State of the Village of Palmetto Bay 2009

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Last night's State of the Village meeting for Palmetto Bay was a real eye-opener for me.  Held at the Palmetto Bay Village Center, right next to the new library, the event drew over 500 residents.  Complete with food, wine and dessert, the event billed as "the year of transition" review by Mayor Eugene Flinn, Jr. highlighted some pretty impressive achievements by a government that seems to be firing on all cylinders.

Here are the highlights of the Mayor's speech:

  • Crime is down approximately 11% compared to last year
  • The Village's new solar-powered, "green" monument signs are on schedule for installation in the next few months.
  • A major "green" initiative throughout Palmetto Bay is being highlighted with the building of the designated gold ranking of the new Town Hall, which is scheduled to open October 2010.  Already at gold, the town continues to look for ways to make the building self-sustaining to garner a platinum rating.  If so, operating costs savings could be $50,000 per year.
  • The Palmetto Bay branch public library had its soft opening on Monday, October 19.  It contains more than 21,000 books, plus multimedia. (I saw it and it's gorgeous!)
  • Grant dollars continue to flow into Palmetto Bay. $18M since 2003. More coming...including dollars for a possible new fire station!
  • Besides a slight lowering of taxes, Palmetto Bay ADDED $250,000 to reserves in a very difficult year.  Mayor remarked that taxes could have been lowered, but conservative thinking prevailed and he felt adding to reserves with the prudent decision.
  • Palmetto Bay parks continue to be renovated, upgraded and have programs (like summer camps) despite tough economy.  New concession and storage facilities going into Coral Reef park.
  • Bike and pedestrian master plan adopted for Palmetto Bay, making commuting and recreation safer for all residents.
  • In South Florida, 50% of water is used to water grass. Over the past three months, Palmetto Bay had zero citations issued to residents, showing that the "green" movement is resonating with everyone in the Village.
  • Residents are also latching onto the rain barrel collection program established by the Village.
  • In other "green" and cost-saving news, the Village now has its eCurrents newsletter published online monthly. 
    • $35 per month cost vs. $32k for hard mailing. (Way to go Palmetto Bay!)

 

It was a great way to celebrate Palmetto Bay's 7th Birthday!  For more information on Palmetto Bay, please visit their website at http://www.palmettobay-fl.gov/