By Steve Plunkett
Town officials are looking past the looming presidential election to next March, when voters will decide who will fill Seats 1, 3 and 5 on the Briny Breezes Town Council.
Mayor Ted Gross on Sept. 26 proclaimed March 11, 2025, as the town’s next election date. The qualifying period to become a candidate will be from noon Nov. 12 to noon Nov. 26.
The seats are currently held by Alderman Keith Black, Council President Liz Loper and Alderman Bill Birch.
Also on Sept. 26, the Town Council renewed its lease with Briny Breezes Inc. for the Town Hall meeting room and offices for five years. The town will pay the corporation $1,742 a month in rent the first year, with the monthly payments increasing by $50 each year in the second through the fifth years.
The town and Briny Breezes Inc. also extended their one-year agreement for the corporation to again pay 70% of the cost of police and fire rescue services rather than the usual 30%. The arrangement lets the town levy a property tax of only $3.75 per $1,000 of taxable value instead of the maximum $10 per $1,000.
That, in turn, will allow the town possibly to raise taxes to pay back a loan if it decides to go that route to rebuild its sea walls and improve its stormwater system.
The net effect to property owners of having the corporation pay more for public safety so far is a wash, because the corporation raises its assessments to shareholders to make up the difference.
Ocean Ridge provides police patrols to the town, and Boynton Beach handles fire rescue duties.
“You guys have been living healthy or nobody’s here, because (in July) we got no medical calls and we only had two in August,” Police Chief Scott McClure said while making his monthly report.
Comments