The first substantive item on the agenda after the opening ceremony was a presentation by Senator Bobby Powell. He represents Florida Senate District 30, which includes Palm Beach Shores. Senator Powell touched on several legislative actions taken, but, to me, the two most interesting were:

• Approval to carry a concealed weapon. The only requirement to carry is a valid Florida driver's license or a valid Florida ID card. I find this approval alarming. I know a bit about firearms and the key points taught. If you are going to carry a weapon, you have to be prepared to use it for its intended purposes. And, if you don't practice at a facility monthly, don't carry it. It will be interesting to see how this law plays out.
• Approval of school vouchers for all Florida K–12 Students. Senator Powell said the voucher amount was $9,000. It will be interesting to see how this law impacts an already challenged- and struggling Public School System.

Emergency Medical Service (Ambulance) contract:  The next item on the agenda was a vote on a new Emergency Medical Service System (EMS) Contract with Riviera Beach. The negotiations started in March and did not end until the middle of July. Riviera Beach (RB) took the position under the old contract they had been operating at a loss. The key negotiator for RB was their Director of Finance. He insisted from the beginning, without any compromise, that each time the EMS vehicle (ambulance) rolls on a call, it costs RB $2,871, whereas, under the old contract, Palm Beach Shores (PBS) had been paying approximately $1,187 per call. In other words, RB demanded a contract that more than doubled in the payment for EMS. The exact dollar figure sought was $890,000. Despite efforts by Wendy Wells (before she left us), Chief Steedman, and myself over some ten face-to-face meetings, RB would not budge. We ultimately worked out three payment options. 

• 1.    Option #1: PBS paid $750,000 in four quarterly payments, and RB will bill patients who use the service $2,871, thereby collecting the difference to bring the amount paid to the $890,000 number. (Under this arrangement, RB would almost certainly collect funds in excess of the $890,00 number and thereby make a profit.)
• 2.    Option #2: PBS paid $850,000 in quarterly payments, and patients were billed on a graduated scale of $750 to $1,000, depending on the severity of the patient's situation. (This is the same scale they use for billing RB residents.)
• 3.    Option #3: PBS paid $750,000, and patients are billed $750 to $1,000 depending on the severity of the patient's situation. At the end of the contract year, the amount recovered by patient billing will be totaled and added to the $750,000. Suppose that the total reaches $890,000, or the sum of the number of calls times $2,871 (for example, 290 calls X $2,871 = $832,590). The combination of $750,000 plus funds recovered from billing equals $831,590. In that case, we don't pay RB any additional funds, whereas if the call volume is high, and the recovery is low (for example, 315 calls X $2,871 = $904,365), and our payments plus recovery do not equal that amount, PBS will need to make a supplemental payment to RB at the beginning of the following budget year.

I realize that this is all very complicated, but given the intransigence of RB, it was the best we could do to try to minimize the impact of the dramatic increase in EMS costs.

Over several Commission workshops and this meeting, the EMS matter was heavily and, at times, hotly debated. None of the Commissioners, myself included, were happy with the choices.

The extensions granted by RB expired at the end of June, and by mutual agreement, RB's service continued, and the contract would be retroactive to July 1, 2023, when signed. In the July Commission Meeting, the Commission debated the EMS issue and voted on several of the options. A motion to adopt option 3 was made by Vice Mayor McCranels. This motion was defeated, no second to the motion was made. 

There was more discussion, and Vice Mayor McCranels made a motion to adopt option 1 which was also defeated by a 2-3 vote with Mayor Fiers, Vice Commissioner McCranels, and Commissioner Ward voting no. 

The Commission was deadlocked. Mayor pointed out that if no decision is made, RB will bill PBS $2,871 each time there is an EMS call, and RB will keep, with no credit to the Town, the funds recovered through patient billing. There was more discussion. Commissioner Tyler made another motion to approve Option 3. This motion was approved by a 3-2 Vote, with Mayor Fiers, Vice Mayor McCranels, and Commissioner Tyler voting yes. Commissioners Larcher and Ward voted no. 

All of the Commission agreed that none of the options were palatable, but Option 3 was the least distasteful of the options. If we all work together and use EMS services only in true emergencies, we should be able to avoid making any additional payment at contract year-end. THIS SAID, DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL EMS (911) IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY. Also, please remember that our firemen are all EMS-qualified, and each Shift Commander is a qualified Paramedic. In cases of minor injuries or personal assistance, they can and often do provide the needed help or care.

Staff Reports:

• The Town Accountant/Treasurer reported that as of the end of June, revenue was running above budget. This is due to higher than budgeted interest on Town accounts and higher than budgeted activity in the Town Building Department, as well as higher than budgeted sales tax revenue.  On the other hand, expenses are tracking to budget, and the Treasurer provided a positive financial report.

Project Reports

• The Watermain Project: After the water purity test was completed, the Health Department reviewed the result for two weeks. This has now been completed, and work will resume on Monday, August 7. There will be three crews in Town, so their work should progress fairly quickly. The crews will begin by connecting the meter line on Inlet's southside, then progress to the west side of Lake Drive. As they work north on Lake Drive, they will also connect the service lines that run behind the houses on each street. 
• Road Project: The engineering plans are 100% complete. We have received one bid and waiting for a second bid. We will be able to start road paving immediately after the completion of the water main project, probably in late September.

• The Community Center Kitchen Remodel: Work is a bit behind schedule, but we still plan to have work completed prior to the beginning of the season. The demolition of the old kitchen is just about complete. The equipment for the new kitchen has been purchased.  Electrical and plumbing plans are currently being drawn, and we are getting bids from contractors.

• Ordinance O-3-23 was passed on a 5-0 vote. This is a housekeeping Ordinance that moves the Town's March election date to coincide with Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) date. The new election date is March 19, 2024.

As required by State Law, the Town voted to adopt the 2024 operating millage rate of 6.3500 mils. This is the operating millage the Town has used for over 20 years, with the exception of the boom years of 2005 and 2006.  The Underground Debt Millage rate continued at 0.4920 mils. The dates for the formal Budget Hearing and votes are September 11 and September 25.

The final item on the agenda was hiring a Town Administrator. The position has been vacant since Mrs. Wells' departure. The Commission is of the opinion that the Town should move quickly to hire an administrator. Commissioner Tyler recommended that the job description be finished and reviewed at the next workshop and that the Town begin a candidate search as quickly as possible. Mayor Fiers suggested that we move at a slower pace and save the first quarter salary payment, as 2024 is going to be a very difficult budget year (more on this in a subsequent Newsletter.) The Commission disagreed and reiterated its desire to move forward quickly.

And that's all, folks.