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Boca Raton considers annexing northern rthern areas to
boost tax revenue
By ANGEL STREETER
Sun Sentinel
Updated: 9:57 a.m. Saturday, June 19, 2010
Posted: 8:06 p.m. Friday, June 18, 2010
Boca Raton could be getting bigger.
Hoping to plug budget holes, the city is looking into annexing several communities mainly on its northern
border as a way to increase its tax base.
The city decided to launch an in -depth study, required by state statutes, after a preliminary investigation
estimated that the city would net about $2 million a year after providing police, fire and other services to
the nine properties.
The study will encompass the Boca Golf & Tennis Club, Costco, Le Lac, the old Royal Palm polo fields,
Fieldbrook, Newport Bay, Boniello Acres, St. Andrews Country Club and Boca Grove Plantation.
I would support anything that would bring in an extra $2 million a year," said Council member Mike
Mullaugh.
Boca Raton is facing a $7 million budget shortfall in the coming year and is looking for ways to boost
revenues. Although if the city were to annex all those communities by December, it wouldn't see the extra
income until 2012.
The combined taxable value of the nine areas being considered for annexation is $1.5 billion. That would
bring in about $6.7 million to city coffers under the current tax rate. But it would cost about $4.2 million to
provide services to those areas.
Plus, the city would have to set aside about $400,000 a year for five years to upgrade the medians near
the communities.
"Maybe that will be the trade -off," said Edward Haymes, president of the St. Andrews Country Club
Property Owners Association.
His community has been asking Boca Raton to fix up the medians on Clint Moore Road for awhile, but
the city said it didn't have the money to put in trees and shrubs, Haymes said.
He said becoming a part of Boca Raton has not been seriously discussed in his community and that the
community "would have to spend some time looking into it."
Boca Raton's last major annexations were in 2003 and 2004 when the city expanded its bor to
include the Town Center Mall and surrounding neighborhoods as well as the Via Verde, Waterside at
Boca Trail and Marina del Mar neighborhoods.
Those annexations brought in about $3 million a year to the city.
Nearly 10 years ago, the Boca Golf & Tennis Club asked to become a part of the city, mainly as way to
stop a Costco from going in across the street from the community on Congress Avenue. Annexing the
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uui uicrn areas to boost tax revenue
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community also would have required annexing the Costco property under state law. But didn't consider
the annexation because Costco threatened to fight it.
Residents still might think it's worthwhile to become a part of the city, said Arthur Knapp, a board member
for the Boca Golf & Tennis Club Property Owners Association.
Residents would be able to use Boca Raton's nearby Spanish River library and buy annual beach
parking passes, he said.
Residents who live in the areas being studied would have to vote to approve annexation by Boca Raton.
More than 4,300 people would be added to the city if it annexes all the proposed area, growing the
Population to more than 90,000. That still would be the second - largest in Palm Beach County behind
West Palm Beach.
Still, some council members aren't sold on annexing.
"Bigger is not always better," said council member Anthony Majhess. "Annexation will dramatically
change the culture of our community. I don't support annexation as a means to raise revenue."
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The Pale Be ach P os t Print
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Annexation study riles up some residents west of
Boynton Beach
By SAMANTHA FRANK
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 9:13 P.M. Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009
Posted: 3:13 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009
Residents west of Boynton Beach are keeping a close eye on their neighbors to the east.
That's because earlier this month, Boynton Beach city commissioners approved a resolution to begin
long -term annexation discussions and negotiations with Palm Beach County. The city's action is the
result of the Florida legislature creating a strategic annexation planning process in 2005.
The area being studied for annexation runs west from the city limits to Military Trail.
The Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations, which represents 88 neighborhoods west of the
city limits, is particularly concerned because 34 of its communities have water service agreements with
the city. Many of those agreements say the city can annex them at any time, assuming the communities
are contiguous to the city.
Most of those agreements were made with the developers of the communities, not the residents,
COBWRA President Ken Lassiter said.
He said he is worried that the annexation of a few communities could start a domino effect.
"You could pick up one, and then the one behind it, and the one next to that one and so on," he said.
Lassiter wants to the city to follow the referendum method described in state law, which would require an
approval vote from a majority of residents before the land could be annexed. Lassiter also wants to see
city residents included in the vote. Other annexation methods, such as petition drives by landowners,
would not require a referendum.
"This seems like the proper way to do it," Lassiter said.
This is not the first time that COBWRA has been leery the a ci s annex '
city's anon Ian
p s.
In 1998 COBWRA hired a consultant to study the pros and cons of forming its own municipality versus
incorporating with the city or remaining part of the unincorporated county. Coalition delegates voted to
remain unincorporated, with the least number of voters choosing to incorporate with the city.
Boynton Beach City Manager Kurt Bressner said he intends to keep COBWRA involved in the process,
and was quick to stress that no areas will be annexed any time soon.
"The city could have moved forward with some annexations via the water agreement route, but we have
not, recognizing that the level of and capability of service needs to be evaluated," he said.
He said the decision to annex a particular community boils down to whether the city or county can
provide the best public safety services to residents.
"The average citizen doesn't care what color fire engine arrives in front of their house, as long as it
arrives in a reasonable amount of time," Bressner said.
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