Page 1 - The Shores of Jupiter- November '23

Our Village Voice

VOL. 34 NO. 11 www.seabreezepublications.com NOVEMBER 2023

commissioner’s update Bill’s Box

Budgeting to Reduce your last year approved a reduction to 4.715, the rate applied to By Bill Thompson
each $1,000 of taxable property value. As new residents have
tax Burden continued to make Palm Beach County their home, tax revenue Way too early
has increased at a rate of more than 13 percent over the past year. It’s still dark. There
By Commissioner With more money coming into the county coffers, I proposed is a low 60s, a welcome
Maria Marino and achieved unanimous consent from the Board to approve a change. It rained and was
Preparing a balanced further reduction in the millage rate this year to 4.50 mils, so that muggy for months. Now,
county budget takes more than taxpayers can realize more savings. in October, a tinge of fall
covering expenditures with This reduction allows us to keep a hefty level of reserve is in the air. Mr. Harley
revenues. It requires a focus funds. The county’s conservative approach to keeping significant Two has been out. My two
on providing essential services reserves helps us maintain a AAA rating, which is the highest eggs are boiling. V-8 is
to our residents, from garbage credit designation assigned to bond issuers by rating agencies poured, a piece of toast popped up. Oh my, out of coffee.
pickup and disposal, to striping such as Standard & Poor’s and Fitch. Reserves enable us to Too early for bourbon.
roads, to assisting low-income respond to emergencies and unanticipated expenditures without time
elderly folks keep their utilities chipping away at services residents rely on. It sure has a way of slipping by, even if you don’t
on, to preserving our beaches Of the total gross budget of $7.9 billion, projected notice so much. Seems my copy deadline is rushing
and natural areas. We must use precision to create efficiencies total property tax revenue is $1.9 billion. Approximately forward ever so fast. Earth may be tilting and spinning
and eliminate any waste in our budget in the interest of lessening 72 percent of the property tax revenue is for the general at a more rapid pace. When I was a lad who spent much
the tax burden on the property owners in this community and fund to provide the budget for the sheriff and other time alone in the woods, time was irrelevant. I always got
helping households make ends meet. constitutional officers, judicial facilities and technology, home for dinner. If the slow and easy cast a peace when
Property taxes make up roughly 25 percent of the operating county departments, capital projects, agency partners who time didn’t matter, sometimes I would get home after
budget and public safety takes up the largest portion. Departments assist the public, and to community development agencies dark. Then, parents didn’t have to worry if you were safe.
covering airports and water utilities are enterprise funds, not that reinvest in their infrastructure. The remaining 28 percent Another time and place.
funded primarily by property taxes. Per Florida Statutes, the pays for fire rescue, libraries and debt service. The climate is changing. Look at the voracious fires,
other funds on the balance sheet include the general fund, special Feedback from the District 1 communities has made it floods are more severe than can be explained. Animal
revenue funds restricted or committed to a specific purpose, debt clear that reducing the county tax rate is a trend we need species are disappearing. The earth is endangered.
service funds, capital projects, and internal services. to follow. Humans are angry about so many circumstances and too
With a population of just over 1.5 million, nearly half of our Thank you all for your continued input and please many have developed a cultural war attitude. A cultural
residents live in the unincorporated area. feel free to contact me at (561) 355-2201 or by email at divide threatens to erupt into flame and violence most of
After 11 years with a millage rate of 4.7815, the commission mmarino@pbcgov.org. us have not seen.
Hate filled people in the Middle East are in the midst of
northern notes extreme violence and cruelty to ordinary people. Though
hate in the region has existed for thousands of years,
it has now reached an unreasoning and shocking level
Roseate Spoonbill – nature’s even to extend to the beheading of children and elderly
innocent citizens. Compassion is out of reach. Complete
(other) Brilliant pink Bird annihilation of whole peoples is the goal of the violent
Hamas tribe of inhumanity. A myriad of other more
By Katie Roundtree, powerful colonizing countries are funders and supporters
Director of Finance and of the warring factions for gain.
Administration, Northern
Palm Beach County Bill’s Box on page 3
Improvement District
Roseate spoonbills are
striking pink birds that
inhabit our marshes and
preserves in South Florida.
They are shorter and smaller
than the more infamous
flamingo, but their plumage packed with carotenoids, fat-soluble pigments that constitute
is just as striking and easy to spot from afar. While they may reds, oranges, and yellows. Invertebrates compile these
be small in stature, they have a wingspan that is almost twice pigments by eating aquatic vegetation, which uses beta-
as wide as they are tall. carotenoids to conduct photosynthesis. Then, as spoonbills
Roseate spoonbills are highly social. They feed with each eat these crustaceans, they ingest their stockpiled carotenoids.
other and with other wading birds. They also nest in colonies As the birds digest their prey, these pigments are transferred
and fly in flocks. They are found with other spoonbills in a into fat stores under the skin. These reserves feed into the
group called appropriately a “bowl.” feathers, primarily along the bird’s back, wings and rump.
But what makes them pink? Spoonbills feed on small
fish, insects and crustaceans (invertebrates). Crustaceans are Northern Notes on page 3

RepoRt SuSpiciouS activity immediately
to the JupiteR police depaRtment

(561) 799-4445

Use 911 for emergencies only. Lock car doors.
Do not leave valuables in the car.