Page 6 - Abacoa Community News - September '21

Page 6, Abacoa

goveRnment

Town Of Jupiter News

By Ilan Kaufer, of the revisions to the intersection, improving safety for the sacrifice of brave men and women who made the ultimate
Jupiter Vice Mayor motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians will be achieved. sacrifice for our nation. Thank you to everyone who came
Happy September, National Night Out out to support these families and this event.
I hope everyone is having On Aug. 3, the Town held its annual National Night Out Budget Season
a safe and fun start to the fall. event. It was fantastic to see so much community support In August and September, the Town Council will
For all those families with even with some rain in the forecast. Thank you to everyone be approving the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. I
school-age children, I hope who came out to support our first responders. encourage you to follow these budget meetings and write in
your children are having a Gold Star Families Memorial Event with any comments or suggestions. Public participation is
successful start to the school On Aug. 7, the Town held an event to announce the always encouraged. The Town Council has already approved
year. Thank you as well to all placement of a Gold Star Memorial at the site of the Veterans the preliminary tax rate for the next fiscal year. The rate which
our teachers and school staff Memorial. At the event, we were grateful to be able to share was set requires that the final rate for 2022 must be either
for their hard work! our appreciation with local Gold Star families and recognize equal or lower to the 2021 rate.
Please find below a few recent updates on items I continue Thank you for keeping up
to work on. to date on these activities.
Central Boulevard And Please make sure to follow
University Intersection me on social media on
As you hopefully have Facebook at www.facebook.
seen, in response to many of com/kauferfl and on Twitter
your comments and the Town’s @CouncilorKaufer for more
recommendations, Palm Beach frequent updates. Please
County revised the signage reach out with any questions
and street markings to address or comments. If you have
the confusion caused by the any comments, questions,
new traffic pattern. Thank you or concerns, about these
to everyone who wrote in with initiatives or any other Town
comments and concerns. It is matters, please email me at
my hope that with these improvements, the original intent ilank@jupiter.fl.us.
Commissioner’s Update

County Budget Crunch Time fiscal year 2026. While this is not a recurring, long-term find it online at www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/pafr, or,
solution to shortfalls, budget analysts anticipate a gradual you may contact them by phone at (561) 355-2468 or by
By County Commissioner return of revenues to pre-pandemic levels over the next email at ccpbc@mypalmbeachclerk.com.
Maria Marino five years. As always, please contact me if I can be of assistance
In a previous article, For an in-depth look at the county’s tax dollars and to you by calling (561) 355-2201 or send an email to
I described the many financial health, and important economic trends, the clerk mmarino@pbcgov.org.
responsibilities of a county of the circuit court and comptroller publishes annually
commissioner. Probably a citizen’s guide known as Checks & Balances. You can
one of the most important
of those duties is the
adoption of a balanced Vino With Sting!
budget for each fiscal year,
which begins every Oct. 1.
The budget, which funds By Laura Berrio, Freelance August, Sting holds a party for everyone to celebrate and
many vital services to the public, is really a plan to Writer/Blogger thank them for their support. They eat, drink wine and of
accomplish goals and objectives identified as necessary Who wants to go to Italy course he sings a few songs!
to the purpose of your county government. Included in the and stay at Sting’s Tuscany (I want to be on this invitation list!)
budget are estimates of the appropriations of the resources Estate and Vineyard? Sting has named the wine produced from the vineyard
required, the tax and nontax revenues available to support You can rent out the entire after some of his hit songs … (Message in a Bottle, Roxanne,
implementation of projects and programs, and the number estate, main house, guesthouses Sister Moon) just to name a few.
of staff positions estimated to fulfill the optimum level and grounds for up to 500 people! Sting said, “A wine is like a song – it has a story to tell.”
of service. When I checked on the price, it Sister Moon has been listed as one of the top picks by
Strategic priorities identified by the Board of County appears to be a case of, if you Wine Spectator Magazine.
Commissioners for ad valorem funding (the money have to ask, you can’t afford it! You can travel to Italy to check it out, or run to your
It all began when Sting and
collected from your property taxes) include economic his wife Trudie were looking for a summer home in Italy. favorite wine store!
Try a few and message me on your
development, housing and homelessness, environmental They found a run-down estate that formerly produced honey, favorites!!
protection, infrastructure, substance abuse and behavioral olive oil and wine. They bought the property, Il Palagio, ~ Cheers
disorders, and public safety. because of the view! Then they began a decade-long project ~ Keep the conversation going and
For the 11th straight year, the Board has set the of bringing the estate, vineyard and olive groves back to life. the wine flowing!
countywide millage rate – the tax rate per $1,000 of your Sting invited all of the neighbors and town locals to Follow the Vine on Instagram @
real property’s value – at 4.7815 mils. This will generate the farm shop on the estate for a party to share their plans VineVibeUncorked.
approximately $1.054 billion, a 4.8 percent increase, for returning Il Palagio to its previous glory. Now, every
given the increase in property values. Paid Advertisement
Revenue sources for the general fund include property
taxes (63.3 percent), fund balance – the excess of fund
assets over liabilities (17.5 percent), intergovernmental
revenues – in the form of grants, entitlements, shared
revenues, or payments in lieu of taxes (13.2 percent),
licenses, permits and fees (3 percent), charges for services
(2.6 percent), and interfund transfers (.4 percent). Window Screens
The pandemic dealt epic public health and economic
hardships to individuals, families and businesses, and
at the same time, county revenues came up short, to the Sliding Screen Doors
tune of $74 million since fiscal year 2019. Gas taxes,
the infrastructure sales tax, and parks and recreation
fees were down a combined $17.7 million this past fiscal Window Screens
year. All the while, costs for providing public services
and constructing capital improvement projects continue Family Owned & Operated Sliding Screen Doors
to go up. Est. 2013
The Board had to find a way to fill a $46.4 million 561-208-8474 We Measure, Sliding Door Rollers
shortfall for the coming fiscal year. In order to avoid Make & Install
substantial cuts to reserves, department budgets curlytailscreens.com
and staffing, the Sheriff’s Department (PBSO), and For You!
Supervisor of Elections’ budgets, the Board approved the FREE $20 OFF
allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars Sliding Glass Door Wheel Replacement
Complimentary deep cleaning of door track included.
for eligible expenses, which include capital improvement ESTIMATES Cannot be combined with other offers, coupon must be presented
projects for PBSO and county facilities. Those funds at time of estimate. Valid on (1) door only. Expires 9/30/21
must be under contract by fiscal year 2024 and spent by