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Home My WebLink About07-2009 Newsletter PDFThe Best Place to Live Under the SunThe Best Place to Live Under the SunThe Best Place to Live Under the Sun The Village ofThe Village ofThe Village of JULY 2009 ANNUAL BOARD APPOINTMENTS The Village Council appointed members to its Advisory Boards at the Special Session of April 30, 2009. These appointments and term expirations are as follows: Audit Committee Richard Podell April 30, 2012 Emery Newell April 30, 2010 Robert Gebbia April 30, 2010 Code Enforcement Board Alfred Cilcius April 30, 2012 Lisa Holm April 30, 2012 Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals Anthony Agrusa April 30, 2012 Susan Stokes April 30, 2012 Harry Ackerman April 30, 2010 Charles Giacomelli April 30, 2010 Library Advisory Board Kari Foster April 30, 2011 Patty Sullivan April 30, 2011 Robert Maurer April 30, 2010 Ernest Porter April 30, 2010 Planning Commission Cory Cross April 30, 2011 Todd Engle April 30, 2011 Kris Garrison April 30, 2011 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR PLANNING COMMISSION Volunteers are needed for two vacancies on the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Village Hall. The Planning Commission acts as the local planning agency for the Village. Applicants are required to be residents of the Village. Appli- cations are available from the Village Clerk’s office in the Village Hall, 501 U.S. Highway One, 841-3355, or online at www.village-npb.org Police & Fire Pension Board Robert DeGloria April 30, 2011 Recreation Advisory Board Paul Beach April 30, 2011 Brian Mahoney April 30, 2011 Dianna Craven April 30, 2010 Christopher Cantwell April 30, 2010 Village Historian Joan Aubrey April 30, 2011 Carol Wood, Associate April 30, 2010 Waterways Board Denise Whiteford April 30, 2010 Jerry Sullivan April 30, 2010 Zoning Board of Adjustment Roy Chapin April 30, 2012 Louis Daniello April 30, 2012 Curtis Witters April 30, 2012 Ted Bukowski April 30, 2010 Keith Davis April 30, 2010 RECENT COUNCIL ACTION Ordinance 2009-01 Establishes Requirements for Collection of Residential Yard Waste Ordinance 2009-02 Amends Sign Code Ordinance 2009-03 Alters Composition of Golf Advisory Board Ordinance 2009-04 Open Air Pavilions as an Accessory Use Ordinance 2009-05 Abandoned Residential Property Program Resolution 2009-31 Appointing Members to Advisory Boards Resolution 2009-32 1st Addendum to PBC Sheriff’s Office Interlocal Agreement Complete text for all proposed ordinances, as well as newly enacted ordinances and resolutions, is available at www.village-npb.org. See the link for Ordinances or Council Meeting Agendas and Minutes. Village Council / Clerk Page 2—Village Council / Clerk Village University NPB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 50TH ANNIVERSARY Did you know…. that Mayor Norris and Senate President Jeff Atwater attended North Palm Beach Elementary? Mayor David Norris presented North Palm Beach Elemen- tary School Principal, Maria Bishop, with photos of the school’s 1958 groundbreaking during the schools 50th An- niversary Celebration on May 4, 2009. The Mayor pro- claimed May 4, 2009 as North Palm Beach Elementary School Day in the Village. Village officials, parents and boosters paid homage to the school’s milestone and watched as each grade celebrated the five decades that have passed since the school opened. Community News Page 3—Community News WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF FLORIDA’S PROPERTY TAX? Ad valorem taxes were begun by territorial enactment in 1839. Ad valorem is Latin for “the value of.” We often use the terms ad valorem and property tax interchangeably. The tax was imposed “on every acre of first-rate land, half a cent; on every acre of second-rate land, one quarter cent; on every acre of third-rate land, one eighth of a cent.” During this time the most significant ad valorem tax was levied by the state. In 1885, the Florida Constitution stated that the Legislature “shall provide for a uniform and equal rate of taxation.” Vari- ous exemptions were sited including property used for mu- nicipal, educational or religious purposes, as well as property owned by widows with dependents and disabled veterans. The first homestead exemption – $5,000 – was approved and enacted in 1934. This was also the time period in which the state changed the property tax to a city- and county- levied tax, making it no longer a source of state revenue. Lo- cal officials were tasked with developing just valuations (the job of the property appraiser) and establishing systems for collecting the local tax (the job of the tax collector). In 1980, the “Truth in Millage” act, known as TRIM, was en- acted. This revision requires cities and counties to “roll back” their property tax levies to a rate that raises the same amount of dollars as the previous year. The calculation is adjusted for new construction and annexation. If a city or county does not enact a rolled-back rate, the government must advertise a tax increase. Also in 1980, the Legislature placed a constitutional amend- ment on the ballot increasing the homestead exemption to $25,000, which passed and was implemented on a three- year schedule. In 1982, the state increased the state-levied sales tax from 4 percent to 5 percent, and half of the “new penny” was pledged to cities and counties to help with property tax relief. To qualify for the new half cent, a city or county had to re- duce its millage rate. Over the years, additional exemptions were created by the Legislature to help certain categories of homeowners – handicapped, blind, widowed, veteran and other per- sons. The Legislature also created different valuations and exemptions for types of property (separating active agriculture from fallow, for example). Each exemption and change in property valuation affects cities and coun- ties. Recently, the most substantial change to the property tax was the “Save Our Homes” amendment to the Florida Constitution in the 1992 (implemented in 1994). This amendment set a cap of 3 percent, or the consumer price index, whichever is less, as the rate at which home- steaded property could increase in value within a year. This measure was designed to protect homesteaded property from large jumps in valuation, but unfortunately caused a shift in each county’s tax base as businesses and non-homesteaded properties bore a greater tax bur- den due to the homesteaded cap. As Florida’s real estate market enjoyed the “value boom” over the past several years, citizens’ complaints about the property tax burden as a proportion of overall taxes became louder, and the 2007 Legislature decided to re- duce most counties’ and cities’ property tax base. A con- stitutional amendment was placed on the ballot to replace “Save Our Homes” with a “super exemption” instead, but the Florida Supreme Court pulled that amendment. Then the Legislature wrote a new amendment for the voters of Florida to consider on January 29, 2008. The new amendment was approved which authorized an additional $25,000 homestead exemption, provides an assessment cap of 10 percent for non-homestead property (similar to the 3 percent assessment cap provided by “Save Our Homes” for homestead property), and allows homeown- ers to “port” their “Save Our Homes” assessment differ- ential from their existing homestead to a new homestead. Page 4—Community News NPB SUPPORT OUR TROOPS PROGRAM NEEDS YOU! Volunteers are needed for 2-hour shifts on donation drive days: We need people who can solicit shoppers at our donation drives, the first Saturday of each month, from 9 am to 5 pm at the DollarTree store on Northlake Blvd. You can work as many or as few hours as your schedule allows! Organize your own donation drive: Ask your co-workers to donate an item or make a monetary contribu- tion. Request that your church or place of employment allow you to place a donation box on premises. Find a business that will partner with you for a donation drive or donate needed items to our program. If you can help, please call or email: • Guy DiGennaro, 882-9575 Digeng3@aol.com • Beth Gebbia, 234-8300 (cell) bethgebbia@aol.com • NPB Clerk’s Office, 841-3355 npbclerk@village-npb.org Do you have a family member serving in Iraq or Afghanistan? If so, we would like to include them in our mailings. Contact the Village Clerk’s office or one of the volunteers listed above. We have updated our list of suggested donation items in order to provide the troops with things they need and want and to make shipping easier and more cost effective. As always, these soldiers like just about anything we can send! Cash donations are gratefully accepted to help offset shipping costs and to purchase additional sup- plies for our adopted soldiers. Here are some of the items we are currently collecting: TRAVEL SIZE PERSONAL CARE ITEMS INDIVIDUALLY PACKAGED SNACKS Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer Gum and Hard Candy Antibacterial Baby Wipes Crackers and Cookies Chapstick and Eye Drops Trail mix and Dried Fruit/Nuts Granola Bars and Nuts RECREATIONAL ITEMS Tuna or Chicken Salad w/crackers Playing Cards and Dice Individual powdered Drink Mix/Coffee/Tea/Cocoa Music CDs and Current movies on DVD Cup O’Soup (no pork) Small Footballs, Softballs Condiments, hot sauce AND ALWAYS, Personal Letters and Cards to our soldiers Donations can be delivered to the Village Clerk’s Office at Village Hall, 501 U.S. Hwy 1, NPB The Village of North Palm Beach and Volunteers, as well as our troops, are grateful for your support. A Message from your Code Compliance Department… GET THE SCOOP ON DOGS AND CATS Dogs and cats over the age of four (4) months must be registered with Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control (561) 233-1200. Dogs and cats over the age of four (4) months must wear a sturdy collar with county license tag attached. Dogs must be accompanied by an attendant who shall have such dog firmly held by collar and leash, which leash is not to exceed eight (8) feet in length. It shall be the duty of the owner of any dog to prevent such dog from biting or attacking any person in the village, and if a person is bitten by a dog, he or she shall report the incident to the depart- ment of public safety immediately. Persons walking dogs are responsible for the removal of waste and are required to carry at all times when so walking the dog, waste- removal implements. Village Code of Ordinances Chapter 4, Article II. Sections 4-24 through 4-29. Questions concerning the Village code may be di- rected to (561) 841-3367 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. or visit our website at www.village-npb.org. Become a permanent part of the Village and leave a lasting memory! Everyone is invited to buy a paver brick, either for you, your family or someone else, to commemorate a special occasion or to honor or remember a loved one. Bricks will be displayed on the Country Club entrance sidewalk, pool deck and tennis fa- cility (coming soon.) For more information, please visit the Country Club, Village Hall or Village website at www.village-npb.org for order form. Community News Public Safety / Parks & Rec. HELP US… HELP YOU… ELIMINATE VICTIM ASSISTED CRIME Ladies, when you are fueling your vehicle take your purse with you or lock it in a secure location. Don’t leave it accessible in an unsecured vehicle, it only takes seconds for a thief to enter your vehicle and steal your purse! When you are shopping don’t leave your purse in your shopping cart…keep it with you…and never allow anyone to take your attention away from it! Protect Yourself and Your Vehicle • Always lock and secure your vehicle even if only away from it for a short time. • Never leave your purse, wallet, cell phone, or other valuables in your unattended vehicle even for a second. • Park your vehicle in an area that is secure, and has proper lighting. • Be aware of your surroundings and any suspicious person(s) in the area. Don’t become distracted. • Utilize steering wheel locking devices. • Install an auto-theft alarm. Report suspicious activity to North Palm Beach Police at 848-2525. Call 911 to report crimes in progress. JULY 4JULY 4THTH, 2009, 2009 RED, WHITE AND BOOM!!RED, WHITE AND BOOM!! All events to be held at North Palm Beach Country Club 951 US Hwy 1 Schedule of Events 12:00-8:00 pm Pool Open 4:00 pm Swimming Pool Games & Activities 7:00 pm NPB Recreation Department present games/ contests for the entire family (on 1st Fairway) 7:30-10:00 pm Live classic rock music by “The OPM Band” 9:00 pm (approx.) Fireworks!! July 4th Pool Party The NPB Pool will be open on Friday, July 4th for a day filled with family fun and activity. Open hours for members only are 10am – noon. The pool will be open to the public from noon – 8pm. Dick Cavanah and his staff will be holding the renowned Family Pool Games starting at 4pm. Poolside BBQ available from 4-8pm. Don’t miss out! Call 691-3427 for more details! Page 5—Public Safety / Parks & Rec. FIRE RESCUE Nationally, every Independence Day hundreds of people are injured and thousands of dollars of prop- erty is lost due to fireworks being mishandled. Don’t become a statistic; enjoy fireworks by watching one of the professionally produced shows such as the Village’s display at the North Palm Beach Country Club. If you still insist on personal fireworks, remember if it makes a noise or fires a projectile it is proba- bly illegal for amateur use. Have a happy and SAFE Fourth! Parks & Recreation Bellydancing - Great new experience for you and exercise also! Develop 6-pack abs! Classes are held at Anchorage Park on Tuesday evenings with Meredith Blue. Meredith has been dancing and teaching for over 11 years. Classes held on Thursday evenings at 6:3pm. For more information, call Meredith at 252-5972. Ongoing Classes - Many classes offered by the Recreation Dept. are ongoing and never stop. You can start these at any time. Included are: Jazzercise, Country Line Dancing, Fit- ness Over 50, Duplicate Bridge games, and Yoga. Call 841-3386 for more information. Football Fans take notice - Football season is just around the corner! We are taking a bus to the Dolphins vs. New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Oct. 25th. Kickoff time is 4:15pm so the bus will depart from the Community Center around 12pm and return around 11pm. $80 includes your game ticket, trans- portation, and a sub & soda tailgate party! Want to have a great time and leave the driving & parking hassles up to someone else? Join us! Don’t wait! Limited seating! Anchorage Aweigh Fishing Tournament - The 4th Annual An- chorage Aweigh Fishing Tournament will be held on Satur- day, August 15, 2009. Entry fee is $150/boat. Early bird entry fee paid before Aug. 1st is $100/boat. On shore will be a kids fishing derby. Food, entertainment and awards at Anchorage Park begin at 2:30pm. This is a great day not only for fishermen, but for anyone looking for a good time. Entry forms can be obtained at Recreation Centers or on the recreation pages at www.village-npb.org. If you are inter- ested in sponsoring this event or have questions, please call 841-3386. Fall Soccer Registration - Registration for the Fall youth soc- cer program will be held from July 1st - 24th. During this time, the cost is $55/resident and $65/non-resident. After these dates, the price increases to $65/resident, $75/non resident. This program is for youth 5 – 15 yrs. Players will participate in approximately one game and one practice per week once the season begins. Game nights for 5-8 year olds will be on Fridays at the NPB Community Center. There will be a draft for the 9-10 year old league, the 11-13 year-old league and the 14-15 year-old league. Practice times determined by the coach. If you are interested in coaching, call 841-3386. Men’s Over 40 Basketball – Pick-up games are played on Thursday nights at the Community Center from 5—9pm. Contact Adam at 841-3389 about information on upcoming league play. Village Players annual summer children’s show will be “Cinderella”. The performance dates are: July 17th, 24th & 31st at 8:00 pm; July 18th, 19th, 25th, 26th, Aug. 1st & 2nd at 2:30 pm. These performances are held at the NPB Community Center. NPB Kids Triathlon - Join us for the inaugural NPB Kids Triathlon at the North Palm Beach Country Club on Sat- urday, August 1, 2009. Transition area opens at 6:15 a.m. Races begin at 7 & 8 AM (age group dependent) Participant age groups are children born in the following years: 2001-2002, 1999-2000, 1997-1998, 1995-1996. The swim is in the pool (long course) and distance varies by age (50 meters to 200 meters), the bike ranges from 1.2 miles to 4 miles and the run from .5 to 1 mile. Entry Fee: $30 per child. Sibling discount available. Register by Thursday, July 30. Maximum 200 participants. No RACE DAY registration. This event is an excellent oppor- tunity to introduce your child to the thrill of endurance sports in a safe and positive environment. For complete information, visit the village website (Departments-Parks & Recreation – Special Events – Kids Tri) or call Parks and Recreation at 841-3386. Super Kids Camp - This exciting ½ day program is for youth 4 – 6 years of age and still has openings in Ses- sions 3 (July 6th – 17th) & 4 (July 20th—31st). The group meets Mon. through Fri. from 9am-noon. Each week features a different theme with guests coming in to pre- sent fun, exciting and educational programs. Camp in- cludes story time, crafts, free play, snack and much more. Cost is $100/session (+ NR fee if applicable). Register online or call 841-3386 for more info. Specialty Sport Camps – We still have openings in most of the summer sport camps: fishing, baseball, football, soc- cer, dance/cheer and basketball. Please visit www.village-npb.org for more information or call 841- 3386. Tai Chi classes – John Cook will instruct Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong on Friday mornings in the Anchorage Exer- cise room at 9:30am. The cost is $15/class or $50/5 weeks. John is a Certified Advanced Instructor of Inner Chi Tai Chi Chuan and Taoist Yoga (Qi Gong) with over 11 years of experience sharing his practice with those seeking skillful means. For more information call 841- 3386. Tae Kwon Do - Legacy Martial Arts is offering summer classes for youth and adults at Anchorage Park! In addi- tion to self defense, students taking this class will earn self discipline, self control, and self confidence. The cost includes a free uniform. Youth class (5 yr +) is on Thurs. from 4:30-5:30pm and adult class is from 7:00-8:00pm. Next session begins July 23rd. If you have any further questions, please call 841-3386 or 626-8998. Fee: $130/8wk - AAB Page 6—Parks & Recreation TENNIS NEWS The ACE Academy summer camp is underway. This program runs weekly Monday through Friday 9:30am to 12:30pm for tennis and if your child is 7 years of age he/she has the afternoon option of swimming and fun tennis games before going home at 3:30pm. Registration is underway. There is also a half day (8:30am to noon) Country Club camp offering a taste of all of the Country Club activities; golf, tennis, and swimming. This will be offered two more times this summer the week of July 13th and the week of August 3rd. The price will be $150 for members, $162.50 for residents, and $175 for nonresidents. Please reg- ister at least two weeks in advance. Currently summer programming includes but is not limited to the following: Quick Start tennis will be held on Saturdays for children ages 4 to 10. Adult classes include cardio tennis, teaching clinics on Fri. & Sat., beginner clinics, Hitting Frenzy, and Men’s Drill & Play. Adult Socials are scheduled throughout the week. Please call to pre-register. Palm Beach County Women’s Tennis Association teams may still need players. Competitive doubles match play for all levels with clinics and coaching from certified Professionals. The Club has the following teams: A1, A2, A4, B1, and B3 Country Club FROM THE GOLF SHOP Once again the North Palm Beach Country Club has made Golfweek Magazines top fifty list of best mu- nicipal courses in the United States. We should all be proud that we have a golf course of this caliber right here in our community! The golf course is in excellent condition and is getting better every month. We play a large number of rounds every day and this presents a number of challenges for our superintendent, Shane McGuire and his staff which do an excellent job. We should thank him every time we see him for a job well done. “Tips from the top” We have had a lot of wind this season so being able to keep the ball low in the wind could be to our ad- vantage. Here is a simple and effective way to keep your ball low while hitting shots into the wind. 1. Ball position- move the ball back in your stance so it is between the center of your stance and your rear foot. 2. Weight position- allow your weight to move onto your front foot, “ball back, weight forward.” 3. Hold on the club- move your hands down the grip approximately 1 inch, this may vary depending on length of shot and ones feel. 4. Length of swing- make a ¾ backswing 5. Length of follow thru- make an abbreviated short follow thru. The lower the finish, the lower the shot, this will work! Next time you need to “keep it down in the wind.” Give this a try! Junior Golf We have 2 dates for junior golf in July the first date is our Golf-Tennis-Pool camp which is July 13th-17th from 8:30am to 12:30pm. The 2nd camp which is all golf is July 28th, 29th & 30th from 8:30am to 11:00am. The golf shop and the admin office has all of the information; call and sign your kids up today! The golf course is in excellent condition come on over to play and bring your friends! Until next time “keep it in the short grass” Mike Page 9—Country Club Fold out for Village Calendar (Pages 7 & 8) Please Recycle Advisory Board Meeting Schedule Audit Committee …………………………………..on call Code Enforcement Board ….1st Monday, on call, 6:30 pm Construction Board of Adjustment…………………on call Golf Advisory Board …….2nd Monday, monthly, 5:00pm Library Advisory Board ….4th Tuesday, monthly, 7:00pm Pension Board - General Employees……………….on call Pension Board - Police & Fire ……………………..on call Planning Commission …….1st Tuesday, monthly, 6:30pm Recreation Advisory Board 2nd Tuesday, monthly,7:30pm Waterways Board …….next to last Tuesday, monthly, (except June, Aug, & Dec), 4:00pm Zoning Board of Adjustment ………………………on call VILLAGE NEWSLETTER 501 U.S. HIGHWAY 1 NORTH PALM BEACH, FL 33408 ************** ECRWSS POSTAL PATRON NORTH PALM BEACH, FL 33408 Upcoming Council Meetings Thursday, July 9, 2009, 7:30pm Thursday, July 23, 2009, 7:30pm Village of North Palm Beach Village Council David B. Norris Mayor William Manuel Vice Mayor Darryl C. Aubrey, Sc. D. President Pro Tem Edward M. Eissey, Ph.D. Councilman T.R. Hernacki, P.E. Councilman Jimmy Knight Village Manager Melissa Teal, CMC Village Clerk Village Council members can be contacted through the office of the Village Clerk at 841-3355 or by email at npbclerk@village-npb.org *All meetings are held at the Vil- lage Hall, 501 US Highway One Permanent Garbage Pickup Schedule Mondays - Garbage only Tuesdays - Trash, Bulk Items & Vegetation Wednesdays - Garbage only Thursdays - Trash, Bulk Items, Vegetation & Recycling Fridays - Garbage only Country Club Administration 691-3421 Golf Shop 691-3433 Pool 691-3427 Tennis 626-6515 Restaurant 691-3430 Community Development 841-3365 Finance 841-3360 Library 841-3383 Public Safety: Emergency 911 Non-Emergency 848-2525 Public Works 691-3440 Recreation 841-3388 Anchorage Park 841-3386 Community Center 841-3389 Village Clerk’s Office 841-3355 Village Historian 841-3371 Village Manager’s Office 904-2122 Directory Village Hall 501 U.S. Highway One North Palm Beach, FL 33408 841-3380