For Palm Beach County voters, some of the down-ballot contests are easy to overlook amid the higher-profile races on the Nov. 3 ballot, but they put voters in charge of choosing officials who make decisions close to home. Palm Beach County voters will select supervisors for the Avenir Community Development District and Indian Trail Improvement District, whose responsibilities include local infrastructure, drainage, roads and other community services, as well as a supervisor for the Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation District.
Voters also will decide three major funding questions: whether to continue a school property tax and authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds for county parks and libraries.
started Oct. 19: What to know
Avenir Community Development District
The CDD is a special-purpose local government that helps finance and maintain infrastructure and other improvements within the Avenir development in Palm Beach Gardens. Its elected five-member Board of Supervisors oversees district operations, while property owners pay assessments used for operations and maintenance and to repay bonds issued for capital improvements.
Seat 2 candidates − William Rosenberg vs. Luis A. Vinas
Indian Trail Improvement District
The District is an independent special district provides water management and infrastructure services in western Palm Beach County. Its responsibilities include maintaining canals and drainage systems for flood and water control, grading and improving roads and maintaining neighborhood parks. It maintains more than 458 miles of roads, 164 miles of canals and nine rural and equestrian parks, and is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors elected to four-year terms.
Seat 1 candidates − Kirk Allen Ljongquist vs. Jay Sweet
Seat 3 candidates − Jack Lloyd Bell, Patricia Alice Farrell, Carol Jacobs
Seat 5 candidates − Michael Timothy Johnson vs. Christopher Charles Karch
Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation
The District is an independent, non-taxing and non-regulatory special district that serves all of Palm Beach County by promoting conservation and educating residents, landowners and businesses about protecting natural resources. Its work includes programs aimed at improving water use and irrigation efficiency, supporting conservation practices and providing environmental education. The district is governed by five elected supervisors who serve without pay, and unlike many governmental districts, it does not levy taxes, issue bonds or enforce land-use laws.
Group 3 candidates − Angelo Andrew, Douglas Richard Brown, Edward L. Pope III
Palm Beach County questions
School District tax referendum
The School District of Palm Beach County is asking voters to continue an existing 1-mill property tax for four more years, from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2031. The money would be dedicated to school safety and school police; mental-health services; arts, music and physical education teachers; career and choice-program teachers; and improved teacher pay. The tax was first approved by voters in 2018 and renewed in 2022, so the ballot question would continue the levy rather than create a new one. Spending would continue to be overseen by an independent citizens committee.
Parks and recreation bond
Palm Beach County is asking voters for permission to borrow up to $280 million through general-obligation bonds to pay for improvements to county parks and recreation facilities. The ballot measure would authorize the county to use the money for acquiring, constructing and improving parks and recreational facilities, with the bonds backed by property-tax revenue and repaid over a period of no more than 20 years. A “yes” vote authorizes the county to issue the bonds and levy the property taxes needed to repay them.
Library District bond
The Palm Beach County Library District is asking voters to authorize up to $175 million in general-obligation bonds to acquire, build, expand, renovate and equip library facilities. The bonds would be repaid through property taxes within the Library District over no more than 20 years. A “yes” vote gives the district authority to borrow the money and levy the property taxes necessary to repay the debt; a “no” vote rejects that borrowing authority.
John Bisognano is Executive Editor of The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at jbisognano@pbpost.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County ballot: Local races, tax and bond questions
