well, >> so like towns can have library cards. That's okay. That's a user fee. Water is a user fee, >> correct?
>> So could you have a police user fee? >> Yeah. I mean, whatever would come out. >> You you >> I mean, we'd argue about well, should it be >> that's something we'd have to explore. uh other places uh have where other states I should say that you know uh you
can do a special assessment so we could potentially put a special assessment generally it's under state statute here though it's for capital can't really do it for continuing services you can't do a special assessment district and you can't do a special assessment millage or do a
special millage that only supports X so it's a little challenging like because statutoily you're so boxed in from what you could use these other mechanisms for. But I think police, you're probably stuck. Fire, you could charge up to $150
a household. So that's, you know, 600 grand and their budgets, you know, a little over six. I don't, you know, >> covers maybe the debt for the fire station, which is about 500 grand a year, but it doesn't cover the rest of the operation. >> That's a state law that the most you can charge for fire services is $150.
There's a fire assessment fee that can be assessed up to $150 for just the fire side of the equation. So, you can do that, but that's only 600 grand. But, you know, hey, it's a patch. Uh they just eliminated uh business tax
receipts. So, we couldn't go to the people that run home businesses and say you've got to pay X. So, that's not available. So, I mean, there's a lot of that's what that's the challenge here is that they've limited all they've, you know, it's like whack-a-ole, right? It pops up here, there's something over
here. They've control those other things from popping up. So, it's I I don't want to say it's all for not. I think I truly believe Highland Beach will continue. It's just look a lot different or cost a lot more for some folks.
>> I I'm trying to get a just a percentage impact here. Just trying to figure this out. You mentioned 4.7 million would be our revenue hit. >> Uh yeah, that's what's the assessor in today's dollar. So it could adjust, you know, as >> and our So that would be 33%
of our 14 million in property taxes. >> Yep. >> Okay. So 33% of that, but on a total re a total revenue basis, it's about 14% of our budget. Is that the way to think about it? >> Um you could, but it's not. I'm just taking the the 4.7 over the 33 million
our total topline. >> Yeah. And if you look at the other revenues, some of those revenues are special revenues for trash. So you it's some of those can't be used for anything else than for what it's collected for, >> right? But I'm just, you know, for our top line, I guess it really means it's a
14% hit rather than 42. >> Well, that's all funds. So you I would take all your enterprise funds out. building, water, sewer, it's got to come off because those are funded independently. General fund doesn't pay for any of those. Your debt from doesn't pay for >> I got you. You don't have access to that money effectively. So,
>> it shouldn't count towards their revenue shouldn't count to the total revenue picture. It should just be >> Yeah. >> The property tax piece. >> Yeah. So, so 33% of property tax >> as a dollar amount. >> Yeah. >> Or 42% number of homes qualified or
properties qualified as a homestead. Um >> Yeah. All those other >> So they're they're they're a lower ticket generally than the than the Snowberg. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Yeah. I mean all those other funds are user fees. >> Yep. >> Which is why I was asking whether like
it can make police or fire into a user fee, whether that's a legal option or not. >> Everything be looked into. I would say that everything that's possible will be explored and pushed to the limit by communities that are in probably going
to be in much more dire uh conditions than us. >> What's that? >> Right. They can't eliminate your charter. They're not asking for that proposal yet. >> Right. So, we're allowed to exist. It's just in your existence. You can't use
you can't tax folks in this bucket. You have to go after the other side of it. put tax on anybody who drives their boat down our inter coastal waterway over five knots. Has to pay 100 to,000. >> We're going to put in like gates at the
north and south end and it's like toll tolls with the change. You just got to throw your change in there cost a million dollars, >> right? Yeah. >> So on uh on another subject off of this one, so keep the meeting moving. So, um
the um what's happening with the uh Delray fire issue, you know, from the old days, audits, all that crap. >> Nothing. >> Nothing. >> Nothing. >> I thought we wanted them. They owed us money. We thought No, >> it's just it's just lying there. Doesn't
mean it's not they can't try something, but I'm not encouraging them to. >> Okay. Just curious. >> Yeah. We're just letting it let just let it lie. There's nothing. And if you're insinuating back to the old audits and stuff, those those were not financial
audits. They were operational almost uh political theater audits that really didn't have any tangible measurements. >> Um >> so, >> okay, >> I have a question on that subject. >> When the fire station was complete, we got a favorable loan for that.
>> Yeah, we got >> correctly. Yep. >> If we're running ahead in revenues, is there any plan to make that loan go away or is it the money is just so cheap that you're just going to let it play out? >> It's so cheap. We'll probably let it play out for now. I mean, if it gets to I mean, there's always, right, you got
to find the opportunity and challenges or find the opportunity and chaos or don't let any downturn be an opportunity lost. Maybe we look at everything and try to liquidate as much as we can to get to a a safe spot to, if you will, start over.
>> Um, but again, the loan is uh pretty solid. It's like three and a quarter% >> um over 10 years. There's no prepayment penalty, so we could, you know, or buy down in chunks. Um,
I guess we could sell bonds to our residents to support the town, right? >> There you go. All right. Um >> the negative interest rate >> strategic uh priorities plan. >> Sure. >> 20 25 26.
>> Yeah. So um what you have here again uh what we have done and the commission and it if you will approved it yesterday um is our strategic priority plan. It lays out all of our our directives for initiatives and projects moving forward.
attached as an appendicy is the capital improvement plan. Um that kind of shows our over the next five years expenditures on assets over 25 grand uh are in there. Some of the CIP projects
are more missionritical or new. So they'll be pulled up into uh the strategic priority plan. that being uh the police uh real time center, new entrance, the fire annex, those have moved and the marine docking facility. Those have all moved into the strategic
plan as unique kind of uh they're very unique capital projects. They're not just replacing motors, pumps, tanks, pavement, windows, doors that stays on the CIP as a collective. um but those larger larger scale high very expensive
capital projects move their way um into the strategic priorities. Again this is a dynamic document. It changes with time. Um some projects you know as legislation gets passed get put on the back burner visav signs.
Um you know we were working on temporary signs. We had to put that because this the legislature passed something said we couldn't be more burdensome on land regulations so we have to leave it. Um so it changes with time. Uh we uh got the recommendation from Dr. Greenwald to
look at a a dashboard. So Madison's feverishly working on that. We have a draft now and we'll put that out here hopefully over the next month. So you'll have a a visual representation of the projects as well. uh kind of think through the three color mechanism. Green
is on track, on point. Yellow where there's some caution, delays, uh change of scope or scale of a project. Red is we just hit a wall, no money, state agencies have shut us down, whatever that is. And then we'll update that on a quarterly basis. So we'll start doing
that here as well. So on a quarterly basis, we'll update the strategic priority plan, the dashboard. We're going to tie that to our quarterly financial statements and that kind of helps us move uh into that budget process come May where we'll look at the 5-year
forecast which will be very unique this year because we're anticipating either complete elimination or partial elimination of revenues. So, we're going to have to change that 5-year forecast to say what do we have to do to, you know, uh, my goal, uh, until I'm told
not to is to keep the town moving forward. Um, so we will do all of those things in that 5-year forecast. How do we continue to provide the services as requested by the residents and then we start looking through that forecast? You know, what things have to change? Where what kind of revenue growth do we need
to see? So, we have David working on that. He's done kind of more of our special projects on the finance side. he's starting to really work that model to see, you know, we're squeezing here. Where does it pop out? What do we have to take a look at? And then we have union contracts, too. So, we got to, you
know, how does that all play into it? Um, so the five-year forecast, which we'll start looking at in in May this year, kind of is the precursor to getting into the budgets. Um, and we'll go from there. And then if you know something happens in November, I just take everything and throw it out
and start over. And you know, we'll kind of I don't want to say in crisis mode, but it you you guys will probably be meeting a little more often, let's say, because the commission will need some help and advice to, you know, what direction do we take? You know, where do we go? What cuts are tolerable?
>> Um >> is there something um we could do about dune restoration management? Um, I remember when I was on that board, the only thing we could do is educate homeowners. But a lot of people just don't want to do anything about their
dunes. And what happens is if your dune disappears and you don't maintain it, it affects your neighbors property, your neighbors property. Can we put a start a fining committee or can we start something to encourage homeowners? I
know it's their private land, but the town could do something with the voters to make them do dune planting, pioneer plants, scrub. >> I guess yes and no. I mean, >> there's no teeth. Uh the education
program is starting to grow. They just had a very successful wine tasting Dune presentation uh that was wellreceived. They had 40 folks there and uh they had the doom breakfast. So they're doing more of that education and trying to make it a little
more creative, interesting, draw a larger audience. Um you could look at, you know, regulatory structure or framework to force it. It's a little bit difficult because of the dynamic nature of the dune complex
itself. Um, I don't know if I would say throw money into private property, public money into private. We have some limitations there. Uh, so that's why we're kind of more education, encouragement. Um, it's it's a tricky dunes are a little
tricky. It's just I think we just have to have people find the energy to want to do that and do that. And most of our largecale property owners are the condos and they're starting to do those type of projects. Is the town allowed to start a fining committee or a group of volunteers that can look into it from
the natural resources board to see if it's possible to make homeowners who neglect their dunes because it really affects all of us uh all the people in Highland Beach that use the beaches protects the environment. Um, is there
any thing in the town that I'm not aware of? Or maybe a Florida statute I'm not aware of that makes >> Well, definitely not the Florida statue. Florida won't get into that level of detail. >> Is there something since we have our own town charter ordinances? I know we did
the sea turtle thing where we imposed on them to certain months of the year they had to change the color of their lights and not allow their TVs to show bright into the ocean. Can't we do something because >> there there probably is and we could be creative but it's going to be in a more
of a regulatory we're now we're instead of talking about carrots we're talking about sticks that hasn't been wellreceived in this town over since my tenure and from looking back further um you could you know look into something
like that you the commission would have to charter a findings committee um and the premise of that would have to be what you're you We spend a lot of time on dunes. The natural resource board, right, >> talks about that should be, >> if you will, the findings committee to
start looking at other options. >> Um, I I would just heed caution. It's a very tricky thing to regulate. >> Okay. >> Um, >> and the other one, SP20, the speed control. Something's going on with your
dock. I heard that there was some study that had to be done. I think it's for manatee or sea turtle protection or something keeping you all from building that dock. Well, if we find something, then we can slow down the boats on the inter coastal, which was one of the
things I always wanted to do because >> from uh our Linton Bridge to uh Spanish River, those boats just create these very dangerous wakes. But I know we haven't had any deaths like we did like before we got the the patrol boat.
Remember when we had three in that one year, right? >> That helps. Just people know, oh, there's a police uh boat on in in this strip of Highland Beach, which is helping. Correct. >> Correct. Our our presence has slowed traffic and made traffic, inter coastal
traffic safer. Um we've issued tickets. We've been present in high use periods, weekends, holidays. We're out there. It has its effect of just being present with the police boat. Lights on from time to time. Just people are starting
to note when you you can't just fly through Highland Beach anymore. You got to be a little bit more cautious. The speeds are still pretty high, so you'd be surprised. So, you know, a large boat at 15 miles an hour looks like it's cruising, but it's not >> hitting those yet. And it does create a
wake. Um, but our dock, uh, marine docking facility is, uh, if we, if I was to show you, the dashboard is bright red, flashing, screaming at us. Um, we had a very robust conversation yesterday
at the commission. Um, uh, I sent a letter, official letters yesterday to the South Florida Water Management District on the permitting. What we found uh oursel in a situation is what I would say is good money after bad for
bad regulatory behavior on the South Florida Water Management District because they're to the point of making an unreasonable and irre irrational decision to protect a resource that can't be protected. Um here's here's the
detail to it. Um, seaggrass is regulated. Uh, for anybody on the intra coastal, your community, your home, you have to do a little seagrass. There's some stuff called Johnson seaggrass that's endangered. We're not dealing with that. So, we're putting a dock out through an opening. We have We're not
clearing mangrove. It's pretty degraded quality uh soils uh bottomlands. Uh we've done two seaggrass studies at the direction of the South Florida Water Management District for which we found it to be a low quality. So within the
seaggrass found most of it over 80% exists at 1 to 5% density. So it's not very present just kind of here and there. Um our project through uh this the walkway out to the where the boats
would be in the boat lift uh when using their formula for impacts comes to 32.6 square ft of lowquality seaggrass impact >> for that. They're pursuing us to
undertake several hundred,000 of mitigation efforts without a guarantee of a permit. um they're uh not applying a mitigation waiver that they provide for public safety projects with dimminimous impacts
which we have. So our engineer said, "Oh, if you want me to do all this design stuff, it's going to be yet another $105 $110,000 in engineering. Then we have to get a seaggrass expert and then we got to get Dr. Jenkins to help us, you know, with some of the permitting angling for which they're
saying maybe we'll approve it, maybe we won't." And we still want off-site mitigation for 32.6 square feet for which they'll tell us where where that is. The seag the state's foremost seaggrass expert, the woman worked for the state until she retired and created our own company. It's never worked. So,
we're chasing a unicorn. You can't recreate seaggrass beds, but they're demanding this. Um, so, uh, and we've got a project that's been funded by the legislature, so we secured an appropriation. Peggy helped us get that in place. We've got a fine
grant for up to or over a million dollars. So the fine commission which is the federal inland navigation district has a grant program really loves this projects wants to see our presence from a public safety perspective on the inter coastal. So this is definitely a public service.
This is not a marina gas station. I'm not parking my yacht in the back. You know this is a public safety police rescue operation for which they're stonewalling us. So last year we lost our opportunity. we had to re-up or extend our grant and
appropriations and the South Florida Water Management District is, you know, making these demands. So, I told the commission, I can't in any good heart tell you to go ahead and spend all these engineering consulting dollars for designing something that'll cost us
several hundred,000 more to put in place for mitigation, for which we're not guaranteed a permit. >> And having experts say, "You can't do it. It's never been done. But to put that demand on us that we'll have to be the first to try to create a seaggrass
mitigation bank and then you have to manage it for 5 years to make sure it maintains itself. It's a poorly rooted plant so it moves around. So basically for the forever we're going to be trying to create a a 32.6 square foot seaggrass somewhere in the
inter coastal and then we have to manage it in perpetuity or until we have five successful years of its growth. all unrealistic, un irrational and unreasonable because it doesn't result in a quantitative improvement to the environment for the manatees or for
other uh habitats, macro andvertebrate populations. You you name it, I could tell you about it. It just you can't create it for a project that's a dimminimous impact blah blah blah blah. So, we're flashing red. I've put a stop or suspended the project until we can
meet with the South Florida Water Management District. We've called lobbyists. We're calling our legislators. Like this is this is unreal because I have the seaggrass expert who used to work at D and did all this for them for the last 30 years. Dr. Jenkins
who's been doing all of BOAUS permitting and North Miami like all he's done a lot of stuff. Both saying it seems like they have it out for you. I have a fine commissioner. fine commissioners never do it going to the South Florida Water Management District because he finds it unbelievable. Finds it a what's the team
words everyone likes to use at the state? Fraud, waste, and abuse by a state agency to just blow through taxpayer dollars for no tangible result. So, we're that project. We want to be out there, but at this point, it's not worth spending $3 million. we'll, you
know, start begging our condos to move around and build a new lift facility at a condo and just call it a day. It's not op opportunity. It's not op, you know, the uh optimal, if you will. But, you know, for $3 million, no, no, thank you. We can't we can't get in that business
of just throwing good money after bad taxpayer money. And that's what the fine commissioner said. goes, "This is ridiculous that you're going to have to spend $300 to $400,000 for which they on a regular basis issue this dimminimous waiver permit for public safety projects
except for ours." So, I mean, it's really bizarre. So, we're going to have to work through those channels. So, that project just came to another screeching halt uh because I'm just not going to authorize any more design expenditures. So, basically, they want a pre-treatment structure. So, all the parking lot
drainage has to go into a pre-treatment structure. You dig a big hole. It's a big concrete chamber. Remove suspended solids before the water eventually makes its way to the inter coastal. We've got to do some other mitigation work. We still have to possibly do the offsite stuff. I like >> it just it's just to a point where it's
unreasonable. It appears very irrational. Um so we're going to work through that and that again getting to that doc project. It's very challenged at the moment. So it's flashing bright red. Not good on the dashboard. But if you offer
them the fact that we would slow down the speeds on the inner coastal, that's for the uh you know the habitat that's there and all that. >> We've done that. They don't >> Oh, you did tell them that. >> So, we think maybe they have some crusaders uh some new folks that are doing the the permit work that this
they're this is the last stand on seaggrass in South Florida and we're kind of get stuck with that. But I I'm hoping maybe with a little bit of push. So we've reached out to the executive director, the legislator legislature
legislator trying to like you know, hey, the state's funding this the find that federal inland navigation district wants the project. They're going to pay for 50% of it. It's great great project. Why? And then what really triggered me cuz I was like, "Oh, we must, you know, I
mean, if we're ripping apart mangroves, Johnson seaggrass was going to be displaced. Yeah, we're stuck." And I'd be telling, we wouldn't be having a conversation. we'd just be signing change orders and moving through the process. But 32.6 square feet. I've never heard of such a thing on any
level. Um because you think everybody like in Balo and stuff putting those lifts in, they're at least 32.6 and they're just getting a general over- the-counter permit not having most of them don't have to do seaggrass surveys, but it's pres
it's wild. >> That makes sense, >> right? I mean, folks have, you know, even the homes that are brave enough to put their boats on the intra coastal on a boat lift, you know, they're right on seaggrass areas that we're going to, no problem. Nope. They get a permit. >> The shade from the boat kills the
seagrass below. So, that makes >> the the the surface of our dock to be light penetrating so the the sunlight gets through. So, we took all of the shading impacts, redirected it to I mean, we're talking 1% density. So, >> we're kind of just moving our way
through the seagrasses, so it's um it's challenging >> um on the uh >> more than you probably wanted to know, but yeah, >> it's interesting. >> On the electric vehicle stuff, I realize
that Matt and David Stern are anti- EV anything. >> Oh, not EV. It's where you where you charge said device or where you store the batteries and batteries being stored think scooters, bikes, you name it,
>> right? >> Uh the concern is uh fires and overcharging can create compromise and create these fires and >> that's the concern. Everybody can have whatever you want. It's just >> where do we store it? But it's challenging. You're right. It's
um I know that the vice mayor at his building um have done a good job to put the chargers outside so you're not charging in the parking garage. They're trying to tackle, you know, if you have a electric bike, you could charge it here, but your batteries have to be stored down in this area. You know, it's
challenging. It's really tough because some folks just aren't going to go for it. >> Yeah. Well, I'm I'm I'm on the opposite end of the >> So, Right. So, I mean those, you know, and and some of that came from um the hurricanes we had and like in Naples,
they had a couple of those like car fires because the salt water just got into the batteries and then once they start cooking, you're there's nothing you can do. >> Yeah. the um uh I mean the Florida statutes say that
if I want to put an EV charger in my condominium garage, I can't be stopped as long as I'm willing to pay for the infrastructure to have that at my at my parking spot. And
now, so obviously this flies in the face of what they're trying to do, flies in the face of of what the state has regul regulated already. >> So, right. So, there's is two two two facet. One is the fire code. Uh so, the
state board that does the fire code amendments has been is slowly wrestling with this topic as to what is safe or acceptable. I'm sure there is an industry lobby that's kind of going to the opposite side. Um, so it's it's going to be
challenging. And then some of it wasn't saying you can't do this or that. Just trying to get you into the best possible scenario when you do do it, you know, so you don't have like garage fires or block out everybody's access to their cars, create this other collateral damage.
>> And it's hard for us to respond to a vehicle when it's in the garage. So if it now, you know, you don't hear about them all the time, but when it does catch fire, like you just you you we buy these, you know, $15,000 blankets we got to throw on top of the car and it just got to burn out. We can't get to it. And
when it's that hot, you can't touch it because all the hydrogen gas. It's almost like a hydrogen bomb kind of like simmering and fire just really cooks. >> So we can't do anything. So we just let it and it burns out. So that's the idea is to get it outside. So if it does do it, we could cover it, access the vehicle, can control it, too. like how
we respond if it's underground in the we just can't get to it. You're just going to have to let it burn and that's the concern. So there is there a balance or some recommendations? I think is probably where we'll go. I don't know that we can have or the commission will take that directive to say you shall do
these things. U Marshall on the on the EV side for any garages are you doing structural inspections? We found out at the hospital we were going to put chargers on the second floor of a garage. EVs weigh so much. It was beyond the
structural integrity of the garage because the weight of the battery and the weight of everything. You've got to put them on the ground floor. So, anybody that's putting these EV charging stations on the second and third floor, they should have structural stress engineers come out to look at the fifth if it could be supported.
>> Yeah. And it's the amount of power too. So, if you do, if everybody wants their own, uh, they'll, you know, I'm sure the condo boards are going to say, "If you guys want it, it's going to be on your dime." Of course. Uh, but there is the draw, too. You might have to put another another leg of power to go in there to support it.
>> Yeah. Well, most most of the structures around here don't have enough power for massive numbers. I mean, in my in my building, I maxed out the allowable ones. We just don't have enough breakers and so forth. So, so you have to put in
480 panels and then step down panels. >> Just be cognizant that if it does catch on fire, we we can't get to it if it's really tucked in there. >> Right. >> That's the D. Like if it gets tucked into your parking garage, fire just can't we can't pull the vehicle out. We can't do really anything once it's
>> and then it gets to other cars. >> Yeah. Then you're then you have a structural problem in your building. >> Well, those things cuz it's a lot of hydrogen comes off this. It cooks pretty hot. This is hotter than a normal like car fire. Like it's >> and again I'm not the fire expert. Matt could come and tell you the temperatures
and this and that, but >> it burns at a much much higher degree. So you can't put it out and you can't because it's a gas fire if you will that you can't just use you have to use like a dry water doesn't do anything like so
you need to cover it. smother is kind of the and if it's way in the back, we can't pull it out of the way so it doesn't potentially catch the secondary thing. So that's where we're just saying if you do it just be cautious that you know there's some some big risks. >> Yeah. And I think that's where the vice
mayor was like we got to mitigate some of these risks um for that because I know they put theirs outside yours. >> We have our charger outside and works very well. >> Yeah. >> You know it's it's two spots and >> and I think you guys require like a shut off. I mean, there's some other realistic things like so once it gets to charge, you turn it off
>> because a lot of >> fires come from just overcharging. >> So you you're you're continuing to charge it and then it overheats the battery. So some of them have these automatic shut offs. So once it gets there, it turns off >> those type those type of those type of things. I mean those are permitting
things and you know I mean I can argue all day about the opposite >> sure side to >> and uh but without not >> I'm not in a position to to the issue anyway but I mean like just be careful. >> Yeah. I mean I' I put them I'm putting
them three of them outside you know two like you have and then a and then a fast charger for the community to use. And I'm I'm selling it on the fact that hey, guess what? Highland Beach won't let anybody put them in their in their
garages. So So now we you know, we want >> Let's go with that without actually putting it on the books. Don't don't park them inside. Put them outside so we can get to them to help this, you know, if anything does happen, we could get to it. >> Yeah, >> that would be helpful. >> That's awesome. So you're put
you were structurally zoned out. Because the weight of them, our calculation, garage, the weight of it, you need all next to each other surpass the structural integrity >> per square foot for like each of those each of those vehicles right next to each other.
>> You got to have a you got to have a lot of but anyway that's a whole another anyway. So are there any other um sorry >> I just just one uh again procedural type question when you go through the uh >> uh strategic initiatives >> Mhm.
>> uh different advisory boards or like tasks with certain of these projects as listed? >> Sure. >> Um who determines the timing of when these things come to this group's attention? Is that as administration is sort of teeing it up
>> at this point? you know, this process continues to evolve as it catches on. Um, I think I just did that just to show like, you know, it could be like with the property tax, you're it you guys are going to be
tasked with >> what are those things along with finance department, myself, commission, like you guys will be tasked with it versus, you know, we started that Dune conversation. This probably isn't the board app to have that discussion. maybe natural resource.
>> Now, I'm looking through the list here where it specifies financial advisory board like under zoning district evaluation density. Well, I don't know that that's something that we're getting to, >> right? >> Whenever it is and there's no point in this group discussing it way in advance,
but so I guess what I'm asking is is your team decides when that'll come to the attention of the financial advisory board or the commission does that or how does that work? Yeah, I know. Um I know we've had this conversation. I had a uh
a few others here. You guys probably need to meet a little more often. Um and looks like you're uh your heavy lifts in the summer. So, uh cancel your vacations. Just kidding. No. Um No, but you're you know there we got to do better with you Dr. Green. We've
talked CIP. Why isn't that on an annual basis coming to this board for review? It should. and it should come in May with the five-year forecast and the budget should come early. And we're trying to to shift that model or redirect our model that our first budget presentation should come here um and
kind of get some of that guidance and advice. So when we deliver that first meeting to the commission, we could say the financial advisories had a look, expressed X, Y, and Z concerns or take a closer look at Y or this or that, you know. Um so all that stuff, we need to
do a better job of getting more stuff here. Um, but a lot of it's in the summer. I know some of the schedules have been kind of wonky over the last couple years, but uh, summer is the heavy lift. Well, spring and summer, I should say.
The hot months. Yeah, we can be flexible. I think I mean, we're scheduled to meet every three months, but if there's a period of heavy activity, there's no reason why we can't meet more often during that time. and
then have gaps where there isn't that much going on like during budget season for example. >> Yeah. So I think the next >> it's necessary. >> Yeah. I think once session closes here in the next two weeks we'll get an idea of when property tax is going to be scheduled as a special assessment and
then they I think Peggy was saying maybe April May is when they're going to really tackle that. So, you know, we'll start talking forecast, we'll talk preliminary budget, CIP, bring that in and then you could meet two weeks later of what once we start seeing what that
will look like from what's the ballot question, right? They can't approve anything without a ballot question. Once we know what that is, then we can really start creating our protective measures, our next steps, start mapping that out ahead of time. Hope it doesn't go through, but if it does, you know, we
we're we're ahead of that game. we're, you know, two steps ahead of trying to instead of chasing it, chasing the outcome, we're, you know, a little bit ahead of it, I think would be would critically helpful. >> They're talking about the getting whatever they're going to come with
ready for this November's election, the constitutional amendment. >> Yep. Yep. Yep. So, I think they can't waste too long. I hope they get stuck in political gridlock and it passes so we can at least have more time or at least have a chance to have some level of
influence or rational discussions. Um but yeah, so they're going to have to when is do you think that deadline clerk town clerk when you'd have to get something for a November election? It's 90 days. Not us. I'm saying at the state level for the state to put a constitutional
amendment on the November election. What's their deadlines? Do we know? Do they follow the same queue? Yeah. So, they're going to have to have an answer like June, July at the latest in order to process the ballots, get it all out there, and have their time to
convince everybody uh to do it, you know, because there's going to be some campaigning, both sides. I'm sure the public safety union unions will have some opinionish. They're kind of protected, so I don't know how strong they'll be. Chamber of Commerce will come out. League of Cities
will come out. Okay. Um, board members reports, anybody? >> Go ahead. >> I have a couple things that I would just like to see, Susie, on the financial reports when we get them.
Uh, at least once a year at budget time. is like some year-to-year type stuff. You know, what are our expenditures this year compared to last year and the year before that? >> Like a three-year roll back or do you want a fiveyear? >> Probably five. I mean, once you do it, >> the numbers will stay fixed. You don't
have to keep recalculating them each time. You just drop one off. Um and also we had talked about at the last meeting uh sometimes new projects and for that I would include at this point maybe the fire department still
but certainly the marine patrol thing. >> Mhm. >> What those things are actually costing us cuz sometimes it's helpful. I mean it's not >> more than it needs to. I'll tell you that >> one at least. Well, the dock is I mean I
I think most people I mean I don't know what it's costing us, but I think most people would feel that the marine patrol thing was a nice value added addition that we had in terms of safety and everything and keeping speeds down. So, but it would be nice to know, well, is
it really two extra policemen that are involved and is it what is the boat really costing after the initial 160 grand or whatever is to buy it? I mean, what are the operational costs and everything moving forward? >> Put on the bottom like engineers cost
estimate, dollar spent to date. So, you can kind of see like what we spent. >> So, I think that would be helpful. >> Yeah. And some of the some of the projects on the dashboard after a while they drop off. I mean, when you're done, you're like done. But some of the financials we may want to see for a few
years. Okay. Like we said, we hoped that after some of the initial capital outlay, we would actually be saving a few million dollars a year on our fire department. Well, we like our fire department. But are we really saving $2 million a year, or is it pretty much what it would be if we had stayed with
Delray? I mean, money isn't the only thing because we're looking at the quality of the service and a whole bunch of other things. But still from the financial advisory board standpoint, I'd be interested in seeing some of that data periodically. That's all if we could.
>> Oh, I might add that. So for FY25, we're on the audit at the moment. Um we're hoping to have our audit concluded by the end of April. That's our goal. So we're actually sending over um requests
to our auditors. And so they're working on our audit bill. >> Well, we will expect to applaud you for all your gold stars again this year. >> Speaking of gold stars, we did get our uh GFO Excellence in Financial uh
reporting award again. So, we did get that yet again. Uh so, kudos to uh Susie and her team for keeping us clean on those. >> Congratulations. You should tell us that stuff. That's good. >> I know. We we uh um and then also um March 24th, it's a
Tuesday, 4:30 to 6:30, you're invited with a guest to our employee recognition excellence awards, police officer of the year, firefighter, paramedic, and employee of the year. We have a little event over at the fire station. We'd love it if you could attend. Uh we'll have some food, some drinks, and you
know, just kind of hang out and talk, networking, and then we do the presentations to those members. Uh so it's a nice it's a beautiful little event. Um you all invited uh the boards and commissions. So uh carve it out of your schedule, cancel your trips.
Looking at you, Ron this uh this will be my last meeting. I'm moving to Naples. Uh so uh it's been uh it's been a it's been I know it's about this tax thing. I'm just kidding. Um it's been a pleasure. Uh
over the last 30 years, I've loved being around Highland Beach and being down here and the last five years living down here has been great. Uh just uh some of it's workrelated uh necessary to be over there. I have a client that we're we're doing a heart
center, we're doing a children's hospital, we're doing a cancer center, and it's just sucking up a lot of my time. So, it's been great. And um maybe you could find another ball-headed Italian guy to take my spot. I don't know. Thanks.