By John Pacenti
The Manalapan Town Commission on Sept. 24 passed a $19.2 million budget for fiscal year 2025, which began Oct. 1, carrying over the same tax rate as the previous year.
However, because property values increased 5.7% over the last year, there will be a slight increase in taxes for homesteaded residents in the wealthy enclave.
The average home in Manalapan is worth $4.2 million, according to Zillow.com. Using a tax rate of $3.00 for $1,000 of taxable value, a homesteaded property worth $4 million last year will pay $360 more in town property taxes.
Under state law, homesteaded property values cannot go up more than 3% each year.
For properties not homesteaded — commercial, rental and second homes — a property worth $4 million a year ago will pay up to $1,200 more in town taxes, as the annual taxable property value cap for those properties is 10%.
Fire rescue services have the biggest impact on the new budget, increasing $189,902. Manalapan has an interlocal agreement with Palm Beach County to provide firefighters and paramedics.
The budget includes funds for 24/7 security guard coverage at the entrance to Point Manalapan, but the commission debated whether to try to save taxpayers money by having the guards no longer carry firearms.
Town Manager Eric Marmer said a new vendor, Florida Protection & Consulting, has been chosen for the five-year contract at the guardhouse. Armed guards would cost Manalapan $1,104,000, while unarmed guards cost $884,200 — a saving of nearly $220,000.
“Describe a scenario where we would want a guard to need a gun, to have a gun, to use a gun,” Commissioner Cindy McMackin asked Town Attorney Keith Davis.
Other commissioners worried that if a guard used a firearm the town could be held liable.
“If something happened — while the contract will certainly have indemnification language — make no mistake we will be dragged into that,” Davis said.
Former Mayor Keith Waters, during public comments, said there was a method to the madness of arming the guards — and it had nothing to do with the guns.
“The armed guards provide us with a different caliber of personnel,” Waters said. “You have to go through that training.”
The commission then voted, at the suggestion of Commissioner Elliot Bonner, to approach the vendor to see if it was amenable to allowing the town to try out the unarmed option but be able to switch to the armed option if it desires to do so in the future.
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