Editor’s Note: This piece was updated due to an error that has been corrected.
Voters, depending on where they live, will be asked to amend their municipal ordinances to reflect several changes and developments within their respective communities. For some, it could be a simple but needed fix to keep up with the times, for others it could be a bond question that will mean new expenditures for city residents, or a change that could pave the way for major development.
What follows is the Post Editorial Board recommendations on the ballot questions for voters in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach Wellington in the March 10 elections. The Post will weigh in on the Lake Worth Beach questions on Thursday, March 5.
March 10 elections: Ballot questions for Boca Raton
Vote ‘YES’ on Question 1
Question 1: Shall the City issue general obligation bonds, in one or more series, to finance the construction and equipping of a new police department headquarters, and related public safety support facilities located within the city in the principal amount not to exceed $175,000,000, bearing interest at not exceeding the legal rate, maturing not later than 30 years from the date of issuance, and payable from ad valorem taxes levied on all taxable property in the city?
Truth is the city needs a new police headquarters, and while $175 million sounds expensive, the city council and staff can oversee construction costs to make sure the project comes in under budget and on time. By moving the new headquarters to city-owned land on Spanish River Boulevard between the Spanish River Library and Interstate 95 gives police better access to the city than the old downtown location. A new complex comes with modern technology and a structure that should be better able to withstand hurricane-force winds, something the old station could not.
Vote ‘YES’ on Question 2
Question 2: Shall the city approve agreements with Boca Raton City Center, LLC leasing 7.8 acres of city property east of Northwest Second Avenue near Brightline Station, for 99 years, creating a walkable neighborhood with residential, retail, office, and hotel uses, generating rent and revenues to city for general uses and enhancements to city property, including: Preserving Memorial Park area, honoring veterans, expanding recreational and green spaces and building a new community center, City Hall and police substation?
First off, the residents of Boca Raton are to be congratulated for their involvement in whittling down the size of the One Boca project. We believe their efforts through the Save Boca movement led to a much more reasonably sized development of 7.8 acres near the Brightline station between Northwest Second Avenue, Palmetto Park Road and Northwest Fourth Street, a project that will add economic and social benefits to an expanded downtown.
The private portion of the complex will feature a boutique hotel, a grocery store and 947 new residences split between apartments and luxury condos. The plan calls for the city to build a new City Hall, a police substation and a community center with new revenue coming into city coffers from the development. The plan doubles the area’s usable public recreation space to 15.6 acres and includes a specific pledge to preserve six historic banyan trees and the sensitive lands of Memorial Park.
Leasing publicly owned land through a private-public partnership carries risks. However, we believe the agreement between the city and the developer, Terra/Frisbie, comes with enough safeguards to encourage an affirmative vote. If nothing else, the city council knows the will of its electorate and will do all it can to ensure that will is enforced.
Ballot questions for Boynton Beach
Vote ‘YES’ on all ballot questions
Question 1: Shall the City Charter be amended to add a Preamble establishing the foundational purposes and principles of the City’s government, including protecting the general health, welfare, and safety of residents and promoting honest, efficient, and responsive government?
Question 2: Shall the City Charter be amended to require that candidates have resided continuously within the City for at least two (2) years prior to filing for office?
Question 3: Shall the City Charter be amended to: (1) modernize language by replacing outdated masculine-only pronouns; and (2) update notice and publication requirements to comply with current Florida law and include digital communication methods?
The first change to the charter amounts to an introduction explaining the guiding principle of the city government. It re-affirms but does not change how the city operates. The second charter change is a reasonable time qualification to ensure candidates for office and more importantly the voters have some assurance that those candidates have an understanding of the issues facing the Boynton Beach community. The third question is one that revises and updates city charter and ordinance language.
Ballot questions for Wellington
Vote ‘YES’ on Questions 1 and 2
Question 1: Shall the Palm Beach County Canvassing Board be designated to canvass Wellington elections?
The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office is the better place for canvassing elections. They have the staff whose knowledge of election laws and procedures all but guarantees satisfactory outcomes on a task that frankly shouldn’t fall to any municipality in the county.
Question 2: Shall the qualifying period for Vllage elective offices be in November?
This change to Wellington’s candidate qualifying period is necessary if voters approve Question 1. The current January qualifying period doesn’t give the supervisor’s office the time to prepare, print and test village ballots. The Supervisor of Elections office would need at least 95 days prior to an election to meet state regulations, thus necessitating the change to November.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post recommendations on March 10 ballot questions
Reporting by Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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