Rustic Lakes Zoning and Regulations Remain Unchanged
The November Palm Beach Gardens City Council meeting was relatively short. The bulk of the agenda pertained to the adoption of ordinances pertaining to the annexation of Rustic Lakes – which took a significant amount of work due to its agricultural and large lot nature. Martin Fitts of Planning and Zoning did the presentation of Ordinances 21-28, 2019. Residents from Rustic Lakes attended the meeting but did not make any public comment. All the ordinances passed 5:0.
November 7Making Public Comment on issues not on the agenda were:
- Peter Evans – representing the Palm Beach Children’s Chorus – informing the Council of the Chorus’ recent eviction notice from the new owners of Loehmans’ Plaza, and providing the council with information regarding the reputation of those owners. He raised potential health and code compliance issues with the property. He also said that the Chorus will be representing Palm Beach County at a Carnegie Hall performance
- Ed Dolezal – speaking about 5G technology and raising health, personal privacy, aesthetics of community, local sovereignty concerns. He suggested that the City join a League of Cities lawsuit against Tallahassee regarding recent legislation on 5G.
- Steve Mathison – speaking on behalf of the PGA Corridor Board of Directors – thanking the City and staff for continued partnership with them.
The Consent Agenda passed 5:0. Purchasing Director Km! Ra was requested by Council Member Lane to detail the bidding for item C – the renovation of baseball fields at gardens park. The lowest bidder was awarded the contract.
At the end of the meeting, the Council discussed possible future resolutions regarding the use of plastics in the city. No action was taken.
The December City Council meeting will be held on Thursday December 5th. The January Council Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 9th.
Northlake Traffic- Frustration, Excuses, No Solutions
Two traffic related presentations plus an overview and approval of a Public/Private Partnership for the Development of an Indoor Recreational Facility at the Gardens North County District Park took up most of the October City Council Meeting. October 3 FDOT staff gave an overview of the current status of the I-95/Central Boulevard interchange. Staff appreciated the interaction with FDOT but felt that issues still remained in the design of the interchange.... [Read More...]
Finance Director Argues 8.8% Tax Increase Needed
The primary reason for the second City Council meeting in September is always because of the Final Hearing and Approval of the next year’s millage (tax rate) and budget. Finance Director Allan Owens gave a presentation seemingly designed to rebut Mayor Marciano’s position that the millage could be reduced from 5.55 to 5.50. Positions taken by the Council remained unchanged from First Reading – with Council Members Woods, Marino,... [Read More...]
Mayor Marciano – Gardens Should Lead by Reducing the Millage
First reading of the annual Budget typically results in discussion by the Council, and this year was no exception. See 8.8% Tax Increase in 2020 Proposed Budget and the Palm Beach Post article for more details about the budget specifics. After the Powerpoint presentation made by Finance Director Allan Owens, Mayor Marciano kicked off his analysis of the proposed budget. Unlike the remainder of the Council, the Mayor was previously on the Budget Review... [Read More...]
Presentations/Public comment and Council Discussion Book-End Mtg
The August PBG City Council was relatively short. All Ordinances and Resolutions passed 5:0. Presentations included Lauren Berkson on the Gold Star Families Memorial (passed late in the evening at the July mtg – see the Palm Beach Post article here.), an American Heart Association Gold Plus Award to PBG EMS for the 3rd time – for measures taken to deal with a special type of heart attack known as a ‘stemi’, and an award to... [Read More...]
Virgin Trains impacts, Mobility Plan, 2019/2020 budget max millage and more
The agenda for the July 11th City Council took the max allotted time of 4.5 hours. Council Member Marino was not in attendance and all Ordinances and Resolutions passed 4:0. Since most attendees probably did not last until the end of the meeting here are a few highlights. City Manager Ferris was offered a new contract (as discussed at the June 2019 City Council Mtg); Council Member Woods proposed that on top of the 3% cost of living increases that... [Read More...]
New Development at City Centre and Downtown at the Gardens
Vice-Mayor Litt was unable to attend as she was attending the graduation ceremony for completing Leadership Palm Beach. Council Member Marino is also a graduate of the program. Congratulations to Mrs. Litt. During Announcements and Presentations Officer Francine O’Brien was chosen as PBC Chiefs’ Association 2018 Officer of the year. Also the PBA voted on and the Council approved a collective bargaining agreement for the next 3 years.... [Read More...]
New Tax Collector Office Building for PGA Blvd
The May 2nd City Council meeting included first reading on changes to two sites on PGA Boulevard and Northlake Boulevard respectively. The current DMV site on PGA across from the Gardens Mall will be replaced by a beautiful new building housing both the Palm Beach County Tax Collector’s functions currently housed in the North County Courthouse, as well as the drivers’ license functions previously conducted on the site’s locations. ... [Read More...]