News

By Rich Pollack

As Highland Beach residents prepare to vote on five recommended Town Charter revisions, much of the focus has been on one change that would significantly modify the town’s spending cap from $350,000 to slightly over $1 million.
During a Coffee with the Mayor last month to discuss charter changes, much of the conversation focused on the issue on the March 8 ballot that would allow elected officials to spend as much as 5% of the town’s annual combined budgets on a project without voter approval.
While some residents wondered why the town isn’t recommending just replacing the $350,000 cap with another fixed amount, Mayor Doug Hillman pointed out that the town needs flexibility to keep up with growing expenses — especially with the coming creation of a new fire department.
“If we set a hard number, that number will be inadequate in a few years,” he said, adding that Highland Beach is the only town he knows of with a spending cap and that the $350,000 amount has been in place since 1991.
Town Manager Marshall Labadie said the $350,000 cap equated to about 10% of the budget at the time it was approved. “The cap is a unique spending limit that hasn’t been touched in 30 years,” he said.
Although the spending limit ballot question may be getting quite a bit of attention, voters will also address four other recommended changes.
Among those are a question that would give the authority to increase commission salaries to the commissioners themselves through an ordinance but limit any increase to 5% per year.
Right now, only voters can approve a commission salary increase through a referendum. Commissioners are currently paid $12,000 a year, while the mayor is paid $15,000 a year.
Also on the ballot is a proposal that would extend commission term limits from two 3-year terms to three 3-year terms in one office and a maximum of 12 consecutive years in multiple offices. A housekeeping issue removing a provision that requires elected officials to sign checks is also before voters.
One of the least discussed ballot issues would take some decision-making power out of the hands of elected officials and give it to voters.
Voters will be asked to approve a change that would require a referendum should the town consider outsourcing operations of its police department, fire department or water treatment services to another agency or organization.
“The long-term implications of a decision to outsource a public safety service requires the action of the entire community,” Labadie said. “The way to protect a true local health and public safety decision is to let residents vote on it.”
Labadie pointed to the town’s decision to start its own fire department and separate from having Delray Beach provide the service as an example of why residents should have a say.
Highland Beach officials voiced concern over not having control of financial, operational and other issues in the contract with Delray.
“It’s the experience we’ve had with Delray and others that makes it important for the decision to be a community-wide decision,” he said.
Labadie said the measure, if approved, would not prevent the town from outsourcing services if voters favor that.
“It doesn’t take outsourcing off the table,” he said. “It just puts it in the hands of the residents because it’s long-term quality of service implications.”
To help residents understand the items, the town has set up a web page at highlandbeach.us/Vote2022 that includes ballot language and an explanation of the town’s reasoning for bringing each question to the voters.

March vote
Deadline to register: Monday, Feb. 7
Deadline to request a vote by mail ballot: 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26
Early voting: 10 a.m. -7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 to Sunday, March 6
Deadline to return vote by mail ballot: 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8
Election Day: 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8

Source: www.pbcelections.org