Indiantown Latest News From The June 25, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The June 11, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The May 28, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The May 14, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Apr 23, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Apr 9, 2023 Edition

The next meeting will be April 13^th.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The Mar 26, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Mar 12, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Feb 26, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Feb 12, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Jan. 29, 2023 Edition

VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 26, 2023

I am wondering if Taryn Kryzda is thinking what she has gotten herself into with her appointment as the interim manager. The sniping began with member comments and never let up.

Council Member Hernandez stated that former clerk Susan Owens was no longer at the village. While not mentioning him by name, Hernandez was incensed that Council Member Dipaolo had gone after Owens at the last meeting for allowing the laptop of former Village Manager Brown’s to be wiped clean.

Hernandez, in tears, went on to say that when Owens began working for the Village, nothing had been set up. She had to do everything from scratch. There were no departments. In her opinion, everybody was doing a great job. She wants it clearly understood that council members should interact with the manager alone and not employees.

When it was Vice-Mayor Stone’s turn to comment, he claimed that Kryzda had not contacted him since she was hired. He then mentioned that Commissioner Jenkins had said that Kryzda was the “best” which came across as an accusation as to Jenkins’ representation. Kryzda explained that she hadn’t been given her village phone until late in the week. But that she was at the village offices and easy enough to fine. Stone even brought Attorney Vose into it by asking whether it was customary for a new manger to contact commissioners.

Guyton Stone

He insinuated that Kryzda had fired Owens which she refuted. Kryzda stated that Owens had resigned on Tuesday. She went on to say that it was not unusual for employees to leave when a new council or a new manager take over. Stone and Hernandez wanted some assurance that other employees would not be gone. Kryzda said it was the manager’s prerogative to hire and fire.  Vose backed up Kryzda by stating that the charter spells out her duties and that of the council.

Stone wants to have an agenda item to discuss how to hire a permanent manager for the next meeting. They were already scheduled to discuss convening a special workshop at the last meeting in February. They will now have two items on the agenda a meeting apart.

Dipaolo had no problem speaking to Kryzda by just going to her office. As a matter of personal policy, Kryzda does have an open door for anyone to drop by she stated. She also wants regularly scheduled meetings with her council members.

When it was Kryzda’s turn for comments, she said that she had met with department heads and some residents, gone through personnel files, and had spent time familiarizing herself with the roles and responsibilities of employees within the Village. She thought that Owens was wearing too many hats which included HR as well as administration. Things were slipping through the cracks. Kryzda did not think that policies and procedures had been well defined for the village hall.

When it came time to approve the minutes from the last meeting, Stone wanted to include that Dipaolo had said that he wished that he could fire Owens. Stone wanted the entire recording of the matter transcribed and included. Vose reminded Stone that if it were transcribed, it would be on the internet. A motion was made by Stone and seconded by Hernadez to have Dipaolo’s one statement included in the minutes.

I don’t quite understand Hernandez and Stone’s reluctance to work with Kryzda. If anything, they should be glad to have someone who knows and understands local resources.  For example, she was able to have the Martin County Clerk of the Court step in temporarily because of Owen’s resignation. The only people who can hurt the two council members are the voters. And this petulant attitude of theirs is not doing them any good.

There may have been residents who thought Brown shouldn’t have left. Once the council changed after the last election, it became inevitable. Owens was his deputy. Any chance she had of remaining in my opinion was over once the laptop was erased at her instruction.

Perhaps there are other things that will come to light regarding how the village ran under Brown, but now is the time to heal. Kryzda can bring a semblance of order and professionalism that has been lacking. And it does need it. She can institute best practices.  Everyone on the council should sit back and allow her to do so without thinking or attempting to show that Kryzda is the enemy.

The voters wanted these changes otherwise Clarke and Dowling would have retained their seats. If Stone and Hernandez do not want to suffer the same fate, they should embrace what the voters said loud and clear. They must change direction or be out of a job.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The Jan. 15, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Dec. 18, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Dec. 4, 2022 Edition

The next meeting will be December 8, 2022

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The Nov. 20, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Nov. 13, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Oct 16, 2022 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING OCT. 13, 2022

There is a persistent problem the council has except for the mayor. The council does not speak into their mics. Why have a recorded meeting if you cannot hear what is being said. There cannot be transparency if you cannot hear what is being said. The clerk should make sure the council is speaking directly into their mics for the benefit of the public.

Hernandez was appointed to be the alternate to the Regional League of Treasure Coast Cities.

Currently you are not permitted to have a fence around a vacant lot. If you have a home on a lot, you may have a 4-foot fence in the front and then a six-foot fence from the house to the back of the property. Mr. Dipaolo proposed that you be allowed to have a fence on vacant parcels, but it be chain link so that you can see inside the lot.

During discussion, Mayor Gibbs-Thomas brought up the fact that you were allowed to have a fence under the county rules. She said that the council had promised residents that they would only give residents better code not take away things they had had before incorporation.

Stone wanted to have a ballot initiative. Gibbs-Thomas shot back that is why the council was elected. Charter initiatives should be on the ballot not LDRs. Dipaolo made a motion to have a 6 ft fence of opaque material around the entire lot. It was seconded by Hernandez. It passed 5-0

The LPA at the council’s direction looked at terms and qualifications for sitting on that board. The council had made changes that business owners would be eligible, and the terms would run for the appointees the same as the council member that appointed them.

The LPA had three recommendations. One that during the year a member could only recuse themselves twice instead of the current four times. That 5 members be residents and two could be nonresident business owners and that the businesses have a physical presence within the village.

Dipaolo said that he didn’t want to see any language about limiting recusals for board members. During public comment Scott Watson thought that even if you recuse yourself because it was your property or business you should still be able to participate in discussion to make sure people understood. Like Dipaolo Gibbs-Thomas also wants to do away with the recusal part. Both want no restrictions on non-resident participation.

It was stated by many that the board needed those non-residents because they possessed some sort of expertise that a resident would not. The very nature of citizen boards is because you want residents to make decisions. It is not an expert board but a citizen board.

Dipaolo made a motion to move with the changes that the council wanted from the last meeting with the addition of removing from the code about the number of recusals allowed. It passed 3-2 with Hernandez and Stone dissenting.

In the future when the council can stack this board with their non-resident experts, I hope they take their advice. The council didn’t go with one recommendation of the current board. The council did not think of them as expert enough to give them advice.

A quick discussion was held regarding the mobility fee. Both Gibbs-Thomas and Dipaolo did not want to take a controversial approach with the county. North Palm Beach did, and it ended in court. County Commissioner Jenkins, who was in the audience, spoke up saying negotiation is the way to go.

That was the direction the council gave staff. Gibbs-Thomas mentioned Stuart as an example of a negotiated fee with the county. Brown and Vose stated the city was in negotiation with the county. I verified with Stuart Manager Dyess that there has been a MOU with Martin County since 2019 and there is nothing pending.

The only thing to remember is that Stuart is a municipality that is almost all built out. There doesn’t seem to be anyplace for new roads within city limits. Indiantown’s deal would probably be a bit different.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The Oct 9, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Sept 18, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Sept 4, 2022 Edition

INDIANTOWN ELECTION:

Perhaps the biggest election surprises came in Florida’s newest municipality.

For some time, Anthony Dowling and, to a lesser extent, Jackie Clarke had acted as charter members of the Howard Brown fan club. Along with Janet Hernandez, it seemed that the council was becoming more and more separated from their constituents regarding the operations of the village. This election was the constituents’ revenge.

At the time of incorporation, Indiantown seemed to me to be a village made up of Black, Hispanic, and white folks who got along well. As a small town out in the middle of the country, the place had to be more self-reliant than the rest of Martin County. People needed their neighbors. Since incorporation, things had changed.

Nothing is a better example of the racial nature of the village’s politics than Janet Hernandez’s remark at a meeting of the League of Treasure Coast Cities. Because she was not given a position she desired on the board, she claimed it was because of racism. She must have been unable to see that the president was another Hispanic. Jolene Carballo is now the president of the Florida League.

Even now some residents are intimating that they just couldn’t lose their seat because the people didn’t like what they did but rather that it had to be because of their race. I don’t believe that was true.

The council’s biggest sin may have been the way they embraced big government. They didn’t seem to believe that any expense was too much for the council. As an example, the City of Okeechobee is a similar rural community which after 100 years has far fewer full-time (22) employees, excluding police. Indiantown will have 34 if the budget passes after five years of existence.

While I kept hearing that the people wanted this growth, apparently enough were tired of the millions that have been borrowed. Indiantown has few voters and not many turned out with only about 760 votes cast votes.

Carmine Dipaolo, a retired deputy, and business owner ran against Anthony Dowling. Dipaolo had 455 votes to Dowling’s 308. That is a margin of nearly 20%. Dowling, who thought he could be governor someday, was soundly defeated. Dowling refused to send a statement outlining why he should be re-elected to this newsletter even after repeated emails to him.

Jackie Clarke lost her race to Angelina Perez by a little more than 5% of the vote. Jackie, compared to Hernandez and Dowling, was a more moderate voice. I think her loss was one that happened because of incumbency.

Susan Gibbs Thomas, who had been ostracized by the rest on the council since the last election, easily won her race 2 to 1. Though I don’t know whether she was so much a small government person or one who repeatedly bucked Brown, the patron saint of the group. I hope it was the former more than the latter.

If I were Howard, I would have my resume circulating. He may not have long to call Indiantown his own.

BUDGET MEETING AUGUST 18, 2022

The good news is that the tax rate of 1.6304% remains the same. The bad news is that this year the village will collect less ad valorem than last by 2.6%.

The overall total budget including the enterprise fund is $9.9 million. There will be 34 full time employees (FTE) an increase of 3.5 FTEs. There are payroll increases of 5% for most employees. The Council will enjoy trips and junkets put on by a variety of organizations paid for by the village. Senior employees and their dependents will have health insurance paid 100% by the village while the rest of the employees will be at 90% with dependents at 75%.

Another little tweaker is that the manager is authorized to approve administrative transfers between departments within the same fund without going back to the council for approval. This is different than in the past.

The manager and council must be hoping that things get built fast to bring in the additional revenue needed to fuel the government needs. The money isn’t coming from the existing residents and businesses. Like so much in Florida, the only way to have this big a budget is to have new residents and businesses to tax.

The presentation with the numbers can be found here

COUNCIL MEETING AUGUST 25, 2022:

It was both funny and bittersweet that this meeting was held with two lame duck members in the positions of mayor and vice-mayor.

Vice-Mayor Anthony Dowling was scrolling on his phone constantly including during the prayer. Mayor Jackie Clarke carried on with dignity. She gave her “State of The Village” address that emphasized what this council had accomplished. It may have been written initially before the outcome of the election.

As a noticed meeting, it had to occur. In the future, perhaps a meeting after an election and before the swearing in of council members, in the dead of summer may not be necessary. You could always call an emergency meeting if need be. The only two items on the agenda were the reclassification of the village clerk to administrative services director and discussion of applications for boards and committees.

Both had to be deferred until the new council was seated. For some odd reason, Stone asked several times about the purpose of this meeting since these items were not going to move forward. With the change on the board, they should be deferred.

The swearing in of the new council will be held at the September 7^th meeting which starts at 6 pm.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The Aug 21, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The Aug 7, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The July 24, 2022 Edition

INDIANTOWN COUNCIL MEETING JULY 14, 2022

It was much ado about nothing or a serious breach of the charter…or both.

Susan Gibbs-Thomas asked that a discussion item be placed on the agenda regarding Manager Brown’s having not informed the council within seven days of his hiring employees and giving those employees increased benefits that are more than those approved in policy. This practice came to Gibbs-Thomas’ attention at the end of May or beginning of June.

Indiantown is one of the only places where the manager is not allowed to have new positions or set benefits and pay without council’s approval. That is how the charter was written and approved. This very unusual provision was re-affirmed by the voters in a referendum. The citizens have voted that only the council can set this policy.

Brown claims that notifying the council within the seven-day period twice slipped his mind in January with two different employees. The ordinance passed by the council last year gives Brown the authority to not go to the council for a new hire that accedes stated policy. Brown needed to inform the council in writing within seven days is one of the ordinances provisions. This is what the village attorney came up with to do an end run around that charter provision.

The manager has apologized and has proposed that rather than individually writing to each council member, he would place notification of any hiring variances in his bi-monthly report to them. That report is also available online. The ordinance would have to be amended.

Most council members made all types of excuses for Brown. Dowling stated that he had voted against the ordinance, and he would give Brown the authority to handle these hiring decisions without council (the charter says they can’t). He also said the village is short staffed and Brown doesn’t need busy work.

Hernandez piped in that she never makes deadlines in her job, so she understands. That statement in of itself is remarkable. In Hernandez’s view the village needs more employees.  She also said that operating the water company was another business that Brown had to run. She then went on to say that they were told how easy the water company was to manage but that was not the case. I think almost every public speaker told the council that it would be very hard to manage.

Gibbs-Thomas wanted to take back the authority granted to the manager and follow the charter. The others did not.

Howard Brown

I don’t believe anyone thinks that what Brown did was that bad. It really is not. And he shouldn’t be fired or even really be reprimanded for not informing the council in the prescribed manner. The real question is should the charter be followed?

There is no choice but to do so. The cavalier attitude of upholding what the charter says and that has been reaffirmed by the voters cannot be ignored. Council members are putting themselves above the people. They are saying that if they don’t like something, then they can do what they want.

This election is about choices. Do the voters of Indiantown believe in ever-expanding government and now also a disregard for charter provisions or do they want the council to reign in that ever-larger government and follow the charter? Re-electing Dowling and to a lesser extent Clarke results in the former. Re-electing Gibbs-Thomas and Dowling’s challenger, Carmine Dipaolo the latter.

The village has an excellent communication system. There is a wealth of information that can be found including the manager’s report. Stuart should take a lesson. The city’s website is a hodge-podge of things and maneuvering through to find something takes time.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The July 10, 2022 Edition

CANDIDATES FOR VILLAGE COUNCIL:

The newsletter asked each candidate to provide a statement on why they wanted to be elected or re-elected. If a candidate did not provide the statement in time to be included, then if their statement comes later, we will publish it as a letter.

Seat 3 Carmine Dipaolo

I’ve given 29 years of service keeping the citizens of Martin County and particularly the citizens of Indiantown safe from crime. I have watched Indiantown flourish and regress several times during my career. Our future will be bright with the right leadership.

In 2017 when Indiantown Incorporated, I remember sitting in Crackers Café” with the usual morning crowd. Bob said, “our taxes will go down, we will have a surplus of money”. I told him no your taxes will go up without the right leadership. In fact, they did.

On the current heading, the Village is on a course that will leave you the taxpayer paying the bill. It will leave “the Village” with only one thing to do. They will raise your taxes and create other income through code enforcement etc. Let’s not forget the village water and sewer, although not a tax but a cost you can’t avoid, you will pay more. Grants sometimes turn to loans, that will eventually be paid by us, the citizen.

But don’t panic, there is hope. The time has come for a change. A return to fiscal responsibility and smart managed growth.  Growing this community is good if done for the right reasons, bringing prosperity and a greater quality of life to you, the citizen.

I came to Indiantown almost 30 years ago to do a job. I thought my job was done but it’s not.  That is why I stepped up and am going to fight for you just like I did on our streets, keeping our community safe from squander by Village Hall. Your vote for Carmine Dipaolo will bring Fiscal Responsibility and transparency from a proven leader, a community servant and a responsive councilman who will always return your call.

It takes a Village the whole Village, the Village I know, to take back control of our future.  I ask you, my fellow Indiantonians to support me by coming out on August 23.2022 and casting your vote for Carmine Dipaolo Indiantown Village Council Seat 3. Together we can arrest the current situation and restore the peoples will.

I look forward at the opportunity to answer your questions and hearing about your vision or concerns in the future of our village.

Seat 3 Anthony D. Dowling (incumbent)

Anthony D. Dowling did not respond.

Seat 4 Jackie Gary Clarke (incumbent)

Jackie Clarke is a long life resident of Indiantown Florida. She attended Warfield elementary school, Indiantown middle school, Martin County high school, and Indian River State College. Jackie currently works for the Florida Department of Health in Martin County and has been married to the love of her life Sylvester Clarke Sr. for 40 year.

In addition to her passion for serving her community, Jackie is strongly devoted to her Christian faith and credit her relationship with God and her family for her strength. My family and I have enjoyed being a part of a caring community whose voice that needs to be heard. Servicing and advocating for the community has been an extremely phenomenal and important part of my entire life. I represent all the residents of Indiantown and not just special interest groups. Village of Indiantown residence deserve to have their voices heard and be represented by leaders who are season in their community, as well as sensitive to the issues. I have enjoyed being an active member of the Village of Indiantown Council and currently the Mayor while working together with staff on some great initiatives over the years.  I believe I’m the best candidate for seat 4 on the Village Council.  I am running for re-election  because Indiantown is my home and I bring a wide range of personal and professional experiences that will contribute greatly to the growth of our town. I embrace the task and counted a privilege to give back to the community. I will be diligent in making sure our Village continue to be healthy, have stability and continuing to  build on our Public Works  and Waste Water infrastructure for a bright future.

Seat 4 Angelina Perez

Hello, my name is Angelina Perez, a longtime resident of Indiantown. I am married to the love of my life and I have two children. You can catch on the soccer fields at Big Mound Park, or volunteering my time at the schools, or volunteering my time in the community. I love spending time with my family, my twin sister, and my nieces and nephews. I enjoy meeting new people since I am a talker and my passion is helping others. My saying is if I can help you in any way I will help you.

Seat 5 Susan Gibbs-Thomas (incumbent)

Hello, I’m Susan Gibbs Thomas incumbent and candidate for reelection to the Indiantown Village Council Seat 5.  What I stated in my successful first run for office still holds true, I am not running against anyone I’m running for someone, the people of Indiantown.

I’ve been around Indiantown my whole life.  My Great Grandfather came to Indiantown in 1936 and I’ve lived here for 50 years. The last 19 years I’ve worked at Warfield Elementary School, the 4th generation of my family to do so.  My 40 years of Indiantown work experience in construction, agriculture, healthcare, telecommunications, tourism/hospitality and education has prepared me for sitting on the Council.

I’ve had the opportunity to serve as Seat 5 Village Council Member since March 2018 and Mayor from March 2018 to September 2019.

As an incumbent my record speaks for me.  I take representing and serving this community seriously and therefore I’ve not once missed a meeting.  I’ve proudly served this community with proven common sense leadership.  My support for public safety, landowners rights and making sure the public’s concerns and voice is being heard has been my focus.  If reelected I will continue to serve this community with the same high ethics, principles, focus and commitment.

I ask everyone to know your candidates.  Know the incumbents records, how we’ve voted, what we’ve expressed from our Council Seat and what we stand for.  With the candidates stepping up to offer their services to this community for those seats get to know them, their backgrounds, ideas and thoughts on the issues and how they would handle them.

I encourage everyone to vote.  Make your voice heard through your ballot.  Your vote does count.

I hope you consider making your vote count, once again, by voting for me, Susan Gibbs Thomas for Village Council Seat 5.  Thank you for your consideration.

Group 5 Janet Rosado

Janet Rosado did not respond.

Though the candidates are listed by the seat they are running to represent, they are elected by every voter in the village.

WORKSHOP MEETINGS JUNE 28, 2022

Jonathan Paul from Nue Urban Concepts presented the proposed Mobility Plan and Fee in a public workshop format. According to Paul, if the council adopts the fee, then the county will not be able to charge road impact fees.

Currently, the village does not collect its own road impact fee or a mobility fee. In many respects, a mobility fee is superior to an impact fee. It can be used to build such things as sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit. A municipal road impact fee can only be used for new roads within the village. The mobility fee is a better option.

However, one mustn’t be confused between what the village can do and what the county is allowed to do. Both can charge a fee. One does not cancel out the other. For much of the presentation, Paul was suggesting that if the village enacts a mobility fee, then the county’s goes away. That is not true.

The fee is only charged for new development or substantial enlargement of an existing project. If more cars are coming, then the impact fee is supposed to alleviate the increase in traffic. Or at least that is the theory.

At present, there is no interlocal agreement that requires the village to collect the county’s impact fees. That doesn’t mean the developer doesn’t owe them to the county. It means that the county will have to collect the fees themselves. Whether it is a mobility fee or an impact fee, it is usually collected at the time that a permit is issued. If the village doesn’t let the county know about the new permit, then the county will have to keep track themselves. This will inevitably lead to things falling through the cracks especially for new single-family homes not tied to a development.

Mr. Paul and his firm have not had the best track record of substituting municipal fees for county ones. Recently in Palm Beach Gardens there was a ruling that says just that. In that particular case, there was an interlocal agreement, but the ruling was that the mobility fee is not a substitution for the county impact fees. Find it here

In St. Lucie County, the dispute on the same issue with the City of Port St. Lucie resulted in a new agreement that basically was almost the same as the old agreement. The county was entitled to collect impact fees within the city.

Does Indiantown really want to go through the same thing that it did with last year’s fire debacle. At some point, the county is going to shift to a mobility fee. It makes perfect sense to help build intermodal infrastructure. Both the village and the county can collect impact and or mobility fees. It only applies on new construction.

Both sides should negotiate in good faith. The village can collect the county’s fees and even charge the county to do so. There may even be some movement to narrow the boundaries of the benefit district so more of the county fee can be used within and closer to the village. In the long, run the village cannot win taking a hard stand. A little reason goes a long way.

You can find the presentation here

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The June 26, 2022 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 9, 2022

Who did it? Who was responsible for the $18 million being obtained from the governor’s budget to help bring the village’s water infrastructure up to snuff?

Jackie Clarke

In the last village newsletter, it seemed Indiantown government was taking credit along with the mayor. But that is not how Susan Gibbs-Thomas sees it. Or, for that matter, Indiantown resident Barbara Clowdus. Both said at this council meeting that Senator Gayle Harrell, the Garcia Property Group, and Kevin Powers brought that money home without much input from the village.

It was originally a $15 million ask that was bumped up to $18 million. Mayor Clarke then said that does it matter who did it and gets the credit. It was a win for Indiantown.

And that is true! It is a win for Indiantown. Both Powers and the developer probably are not looking for a pat on the back. This furthers their plans for building the new IRSC charter high school and new homes. You cannot build homes without water.

Government should be patting people like Powers on the back. It is government’s job to give individuals more praise than government receives. That is leadership.

I must confess I am thoroughly confused about who is doing what with the Swamp Festival. Several times during the lackluster presentations, I was falling asleep. It is not clear how much the village is giving to the promoters or what the promoters are expected to do.

Here is what I do know…questions about insurance coverage looked to torpedo the entire event. Nina Dooley from ACES, a Stuart-based organization, came to the rescue. She will be the applicant and her organization have a $2 million insurance policy.

Staff and council seem to be sleepwalking through what the procedures are. Staff was afraid to lay out what was needed. So, the organizers were left in the lurch. It is up to staff to guide the council on these very technical requirements. Everyone just seemed to be afraid to say anything.

Indiantown has been riddled with division since the village’s inception.

Lately, it has more and more centered on the council’s adherence to a “big is better” philosophy. Nothing pointed that out more than the words spoken by Susan Gibbs-Thomas during council comments. She noted that late last year Manager Brown gave two new hires better benefits than what was allowed in the village’s policies approved by the council.

Brown had been given the authority by the council to exceed the policy with the caveat that he was to inform the council of the deviation from policy in writing within 7 days. According to Gibbs-Thomas, he didn’t do that. In most other municipalities, the manager would not have to provide written notice and would control that process entirely.

Indiantown’s charter is different. It places personnel decisions directly in the council’s purview. The residents spoke loud and strong when they reaffirmed that decision in a charter review vote. Nevertheless, the council then voted to cede that power to the manager if written notice was given within 7 days. If Gibbs-Thomas is correct in her statements, then Brown is in violation of council’s direction.

This most recent disagreement is only a symptom and not the disease that Indiantown government has. The disease is whether the council is speaking for the residents or not. Ignoring the charter would suggest they are not speaking for the residents. The status quo should not go on. The next election should be a referendum on Indiantown’s future.

There are 3 seats up in this election…Dowling, Clarke, and Gibbs-Thomas. If all three are returned to office, then the voters have decided that the status quo is acceptable. However, we need to be very clear about what the status quo means for the village.

It means continued infighting about the direction of the government. Currently, most of the council believes in the big government philosophy. You see it in every vote they take. They believe in expansion and subsidies. The only one that pushes back is Gibbs-Thomas.

As the government of Indiantown grows, so too will the money that will be necessary to support the growth. An example of this would be the grandiosity of the new village hall complex which will, of course, lead to more bodies being hired.

The voters must speak and firmly put in place the council that best represents their beliefs. The public loudly spoke about who has the final word on staff. Yet 4 members of the council disregarded that instruction when they allowed the manager to have the discretion that the people expressly wanted the council alone to have.

It is inconsistent to tell an elected body by the votes that have been cast one thing and then allow them the option of doing what they want without repercussions. The voters must either decide whether to have more council members like Gibbs-Thomas or more like Dowling and Clarke. I believe that to have both government philosophies constantly battling is hurting the village.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The June 12, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The May 22, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The May 1, 2022 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 14, 2022:

During Council comments, Janet Hernandez stated that she was hearing that the purchase of the water company had been a bad idea.

I don’t know who is telling her that, but that purchase was one of the better things they have done. One can argue that there could have been a different way to accomplish it, but the concept of municipal ownership is the right way to go. Indiantown has an effective way to control its growth by being able to make sure sewer and water is available to all. One could argue about the means but not the outcome.

There were a couple of employment policies that were changed. Two that struck me as unusual were how many times is it acceptable for an employee to fail a test or certification for a job currently held and how many times should the village pay for it? Dowling thought that once was enough and then the applicant should bear the cost. I completely agree with Dowling’s reasoning.

A water plant operator that is uncertified should not be hired. If someone wants to improve their qualifications, it should be up to them to pay for it not the village. Once they have it and retesting are necessary every five years to maintain the certification, then the village should cover the expense. In this case, I believe the village will pay three times for those who do not pass.

The second matter was to add Juneteenth as a paid holiday for all employees. They currently get New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve for a total of 13 days now. Adding Juneteenth will make it 14 holidays.

In addition, water plant personnel that must work holidays and then receive time and half overtime pay. The pay in the village already exceeds what most private sector Indiantown residents earn. After six months, employees receive 2 weeks of vacation, and after ten years, they earn 4 weeks.

Employees can accumulate up to 250 hours of accrued time off so that when they leave or retire, they get a nice lump sum not based on their pay when it was accrued but their pay when they leave which is almost always more. They also receive 80 hours of sick time a year with the ability to store up to 250 hours of that. Together with accrued vacation time, employees can have more than three months of pay at the time of separation.

The poor Indiantown taxpayer who more than likely is not even getting very much in benefits and must pay taxes for a village worker’s benefits that are far greater than his/her own. Another shining example of government at work. The only one who thought this was absurd was Gibbs-Thomas. She, along with Clarke, are two council members who work for other governments, and their benefits are not as generous.

Where was Stone, the sole business owner? He was silent except for his vote of approval. I wonder if he offers the same benefits to his employees. At least Clarke suggested swapping out one holiday for another. She pursued that idea…for a second or two.

Hernandez made the motion to accept all the changes and it was seconded by Dowling who had earlier said he didn’t think repeated testing was producing the highest quality employee. He decided, like Clarke, not to fight for a rather good idea. The vote was 4-1 with Gibbs-Thomas voting no.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The April 17, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The April 3, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The March 20, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The March 6, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The February 20, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The February 6, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The January 23, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The January 9, 2022 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The December 19, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The December 5, 2021 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING NOV 18, 2021:

The council heard from two firms that were the ranking committee’s two top choices to be the architect to design the new village hall complex.

Both REG and PGAL are firms that have worked with the public sector for years. REG is in Palm Beach (staff ranking score of 382) and PGAL is a national firm that has an office in Boca (staff ranking score of 361).

Dowling said that there was a big difference in the scores. It was explained that the only reason for the lower score was because REG did not have a grant administrator on staff. Stone stated that, in his opinion, both were qualified. Gibbs-Thomas said that she would like a little time to think about it and digest the presentations. Also, she thought since Hernandez, who was absent, should be present.

Dowling made a motion to go ahead. Stone thought it was a big decision and wanted Hernandez there. There was no second on the motion. A motion was made by Stone and seconded by Gibbs-Thomas to defer to December 9^th. It passed 3-1 with Dowling dissenting.

If you put aside whether the millions that this will cost to build are justified or not, the way the council is moving forward is correct. I personally just hate to see the spending.

You can see the presentations here

MEETING COMMON SENSE & BENEFITS

Stone added an agenda item for discussion about going back to holding meetings twice a month. The workshop format has not brought the desired results of public participation. There is always a special meeting attached so that the council can vote on matters that came up. It was decided by 4-0 to go back to two meetings a month.

Guyton Stone

The manager wants the authority to be able to offer more vacation time and other benefits when hiring than what is currently the established policy. According to the charter, to change policy requires a vote of the commission. Dowling doesn’t believe the council should be involved. Time and again he has said that he would let the manager have more power than the charter currently allows.

At the last election, that specific authority, currently residing with the council and not the manger, was defeated as a charter change. The voters of Indiantown clearly want hiring policy to stay with the council. Dowling made the motion for the manager to have the authority to broaden benefits when negotiating to hire an employee. It failed for lack of a second.

Stone made a motion that the manager be given the authority but that the council can take it back. It was seconded by Dowling. It passed 3-1 with Gibbs-Thomas dissenting. I agree with Gibbs-Thomas.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

​

Indiantown Latest News From The November 21, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The November 7, 2021 Edition

SPECIAL MEETING & WORKSHOP OCT 28, 2021:

This was the first time that the council gave a conditional use permit to a food truck.

The truck will be established in the area that is currently zoned for such a use. At some time in the future, the village intends to have a designated food truck area where all food trucks must be. There are currently several food trucks scattered in the village that are grandfathered as to location and operation.

                          Pinterest

The applicant agreed to certain conditions…. among them that their hours of operation will be no more than 8 hours a day with 10 pm closing on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends. There are several others that can be found in the presentation here

The owners also agreed to move to the designated area when it is operational.

Mayor Clarke recused herself because the owners were relatives.

Casa Bella was heralded as a major accomplishment when it was the village’s first approval of affordable residential housing. Everyone slapped themselves on the back and gave high fives. That was then.

There was a dedication of land required under the LDRs that were in place at the time but is not contained in the current code. The dedication came to 4 feet wide and 200 feet long. It also appears that the surveyor made a mistake, and the building was built within that dedication. The developer came before the council to request that the dedicated property be deeded back to him.

The hero of yesterday became the villain of today. Gibbs-Thomas was not in favor believing that a deal is a deal. Hernandez wanted a penalty imposed. However, a penalty cannot be assessed if there is no penalty in the code.

That idea was hard for both Attorney Vose and Manager Brown to get through to council members. The 800 sq feet is not being used by the village nor is there any contemplation of it being used. Vose reminded the council members that this was a yes or no situation. There were also questions about setting precedent which Vose also said they need not worry about.

The motion passed to deed the property back 4-1 with Gibbs-Thomas dissenting.

It was time to pick an auditor which requires going out to an RFP and then an audit committee ranks the qualified proposals. Then, the council would vote to accept or not. The committee would usually consist of citizens along with the financial director and the manager as non-voting members. Tallahassee, sticking their big pudgy fingers into local government, has deemed that at least one member of the council must sit on the committee.

The Indiantown council has determined that three council members will comprise the audit committee, Dowling, Stone, and Gibbs-Thomas. So those three will pick the auditing firm that then will go back to those three plus Clarke and Hernandez for the final vote.

Never let the people become too involved in their government especially if they have any expertise.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The October 24, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The October 10, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The September 5, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The August 22, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The August 8, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The July 25, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The July 11, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The June 27, 2021 Edition

 

COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 10, 2021:

 

There was a presentation from the village’s retail consultant, The Retail Coach. The razzle and the dazzle were there but so far, no new businesses are floating in. And that is the problem one can have with consultants. What can and should be expected?

 

They will contact chain stores and if you look at the presentation you will see a variety of those type businesses. Perhaps, they will have another fast food or other franchise. If it is a franchise, it will have to be one that the demographics of the village can sustain. I am not a fan of consultants but when their contract comes up for renewal if they haven’t produced something why would you pay more tax dollars to keep it going.

 

You can find their report here

 

The council also received their yearly audit from Mauldin & Jenkins for the year ending September 2020. It was a clean report. You can find it here

Remember a clean report does not mean anything more than the numbers are good and the money is in the bank. The decisions that were made to spend the money is subject to the voters’ interpretation.

 

The council finally had the chance to approve a real project that should be beneficial to the village. The Tractor Supply Store will be built on Warfield Blvd. near Indianwood on a now vacant piece of land. It is good news for the village and according to the agenda item will generate about $5000 in additional real estate taxes.

               Courtesy Tractor Supply

Apparently, Tractor Supply is expanding in Martin County with two new stores. This one and the one on the old Costco site in Palm City. There is one in Okeechobee. There will probably be some local jobs created.

 

The staff brought four agenda items pertaining to this. They encompassed a site plan approval, a wastewater and water agreement, a plat application and a conditional use approval. There seemed to be a problem because of the lighting requirement. The code calls for one type and the applicant wanted to not use it because of the costs. Even intimating that the lighting requirement could kill the deal.

I don’t know whether the applicant’s concern was justified or not. It seemed they blind sided staff because they had not brought it up sooner as a deal killer. Dowling was able to broker an exception that made some sense. Gibbs-Thomas had a problem because they were asking for not only that exception but also regarding exceptions to the code for swails and fencing.

 

In all three conditions the reason the exceptions come to the council is because it is something the code will not allow. With a little more experience the council would have not had so many worries about granting them. I think in this instance staff should have spoken to the council members prior to gage what they were uncomfortable with approving. This could of all been worked out ahead of time.

 

It did pass with Gibbs-Thomas voting no on the conditional use and site plan.

 

There was a rumor that there were Indian burial mounds on the property. There was no substantiation of any of it. This is not going to stop the project from going forward. The landowner is hiring an archeologist to give a report to the village confirming whether the rumor is true. If you are interested in reading this package, it would be better to go onto the Indiantown website and follow the links to the agenda items.

 

Dowling proposed a $2000 discretionary fund for each council member to in essence have a slush fund to put on events or maybe take a constituent out to a meal. Council members already receive a salary, retirement, and have travel and educational funds. This is a good gig if you can get it.

            Antony Dowling

The average homeowner pays about $200 in taxes to the village. Most residents are poor hardworking folks. They deserve more than this type of behavior. When does the gravy train stop? 

 

Hernandez wants it on for the June 23^rd budget meeting. Please stop!

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The June 13, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The May 23, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The May 9, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The April 25, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The April 11, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The March 28, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The March 14, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The February 28, 2021 Edition

As Indiantown explores the possibility of no longer being part of Martin County Fire/Rescue, the Martin County Taxpayers Association (MCTA) recently completed a paper on the subject.

MCTA was determined to look at what it would mean for both Indiantown and Martin County if the village was no longer part of the district. They used published numbers from Martin County government in coming to their conclusions. It does not appear to be a good outcome for the county, Indiantown’s largest taxpayer, or most of all for the residential taxpayers in the village.

At best, the homeowners of Indiantown will save pennies on their tax bill. FPL, which pays nearly 87% of the current MSTU within the village boundaries, may be unable to remain without adequate Fire/Rescue coverage. Without FPL, the Village does not have adequate resources to have a government.

On February 27^th Indiantown will have a workshop where its consultant, the manager, and the council will brainstorm whether to proceed or not. Whatever the council proposes, MCTA will make another and final analysis of this issue. What everyone should know before such a momentous decision is made is that once Martin County Fire Rescue leaves the village, it is unlikely to return even if this decoupling is not successful in the future.

The paper can be found here

COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2021

It appears Indiantown is looking to completely divorce itself from Martin County.

The village manager is proposing to hire NUE Urban Concepts to develop a Fire Fee, Park Fee and Mobility Fee. These fees would be applied to any new construction within the village. They are village impact fees. The conversation, however, would leave one to believe that these fees would take the place of county impact fees.

Impact fees are an impediment to development. The county has not in all cases used the fees collected on a project to alleviate the direct impact the project will have to the surrounding area. This is a universal struggle. Impact fees need to have a rational nexus to the project being charged the fee.

Mobility fees are a twist on road impact fees because they consider all intermodal transportation features such as bikes, walking, and even golf carts. What all these village fees do not, is take the place of county impact fees. Once these various studies are completed, the village may have the ammunition to challenge the county in using its fees to service Indiantown development.

That is a difficult situation and will undoubtedly mean litigation between the two if pursued. Is it worth the fight and can the village afford it? What do they hope to gain and what do they have to lose?

Indiantown can institute its own impact fees once these studies are completed and ordinances are passed. The county’s impact fees will still be applicable. If there is no interlocal agreement for the village to collect the fees when processing permits, then it will be up to the county to do so. Since the builder or developer will be doing everything out in Indiantown, they will have no contact with the county. If the village doesn’t even notify them that there are county fees, then the developer may be in for a surprise when the county liens the project.

If the developer does not want to pay those fees because they do not believe a rational nexus exists, the issue will be between the county and the individual. Stuart recently signed an agreement with the county to continue to collect their impact fees but at a reduced rate. That is possible, but it must be worked out between the village and county.

If the village is to collect impact fees, the necessary studies will cost $52,500 and $215,250, respectively. You can find the presentation, NUE letters, and an excellent booklet from Florida DEO explaining mobility fees here

GREAT NEWS

What has really gone well for the village is the loans and grants for the water utility. The entire amount of the purchase price has been reimbursed by Florida DEP-State Revolving Fund. That is more than $8,550,000!

There are still millions more that must be obtained to make the needed improvements. The village’s team headed up by Daniel Margo of Aclus Engineering is pursuing other grants and loan opportunities. If Indiantown can bring this off and ultimately, I think it will, future development and current residents will be in a much better position.

To see the entire presentation, go here

Indiantown Latest News From The February 14, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The January 24, 2021 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The January 10, 2021 Edition

The next meeting of the council will be January 14, 2021

For more information on becoming a sponsor, please contact Chriss David at CHRISS@chrissdavidandassociates.com or 561-358-1119. She will explain how you or your business will be featured in the newsletter and on our websites.

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The December 13, 2020 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING DECEMBER 10, 2020

This was a very prosaic like meeting. There were no life changing items on the agenda. The meeting moved projects along. Could it be that Indiantown’s government is becoming established and mundane? I do hope so!

If it is, then it is a sign of maturity. After several years, the citizens of the village should be happy about it. That doesn’t mean I agree with every decision that is made. We can disagree on the merits of an item instead of whether the item should have been placed on the agenda at all.

We are no longer vying for the soul of whether Indiantown will have “government lite” or not. The council has determined to go all in and hopefully have the tax base to support that vision. To understand that Indiantown is now a “municipality of the entirety,” look no farther than the agenda of this meeting.

As I have written in the past, Susan Gibbs-Thomas has become someone with a low profile at the meetings. She did ask questions when appropriate. She only made one motion all night. Both Guyton Stone and Jackie Clarke attended the meeting virtually which made it harder when motions and seconds were needed.

Gibbs-Thomas was the only one to vote against extending the emergency order. I agree with her, but I can’t disagree with the other four councilmembers for extending it either. It probably is time to have some normalcy even with Covid. Yet because of the craziness of FEMA still having a state of emergency, may make sense.

The councilmembers also mentioned Thelma Waters being inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame. She has been a booster of Indiantown her entire life. It was nice that she was recognized.

OTHER MATTERS

They approved continuing to spend $9500 per month for their outsourced finance department. The Village also will spend an additional $4800 for the utilities department’s financial services. That $4800 will come out of the utility fund. They will now be paying their outside finance department $14,300 per month or $171,600 per year. Is it time to consider an in-house conventional department?

When the manager and clerk proposed many changes to the personnel policy, one of the suggestions was to change the Columbus Day holiday and name it Indigenous Peoples Day. There has been a movement in the last decades to portray Columbus as a purveyor of genocide which is truer than not.

Manager Brown determined that the holiday should be renamed. Gibbs-Thomas asked why he changed the name of a federal holiday when the U.S. government hasn’t done so. She thought it was overreach on his part. Dowling went through all the reasons of why it should be changed. He made a motion to accept the policy changes with the new name. It failed 2-3 with Dowling and Hernandez in the affirmative. Then Gibbs-Thomas made a motion, seconded by Stone, to rename the holiday “Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day” which passed 4-1 with Dowling dissenting.

The council discussed a sound ordinance, and it was determined that the one in place was sufficient. They discussed code enforcement and the need to tighten up on what is and is not acceptable. While staff would like to have more standards in place, the council was not enthusiastic. The message was, “Go slow.”

They discussed the new town hall complex and its construction. It seems that they are contemplating other things besides government offices. Suggestions included a swimming pool and/or banquet facility. All agreed there needs to be community input and that should get under way shortly.

Brown said he had been contacted by a developer who would build the facility and lease it back to the village. Such a move would negate finding financing. All want to hear more. Hernandez said that she wants to know the terms from the sale/leaseback soon because she didn’t want to rent forever. 

 I found that to be the most interesting and enlightening statement of the night. 

You can find the presentations on the topics discussed here here

IF YOU ARE NOT A SUBSCRIBER DO SO FOR FREE HERE

Indiantown Latest News From The November 22, 2020 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The November 8, 2020 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The October 18, 2020 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2020

 

Quest, the communication consultant for the Village, has a contract that goes through next March. The original amount was $50,000. A month or so ago, they had asked for another $38,000 since they have run through the initial amount.

Almay Stock Photo

How is it that a Village the size of Indiantown needs so much in the way of communication services? The many newsletters that are put out per month take time. Videos, discussions, emails, Facebook, and a dozen other things require the company be paid. As Council Member Dowling stated, there is a need for even more communication.

 

Quest is not a local company. There were two Martin County firms that bid on the original RFP. One was the Firefly Group at $90,000 and the other was Upstairs Communication at $2,000 per month with an hourly rate of $175 above the minimum monthly hours.

 

Did Quest underbid and now is the same as Firefly in cost? Was the underbid intentional?

 

Dowling also said that the Council was “being whipped” on Facebook and that Quest was helping in that regard. That of course means the individual Council Members were being criticized. Stone wanted to rebid the entire contract. Staff stated they reached out to Quest and offered $6,000 per month through March, but they declined.

 

A motion was made by Dowling to pay the additional money and seconded by Gibbs-Thomas. It passed 4-1 with Stone dissenting.

 

The explanation for the increase with the rates can be found here

 

RETREAT & CARES

 

 

The Council had another Saturday retreat and planning session on September 12^th. They once again went through exercises and discussion about the future.

 

The entire presentation and charts of what the Council would like to see can be found here

 

There was an interesting discussion about the CARES Act. I kept hearing that the Village had an allocated amount from the County. That is not accurate. The Village government can ask to be reimbursed for their expenses that are related to COVID and that were unbudgeted for money spent between March and December of 2020.

 

The County is the disbursing agent for those funds. There are three other pieces besides government reimbursement to the CARES funding. The first is a small business grant for expenses that meet the above criteria up to $20,000. This program is administered through the County not the Village of Indiantown. Any business that has the proof needed can receive funds. You can find the information here https://www.martin.fl.us/CARESAct#main-content

 

The United Way of Martin County is Martin County’s agent for the individual CARES funding. To begin the process for applying you can go here https://www.unitedwaymartin.org/cares

 

So, to answer Mr. Brown and Indiantown’s questions…the Village cannot disperse any funds. If the Council wants any individual or business to apply, they can go to those websites. There are food pantries such as House of Hope and several others throughout the Village that are receiving additional stocks to meet the higher demand. Rob Ranieri, the CEO of House of Hope, told me he delivered snacks and other food to Hope Rural and will continue to do so.

 

Staff should contact the County to have more details.  

 

Indiantown Latest News From The October 4, 2020 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

I want to compliment Mayor Hernandez for the very professional job she is doing when presiding over the meeting. The last few meetings, though virtual, have moved forward expeditiously.

By the time you read this, the Village would have closed on the water utility. At $8.5 million plus the deferred maintenance, it is being done at a price that only a public entity could afford. There are questions as to whether a better deal could have been struck. The answer is certainly.

Yet no sane private businessperson would want to own the Indiantown plant. It will never be enough of a money maker to justify the investments. This is a poor community, and it was obvious that the Council wanted to keep the rates as low as possible. Anthony Dowling wanted to lower some charges and fees to less than what the consultant recommended in the schedule. Fortunately, the other Council Members thought better of tinkering at this point.

The only reason for Indiantown to get involved in owning is to control what happens within the current boundaries as well as the future boundaries as the Village grows. Without the ability to provide water and sewer, the Village would be severely limited. Owning the water plant is a better strategy and use of funds than providing fire service by far.

The final budget and taxes were approved. Anyone who believed the fantasy that the tax rate would ever drop is a bit delusional. Of course, people were promised that taxes would be less if the Village incorporated. Yet those at the forefront of spearheading the move to incorporate as a Village were cut out of the process the moment the Village came into existence.

They did not reside within the Village. They could not run for office and had no influence on the Council that was elected and now re-elected. In the years ahead, it is not whether increased taxes will be levied but rather how much more. It won’t be whether the Village increases the size and scope of government, it will be by how much.

Lastly, I am disappointed that the Council decided against going back to in person meetings. At this point, everything is open but government. How about it? The vote was 4-1 with Gibbs-Thomas voting in the affirmative.

The Governor’s order has made this moot by restoring in person meetings.

Indiantown Latest News From The September 20, 2020 Edition

COUNCIL & LPA MEETINGS SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

The LPA met first to approve the Future Land Use Map for an annexation.

The problem is that the LPA membership is the same as the Council with the addition of someone from the School District staff. There have not been many instances when the LPA has needed to meet in the past two years. However, I would imagine once the new LDRs are instituted, then development will begin to occur.

Without having people from the Village begin to populate this board and others, the Council is depriving itself of needed community input. Many citizens may not want to be on the Council but would be glad to serve their communities once a month, and the Council should take advantage of that valuable input.

The Board had its first of two required meetings setting the Village millage rate and budget. Nothing was changed from past Budget meetings

ANOTHER STAB AT FIRE

No company applied for the Fire/EMS contract. There was an after-action meeting to go through why no one applied. Some of the reasons given were the COVID-19 outbreak, limited lead time, and combined Fire/EMS delivery structure.

Setting up a Fire Department is expensive and time consuming. The equipment is expensive, maintaining a level of service is expensive, there are insurance requirements and many other problems. The Village believes that the MSTU paid by Village taxpayers is $5.9 million a year but the County has told me it is $5.3 million.

Can they provide service more economically? The start-up costs including a new fire house are staggering. The Booker Park building can only be used as a community center according to the deed. Yet one of the reasons given for not attracting bids was that the station being there would be too small.

It was mentioned that dispatch would be a problem. The 911 system that now is answered by the Sheriff and then sent to Martin County Fire would need to be altered. Even after the expense of figuring out how to send the call directly to Indiantown Fire Department, there needs to be a dedicated person to dispatch. One slot for 24 hours a day 7 days per week requires a minimum of 5 employees.

There is also the problem of who responds to calls when the Indiantown apparatus is out. There seems to be a misconception that a mutual aid agreement would not cost the Village money when Martin County is backing the Village up. That is not true. I have been told that the County will be charging for that service. It would probably be several thousand dollars per call.

Chair Bauzenberger stated that Indiantown has excellent service through Martin County now, and anything the Village put in place would need to match it. I was surprised that no representative was there from FPL since they have special needs and would pay over 80% of any money in that budget.

The Council should not mess with success. Starting a Fire/EMS Department is something only a much larger entity should entertain. If everyone is satisfied, then why take on the additional expense and responsibility.

Lastly, the only way that an independent department would be successful is if FPL remains in Indiantown and is satisfied. If, for any reason, FPL were to move its warehouse, then who would pay for a Fire Department? Right now, homeowners and businesses receive the best of care yet pay little overall. That is because the overall amount needed is spread county-wide. Without FPL that cost would need to be paid by a poorer and smaller group.

The presentation can be found here

Indiantown Latest News From The September 6, 2020 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The August 23, 2020 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The August 9, 2020 Edition

SPECIAL MEETING JULY 30, 2020

How much should the Village do in the realm of social welfare? That was the question before the Council. The Boys and Girls Club was making an ask for $10,000 for a program they started which has been providing meals to kids since the beginning of the pandemic. The meals are prepared by local restaurants.

The CARES Act would not cover this program. If prepared meals are being provided, they must be delivered to the individuals such as Meals on Wheels. Restaurant take out is not acceptable.

Philosophically speaking, this government is prime to use Village tax dollars for these types of programs. This is in addition to the Indiantown Trust Fund which originated years ago as part of a development approval. The fund was at one time a part of the County and now is under the Village’s auspices. Yet where does all this largess stop?

Hernandez was ready to give the Boys and Girls Club money immediately even though it could not be done that quickly as explained by the Village Attorney. Dowling wanted it to go through the Trust, and he made a motion that was seconded by Clarke. The Club has a pending grant request for $10,000 and Dowling’s motion would have made it $20,000 that they would apply for.

The Director of Girls and Boys then spoke and said he was pulling his request from the Village and would not resubmit to the Trust. He sounded piqued that the request just did not sail through the Council. Apparently, the organization is asking for $10,000 from other places also.

I went on the club’s website to look for their financial report, but it was not there. You could obtain one if you contacted their office. You could also look up their tax return to get their figures. There are no secrets only time constraints on my part. Their budget is one of the largest in the County, I would venture to guess.

Yet none of that is important in this instance. The fundamental question is should the Village be using taxpayer dollars for this type of program?   

When the Mayor asked whether Dowling wanted to rescind the motion, he said no even though the CEO of the Club stated he would not apply for the increase grant. The vote was 4-1 to pass the motion with Hernandez voting no because she believed they should get the money now.

I do not know what is going on! Maybe the voters will have a say in this election?   

Indiantown Latest News From The July 26, 2020 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The July 9, 2020 Edition

The next meeting is Thursday July 16, 2020

Indiantown Latest News From The June 28, 2020 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 25, 2020

During Commissioner comments Hernandez revealed that her father was in the hospital due to COVID-19. She was visibly upset. Her family situation was made known when she asked the Health Department’s Vitani why her father was not contacted by any one from the Health Department days after her father tested positive.

I do not know if the Health Department’s failure to contact Hernandez’s father was an isolated oversight or not. But if the Health Department’s main function during COVID is for contact tracing, waiting days to know who an infected person was in contact with is a problem. That means we will never get a handle on this disease.

I wish the best to Janet and her family.

It seemed Council sniping was once more in the open. Dowling gave the local news report to his audience of 18 people that were attending by Zoom. Anthony you are an engaging person but taking up so much time to toot your own horn is being immodest.

Perhaps with Dowling’s Facebook page he is being informative. Though at some point I would imagine that someone will make a public records request for his Facebook and other social media posts. They should be part of the Village’s public records as should every other member.

Then during Stone’s comments, he mentioned that everyone including Council Members should obey the rules and pull permits for events. Apparently, Dowling’s Juneteenth celebration was held on private property without permits. Manager Brown needs to get involved and make sure his Council is following the same rules as everyone else.

This goes back to what Brown was trying to standardize a few months ago regarding a communications policy. There seems to be too much free lancing by Council Members. When you are an elected official everything you post can be interpreted as a political statement. When you mix your duties as an elected and your personal pages then you can have political problems. There are instances of Sunshine and public records violations having occurred because of this.

Even one board member looking at the page of another board member to see what their position is on a government matter could be considered a Sunshine violation. This board will eventually have an investigation and then it may be too late for one or more of them.

WATER UTILITIES

The Village will by the end of the year own the water utility. This meeting with the myriad steps taken moves Indiantown that much closer to ownership. Approving the needed ordinances for the rate structure, financing, utility budgeting, connection fees, and permitting, all bring this closer to happening.

I would have liked to see this occur a bit later in the Village’s development, but this is when the opportunity has presented itself. There were questions raised earlier from some about the consultant but so far everything seems to be fine. It is a methodical progression.

The Village needs to own their own utility to have full control over their development. If the County or South Martin Regional Utility owned this it could set up obstacles to the Village as they develop. I am not a fan of the Village being in the Fire/Rescue business. If that occurs it will probably result in increased costs. The utility is something that needs to be done.

You can access the different agenda items including the utility studies and bonding information here.

Indiantown Latest News From The June 14, 2020 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The May 31, 2020 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING MAY 28, 2020

There was an exceedingly long report given by the Health Department. In most cases I would say too long but given that Indiantown is a hotspot, probably not. The other hot spots I have been told are Golden Gate and the neighborhood behind Monterey and Kanner known as Little Madrid. In the dashboard both are listed under Stuart. Those neighborhoods are in unincorporated Martin County. The residents there have family and work connections to the Village.

The head of the Health Department said that Martin County testing had exceeded the governor’s benchmark of 2% of the population. There has been 4.2% of the population tested in the County. While Governor DeSantis may feel that 2% is enough, that does not nearly give the amount of data that is needed. The CDC website predicts about 135,000 Americans will have died from COVID-19 by June 15^th. There is no flattening on the graph only a steady climb.

Indiantown and Martin County will continue to see not a decline but probably a rise in new cases as we go through the summer. So perhaps the Council spent an inordinate amount of time discussing this subject but given the severity of what the Village faces, it was what was needed.

NEW FACE & OTHER COMPANIES

Althea Jefferson was introduced to the Council. She has been hired as the Director of Community & Economic Development. Her salary is $70,350 per year. You can find the job description here

I hope she finds success.

With the purchase of the utility company, there will be a large need for engineering firms. In government you pick your contractors most times before you need them. In other words, they are prescreened. There were ten firms that applied and the top five were presented to the Council. Staff is recommending that the top three ranked firms be the ones that the utility will have ready to go when needed. Individual contracts to perform specific work with dollar amounts would be given out as the projects are known.

The three firms ranked the highest were: Kimley-Horn & Associates, Holtz Consulting and Captec Engineering. Once the Village purchases the utility their contracted work will be paid from the enterprise fund. All funds needed for anything having to do with the utility will be paid by the rate payers.

To see their presentations, you can go here

NEW TOWN HALL

The Village has been advised that the County building where they have been working will not be available forever. The Village is continuously expanding staff and if not already will soon be out of room there. Indiantown does not have an overabundance of office space available. It would be difficult to rent enough space.  Complicating matters they will be adding a Fire/Rescue Department which requires a fire house and room for a Police Department in the future.

Village Manager Brown has been looking at properties for more than a year. He has come to the Council with two possible lots to purchase. He was asking that the Council authorize him to enter option contracts for the two parcels or at least one of the parcels.

One of the lots is owned by Indianhead Partners and the other by Mr. Rimes by Rimes Market. With an option contract, the staff will have 60 days to do their due diligence. There is no down payment.

That did not stop the Council from arguing which parcel would be better. The argument might have been a little premature. Dowling appeared to really want the Indianhead lot. It seemed that Gibbs-Thomas and to a lesser extent Hernandez were for the Rimes lot. Because the Rimes lot would be purchased for more than the appraised value, the vote must be a super-majority of 4 Council Members.

A motion was made by Clarke and seconded by Gibbs-Thomas to sign option contracts for both properties. It passed 4-1 with Dowling dissenting.

If the Village is going to grow in this way, they will need more space. One of these parcels is probably the best way to accommodate that. You can see the appraisals and the contracts here

Once purchased they will need to design and build the new Town Hall.

What I did not think correct was that individual Council Members thought it was fine to negotiate prices on their own without any authorization from the Council. Ms. Hernandez believed that it was her responsibility and not Brown’s to do so. I am incredibly surprised no one mentioned that at the meeting! Her recitation at the meeting of her discussions with Mr. Rimes was an example of naivete unmatched.  As a real estate professional for 50 years, I can tell you that her negotiation skills have much to be desired.

Mr. Brown sometimes you need to rescue the Council from themselves!!!

Indiantown Latest News From The May 17, 2020 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING MAY 15, 2020

The good news is that Mayor Stone was able to have 4000 masks donated for the residents. And more good news is he just said thank-you to the donor. He did not go on and on and on. Stone is a man of few words. Most times less is more. I think the same about Council Member Clarke’s brevity. She too does not need to go on and on about, well…nothing.

Unfortunately, that may not be the same for the rest of the Council. Besides this newsletter and Currents there is no media paying Council meetings much attention. I see no cameras or TV reporters anxious for that 30 second Indiantown story to broadcast on their 11 pm news or as I call it the big weather show. 

Then I would ask which audience are you playing too? The approximately 25 (as per the Village) viewers on Zoom. Many of whom are not voters. When Council Member Dowling during his comments said, “and now for number 9.” He was no longer giving information to the masses but rather speaking to hear himself. There is no CNN. There is not even C-Span.

It was not until 8:15 did the Council begin their work as per the agenda. Almost 2 hours after the meeting being started the verbose five got down to voting. Sure, there was a way to long and boring MPO presentation and a rather general Health Department update, but the business of government seems to be secondary to the endless palaver.

HEALTH CRISES

Indiantown has a major health crisis. The Village has an inordinate amount of cases as compared to its population size. Many residents are poor, immigrant and live in small cramped houses.

Until very recently their plight was ignored. It was only with the intervention of Harold Jenkins, Brian Mast and MaryLynn Magar that the Health Department and Cleveland Clinic began testing.

The Village has passed a mask ordinance and have signs throughout regarding what to do to contain the virus. You cannot expect the Council to do more. It has done everything it could with its limited authority.

There is no effective contact tracing.  A positive result does not mean isolation or containment so the disease will continue to spread. The Sheriff’s campaign of education should not mean his deputies do not enforce social distancing. The Council is correct in thinking Indiantown has been neglected by the wider outside world.

That dynamic will not change by Facebook posts or the Council speaking to each other. They need to have real political power. That can only be accomplished by increasing their population numbers and making sure that people are registered to vote. Instead of talk, the Council should pick up census and voter registration forms and walk door to door and get people to register.

TIME TO GO TO WORK

Happy business group in a meeting at the office

As I said above at 8:15 the Council got down to business. The first thing they did was extend the state of emergency. It passed 5-0.

Next on the agenda was implementing a communications policy. That would be rather straight forward you would think. Not when it comes to politicians. Manager Brown introduced the item by simply stating it could be as simple or as complicated as the Council desired. What Brown did not do is give them a plan to discuss and tweak.

Gibbs-Thomas kept trying to have the Council instruct staff to create a plan. The rest of the Council would not support her. They did not even have a common understanding of what a communications policy really is. Dowling wanted to make sure that his social media accounts would not be affected. Others were just looking for consistency on business cards, when to use the seal, and more practical matters.

It seemed that only Gibbs-Thomas wanted to have a policy. Dowling made a motion to table the matter until discussion of a strategic plan. It was seconded by Hernandez. The vote was 4-1 with Gibbs-Thomas dissenting. This was a time that Brown should have had something for them to discuss.

In a matter of a few minutes, the Commission voted unanimously on 2^nd reading to de-annex 11 parcels in the Little Ranch neighborhood. Those parcels should have never been included within the Village boundaries. The vote was 5-0.

Then the Council tackled something important…fireworks! Should July 4^th go forward or not? Staff was tasked to see whether and at what costs fireworks could be done from Timer Powers which is the County’s park. They wanted to be able for people to see them supposedly from anywhere in the Village.

The additional cost would be $10,000 for the larger shells on top of the $15,000 already budgeted. Gibbs-Thomas who is the lead is trying to raise the money from sponsors. There just is not enough time at this point. They asked staff what other governments were doing. Most like Stuart have cancelled for this year.

After much discussion, Dowling made a motion to table. Clarke seconded and the vote was 3-2 with Gibbs-Thomas and Hernandez voting no. You would think they could decide yes or no and then move forward. Does anyone have a can to kick?   

Indiantown Latest News From the May 3, 2020 Edition

COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 25, 2020:

Under Brown’s direction, the Council has been playing SimCity. To some degree, the Council admits this since they continuously state that they are building a government from the ground up. The government they are building does not have a solid foundation. It is one built on one benefactor who does not require very much tending…. FPL. No one seems the least concerned about what happens if Indiantown’s benefactor goes away.

FPL is there now but I would expect its footprint in Indiantown to be reduced in the next couple of years. With its merger with Gulf Power on the west coast of the state, they will be looking to consolidate operations. Both companies are owned by the power conglomerate NextEra Energy. As efficiencies are sought it would appear that, except for the Solar Farm, Indiantown’s other FPL facilities are vulnerable to being reduced if not closed altogether.

According to Indiantown’s own released numbers, FPL pays the most taxes in the Village at 87.4% of the total. It is not hard to see that any erosion of FPL’s tax contribution could have a devastating effect on the Village. Yet not a word is ever mentioned by the “Sim City Players.”

It is easy to play at things but much more difficult to work at them. Instead of working on the hard issues of having a diverse and viable economic base, this Council has taken the easier issues on. Parks, roads, and stormwater are things that need to be provided for…and they were by Martin County. Bringing an independent Fire/Rescue Department would be commendable if the present one was lacking, but it is not.

Martin County sees that the Village wants to go its own way and should accept it without trying to persuade it differently. The County Commission needs to look at what is best for all County taxpayers. While FPL may be integral to Indiantown’s survival, it is rather insignificant to Martin County. The County crafted an ordinance that would apply only to the utility to reduce its taxes. Now that the MSTUs that the County collects for providing services to FPL in Indiantown are becoming less and less, why should the other citizens in Martin County subsidize Indiantown by allowing a reduction in its Tangible Personal Property Tax.

When it was incorporated, Indiantown was to concentrate on development. Most municipal services were going to be provided by the County for at least several years. Annexation, in order to build new homes, would bring more people. This in turn would spur both retail businesses with more customers and more qualified work force so that industrial and office firms would locate to the Village. Instead, the Council has hired all types of consultants to help entice retail and industrial firms to go to a place without the capacity to support new mercantile and industry.

The entire country now probably has the highest unemployment rate since the Depression of the 1930s. Tax revenue will be significantly less than anticipated. Other governments are looking at budgets that will be cut perhaps significantly. The Sim City Council appears to not see any of this coming.

MANAGER’S RAISE

The Village Attorney provided charts showing the salary ranges for Managers in Florida. It really was not as helpful as it could have been since nothing was in context.

With Council Member Dowling taking the lead, the Indiantown governing board deliberated on whether to raise Manager Harold Brown’s pay. It quickly became apparent that they were going to raise his compensation. The question was by how much for this Council seems to believe that Brown is indispensable to the Village’s ability to function. They could come and go, but without Brown, the Village would fall apart.

While some in the press have taken the position that Brown is not qualified or has exaggerated his qualifications, I believe he has taken Council’s direction and performed adequately. So far, however, the Village has led a charmed life. There have been no bumps to stumble over. Martin County government has been more than generous and accommodating. That will soon come to an end.

City of Stuart pays the City Manager $160,000 per year. He has over 250 employees and several departments. There is a Police Department and Fire/Rescue both of which have unions that must be negotiated with. There are independent utilities for trash, water, and sewer. The combined budget is north of $50 million dollars. There are also more than 3 times the residents plus an additional 21,000 visitors per day.

The Martin County Administrator makes a bit north of $180,00, has over a thousand employees, and a budget in excess of $500 million. Dowling said something about Ocean Breeze’s consultant that bills out at $95 an hour. And said if multiplied by 2000 hours it would be $190,000. Of course, he works many hours less than that per year and receives no benefits. He has never made more than $25,000 in any one year and closer to $15,000 in a typical one. I am not even going to comment on the comparison of the Village to Jupiter Island that was made.

Brown’s current salary is $110,000. The town has perhaps 12 employees. The budget is $5 million once you eliminate the pass through for Fire/Rescue that is paid to the County.

One Council Member stated that Mr. Brown is amazing since he must be available for all types of emergency situations even on the weekend. Implicit in the word manager is the fact he does not work a set number of hours per week. It is like that in every managerial position whether in the private or public sector.

Everyone believed he should get more. Dowling did some math considering other managers compensation and came up with $141,111.00 effective last January 1^st. There would also be 3% raises if he had satisfactory reviews and the budget allowed. Gibbs-Thomas seconded the motion and it passed 3-2 with Hernandez and Stone dissenting.

Stone gave his reason for the no vote by asking what happens in a recession when they might not be able to give those raises. Hernandez did not give a reason at the meeting. I reached out to her and this is her reply:

Yes,

I think another amount slightly lower was more justified. And the whole economy we don’t know how much longer this will go on with Covid19. We don’t know until the coming months. I do agree the managers base pay looking around at other cities he has a really low pay rate and we are doing so much that the other cities already have things established. 

I urge you to look at the charts showing what managers make not only in Martin County but throughout the state:

CLICK HERE

This chart is just of Martin County:

CLICK HERE

BEGINNING A NEW BUDGET YEAR

Mr. Brown had a presentation regarding next year’s budget.

The Fire/Rescue Department will move forward with creating a public municipal department. Since the outsourcing idea received no bidders, this will be where Indiantown goes next on its quest to be independent.

You can find the complete presentation at:

CLICK HERE

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 28, 2020

Indiantown has seen an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases. The purpose of the meeting was to see whether the Village can do anything regarding the outbreak. At this meeting at least, the Council and staff recognized that Indiantown’s demographics are different than Jupiter Island and Sewall’s Point. It is even much different than Stuart.

Indiantown is a small rural place with a high proportion of poor people and many people living close to each other. The population has many Central American immigrants and their American born children. The same is true of Haitians who have settled there. Indiantown also has a large population of African Americans.

3D illustration of medical face mask to avoid contagious diseases. Concept Of Air Pollution, Pneumonia Outbreaks, Coronavirus Epidemics, And The Risk Of Biological Contamination.

The increase in cases shows up because there are so many more people living in tight quarters. As we hear over and over, the inability of enough testing is a problem in containing the disease. That is why even though Indiantown has less than 4% of Martin County’s population, it has 20% of the cases.

While the Health Department and Cleveland Clinic promised more, will it be enough (or even arrive at all) is a good question. As Florida and Martin County speak about reopening, Indiantown is a hotbed of the disease. The cook, lawn service employee or retail worker that Stuart or Jensen Beach sees working can be living with someone who has the disease.

The Village decided to put aside $10,000 to procure masks and another $10,000 for an education initiative. In a vote of 4-1, the Council will require the wearing of face coverings in public. Gibbs-Thomas voted no. I asked her why she voted no by email and received this answer:

Tom, thank you for asking.  I do not oppose wearing face masks, I wear one when appropriate and urge everyone else to do so also (I’m actually sewing and making reusable facemasks and giving them away).   What I oppose is the wording “require” when it is an empty ordinance.  There is no enforcement piece to it and there will be no consequences for noncompliance.  People will expect action (as they should when a governmental body make an ordinance) when they report persons with no face masks and will wonder why nothing is being done about enforcement when it is “required” to wear one.  By doing this I believe we as the responsible elected officials in Indiantown lose credibility.  The ordinance could have said recommends, urge or obligatory ~ anything else besides require.  It is creating more problems than it is solving.  We have to do more in getting information and education out into our community (that’s why I pushed for a budget for community information/education), that’s what will turn the tide, not the executing unenforceable pronouncements to make people feel good by having them believe we are doing something when in reality it means nothing.

Whether you agree with her or not, it is a rational and well thought out reason.

Indiantown Latest News April 17, 2020 Edition

Indiantown Latest News FROM THE APRIL 5, 2020 EDITION

FROM THE MARCH 22, 2020 EDITION

FROM THE MARCH 8, 2020 EDITION

Indiantown Latest News

February 9, 2020 Edition

Indiantown Latest News

COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 23, 2020

There has been a scathing article written about the Manager, Howard Brown. I saw it on the Facebook page entitled Indiantown Community. If the allegations are true, this should concern the Council and the people of the Village. Barbara Clowdus, the author, who publishes the Indiantown Currents is a journalist that has a wide following throughout Martin County. What she researches and writes should be taken seriously.

I am not going to comment here on whether her reporting is accurate or not. I do believe the allegations contained in the piece are serious enough to warrant Council action. The process by which the Village and most government boards follow to hire their managers is flawed.

Only cursory background checks are employed. This is unfathomable given the seriousness of the position. This person will be responsible for millions of dollars in taxpayer money. If the professionals that Boards employ to help them in the searches can’t even verify things like credentials and degrees, why are they being used.

There is an undercurrent out there between different factions that is becoming detrimental to the cohesiveness of Indiantown. Many believe, especially those living outside the boundaries of Indiantown, that they should have an opinion in how Indiantown should develop. And that is fine!

The ultimate deciders though are those that live within the Village boundaries. They elect the Council. Guyton Stone and Janet Hernandez are ending their terms this year. Both will run for re-election. Will anyone challenge them? If so, can they beat either Stone or Hernandez? If the electorate believe that the current Council Members who direct the Manager should remain then the people have spoken.

That in no way would mean that the Council should not take Clowdus’ reporting seriously. There is a solemn trust between those elected and the people. Mr. Brown is the CEO of a large and growing organization. The Council which is the Board of Directors owes the stakeholders good governance. The Council needs to act including hiring a reputable investigator to provide a complete report on Mr. Brown’s professional qualifications and work history. This would be a way of putting allegations regarding his past to rest.

We should debate whether the path Indiantown has embarked on is the right one. Both citizens and non-citizens can discuss policy. What needs to be eliminated from discussion is whether the Manager was hired because he provided an inaccurate work history.

The above reference article which is in the latest edition of Indiantown Currents can be found at:

CLICK HERE FOR BROWN ARTICLE

JOINING THE BIG BOYS

Indiantown will now be required to participate in the joint meetings with the County, School Board, and City of Stuart. Under Florida Statute 163.31 when there is a school located within a municipal boundary you become a member of the club. The Council will now participate in the biggest waste of time in Martin County. The joint meetings are held at the Blake Library with the next one scheduled on February 13^th.

Imagine 21 elected officials sitting around the table listening to boring presentations. For these are official meetings of the different governing Boards. Usually no motions or decisions are made but because they are official meetings matters can be considered.

The governing structure is spelled out in an Interlocal Agreement between the parties. That is why Nikki van Vonno, the head of County Growth Management, was at the meeting making this presentation. Welcome Indiantown! 

The presentation can be found at:

CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION

CONCESSION STAND

The little things in Village bureaucracy can take the most time.

The concession stand at Big Mound Park is currently being operated through an inherited agreement from Martin County and the Tropical Soccer League.

After listening to the presentation, I am not sure who is taking their place. Is it one organization or will the different leagues that play at the park be the concessionaires? There will be improvements made to the concession stand, I think. The agreement has products that cannot be offered for sale such as vaping paraphernalia. Can anything that is not listed be sold?

At least to me the presentation was muddled with the Parks Supervisor, a Village employee, and the Parks outside consultant falling all over themselves to be incoherent. Wouldn’t it had been better and more logical to put out an RFQ for the running of the stand and have any income received dedicated to the Village for park recreation programming?

A motion was made to accept the agreement by Dowling and seconded by Hernandez. It passed 5-0.

The agreement can be found at:

CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION

Speaking of Parks, the Council voted to make the part time administrative person a full-time position. The Manager stated that person will now be available for other administrative options. Like almost all decisions the Council approved 5-0

SHELTER AND STORM WATER

Kimley-Horn made a study concerning having the Civic Center become a shelter during a hurricane. The building is currently not up to code to safely shelter people during a hurricane. The facility would need to be retrofitted and with the study that was performed not every defect was discovered.

What is known is that the roof is not adequate nor are the doors and windows. The roof alone would be $200,000 plus. While a new building would be between $350,000-$400,000. Martin County will provide a generator if the Center will sign an agreement for 15 years to act as a pet-friendly shelter. Indiantown is looking to be reimbursed for the $6,000 study from the state.

The Village does not own this building. The providing of shelters is the role of the County. I can’t think of a worse place to have any shelter than a single room structure without adequate facilities for hygiene or the preparation of meals. This is the current Civic Center. I am at a loss as to why the Village is involved in this process. Don’t they have enough on their plates?

That study can be found at:

CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION

Kimley Horn had a second study that was presented regarding storm water improvement projects. The Village assumed this responsibility from the County last year. They needed a complete assessment. Now they have one. A capital improvement project list can be developed.

The study can be found at:

CLICK HERE FOR REPORT

Indiantown Latest News From The July 9, 2023 Edition

Indiantown Latest News From The April 3, 2022 Edition