News

By Rich Pollack

    A Highland Beach spending issue that appeared to have been resolved last fall has resurfaced, this time at the urging of a new commissioner who believes residents want stronger veto power over purchases of big-ticket items.
    At an April 30 commission workshop meeting, Commissioner Carl Feldman, elected in March, revisited a spending cap that requires voter approval on any purchases exceeding 10 percent of the town’s $10.4 million operating budget — or about $1 million.
In September, the commission voted 4-1 to amend the town charter and raise the cap on big-ticket items from $350,000 to 10 percent before a referendum is needed. But Feldman said many residents were unaware of the change.
    “When I was running for election, the main thing that people were saying was that they didn’t agree with raising the spending limit from $350,000 to over $1 million,” Feldman said before last month’s meeting. “ I found no one who agreed with it.”
    Two major expenses that could possibly soon surface are the purchase of a new fire truck – which could cost upwards of $850,000 – and renovations to the town hall complex.
    “The people want to have a say when it comes to spending a lot of money,” said Feldman, a leading voice against raising the $350,000 spending trigger for a referendum when it was first discussed in September, before he was elected.
    During the commission’s recent workshop meeting, Town Attorney Glen Torcivia told Feldman that those opposed to the charter change could use a petition signed by approximately 380 voters to add a referendum to the March 2014 ballot to determine if residents want to revert back to the $350,000 spending cap.
    “If residents want to bring back the $350,000 spending limit, they can come forward with petitions,” Feldman said later. “I just wanted to give them the vehicle to do it.”
    He said he has already spoken to several residents who are interested in petitioning the commission to put the issue before voters next year.
    In September, Feldman presented commissioners with a petition signed by more than 200 residents in three days.
    But at that time, commissioners — several of whom pointed out that an informal survey showed Highland Beach was the only community in the area that required a referendum on expenditures — voted to increase the spending limit to 10 percent of the budget before a referendum would be required.
    Feldman said that during his campaign, he made spending an issue and believed it was important to once again bring the issue up for discussion.
    “Residents don’t want the commission spending $1 million without a referendum,” he said.
    In other action last month, commissioners heard that the town is close to completing the $3.5 million sale of two parcels of town-owned land in northern Boca Raton, once used as well fields for the town.
    The parcels, including an 8.5-acre tract and a 2.16-acre L-shaped tract with frontage on Federal Highway, became available after the town built a new reverse osmosis treatment plant behind town hall in 2004.
    Town officials are awaiting an independent appraisal before moving forward with finalizing the sale.
    In addition, the commission approved a resolution clarifying that money from the sale of the property does not have to be used to repay debt on the water treatment plant. Instead, a new resolution given tentative approval by commissioners, allows the town to use the money for projects that are in the best interest of residents. The town currently owes more than $13 million on the loan.
    Town officials say that the change will have no impact on water bills.
    At the workshop meeting, the commission also gave tentative approval to extending previously approved variances for developers of a new high-rise residential project slated for long-vacant property at 3200 S. Ocean. The commission invited the developers and their representatives to a May 7 commission meeting to provide a more detailed overview of the proposed project.