Our Village Voice VOL. 37 NO. 7
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Town Of Jupiter News Town Governmental Budget Planning By Jim Kuretski, Mayor, Town of Jupiter The Town of Jupiter local government’s budgetary fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 of the following calendar y e a r. S u m m e r t i m e i s therefore the annual time period during which the Town Council conducts its various workshops and hearings to establish the overall budget and set tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year. The Town of Jupiter has historically had the lowest municipal (including fire rescue services) property tax millage rate in comparison with the nine other municipalities in north Palm Beach County. In contrast, the City of Palm Beach Gardens has the next lowest municipal property tax rate and is 23% higher. The City of West Palm Beach municipal property tax rate is about double that versus Jupiter.
Last year, we were able to reduce our total town (operating plus debt) property tax millage rate for the 15th consecutive year. The “Save Our Homes” Constitutional Amendment passed in year 1992 has been quite effective in limiting increases in the overall property tax amounts for longtime homesteaded Town of Jupiter properties, as illustrated by the following: Past 5 years: Property tax increases equals +3.6%; Inflation (CPI-U) equals +25.1% Past 10 years: Property tax increases equals +5.1%; Inflation (CPI-U) equals +35.2% Past 20 years: Property tax increases equals +23.5%; Inflation (CPI-U) equals +65.8% It was 34½ months ago, on August 15, 2023, that a Town Council majority made the decision to terminate an interlocal contract agreement with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue (PBCFR) for its fire rescue services; and to create our new Jupiter Fire Rescue Department (JFRD). That decision was not only made to significantly reduce property tax burdens on Jupiter residents and businesses, but also to enable our town to have unified public safety teams of police, firefighters and paramedics to best serve the public. Although the town budget development efforts are still underway, we are pleased to share that the expected property tax savings from having created JFRD will exceed the targeted dollar amount on which we made that financial decision. Stay tuned.
Northern Notes Funding Local Services: Inside Northern’s Budget And Assessment Process By Katie Roundtree, Director of Finance and Administration, Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District Like all local governments in Florida, the Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District (Northern) must prepare and abide by an Annual Budget. Similar to other local governments, Northern prepares a budget for general expenses, such as administrative and overhead costs. However, it also prepares a budget for each Unit of Development. A Unit of Development is a separate, distinct area formed to receive specific services from Northern. These areas can be individual housing developments such as PGA National, BallenIsles, or Abacoa. An area can also cover several developments, such as Horseshoe Acres, Steeplechase, Arbor Parc, and Woodbine. Each Unit of Development is unique because its needs can differ widely. Currently, there are 47 active
Units of Development with budgets, excluding the general fund. Northern’s primary purpose is to provide stormwater control services. However, in some areas, Northern is also responsible for road, preserve, trail, and gate maintenance. Northern’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Each January, the new budget process b e g i n s . S t a ff a n d Department Heads submit budget requests for projects, services, and equipment. The Budget Manager compiles these and creates a budget draft for Northern Management to review. As the draft forms, requests are weighed against funding to decide which projects remain in the plan for the year. Once draft budgets are created, funding sources are considered. Budgets are funded from either NonAd Valorem assessments, reserve funds, loans, or a combination of these sources. The Non-Ad Valorem assessment is a fee levied on certain properties to fund
JULY 2026
Bill’s Box By Bill Thompson Summertime … It’s July. We should be getting rain. Green lawns need mowing more often. Flowers are blooming and The Shores is looking proud. The coyotes moved along and our rabbits are safe again. The crows are on annual vacation up around Jacksonville. Gators will be mating soon and there will be sightings that warrant caution near the water edge. And there the world turns. Pray for less severe hurricanes as that season is upon us. Oh well—as the saying goes. Next Landscaping cleanup was all the rage in May. The debris trucks were working overtime. I thought there must have been a contagion passing through. The cleanup then prompted landscape revisions. Some quite significant. Made me think I should be doing something, but I took a nap instead. Well, I may have put in some new ground cover. Not too stressful, you know. And living on the lake spares me the encroaching preserves. When we bought our lot in 1988, we strained our budget considerably for a lakefront property. That was a long time ago when we had paying jobs. That’s a problem when retirement made sense. If the cost of living keeps going up, I can always go back to my high school profession, popping popcorn at the movie theater. I was paid 50 cents an hour then. On Fridays, I was paid $9.60 net. Thank God minimum wage has increased a bit. Reckless Driving In Our Quiet Village A short while ago, a neighbor was biking with another friend and neighbor on an early morning ride with lights on even though the sky was dawning. As they approached Bill’s Box on page 4
Northern Notes on page 2
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.