The Village of Royal Palm Beach has a reputation for being well-managed, and its citizens enjoy one of the lowest property tax rates in Palm Beach County. This does not happen by accident. At the Thursday, Oct. 16 meeting of the Royal Palm Beach Village Council, Village Manager Ray Liggins took the council on a deep dive into the village’s strategic planning process.
Village leadership takes strategic planning seriously. The plan looks 15 years ahead, with five-year benchmarks, and is published annually with a semi-annual review. However, this was the first time that the plan’s semi-annual review was conducted as a formal agenda item at a council meeting.
Mayor Jeff Hmara had pulled the item from the previous month’s agenda so that the council could take more time to discuss the plan and move forward.
“Strategic Planning is so important to the village and is integral to the budget process,” Hmara said. “It all starts at the annual Citizen Summit, where citizens present ideas.”
At the 2025 Citizen Summit in April, Liggins said, “Get your ideas on the record. Every idea is recorded. Staff and the council can either include the idea in the next budget year or make it a policy agenda item for next year’s strategic planning process.”
The council first sets a vision of what the village wants to be in 2040. The vision for Royal Palm Beach is to maintain itself as a hometown, family community.
The strategic planning process is a logical process, where goals, actions and budget flows from the village’s mission statement: “The mission of the Village of Royal Palm Beach is to provide desired municipal services and well-designed, well-built and well-maintained facilities and infrastructure to create an aesthetically pleasing, active and connected community.”
From the mission statement, village leadership has identified four specific goals to be accomplished within the context of a five-year plan: Financially Sound Government, Responsive Village Services, Exceptional Parks and Leisure Choices for All, and RPB: A Unique Community.
Liggins noted that fiscal goals are being achieved. The council prides itself on having one of the lowest municipal property tax rates in Palm Beach County. The village has maintained its tax rate unchanged for the past 16 years. Royal Palm Beach’s property tax rate of 1.92 mills compares favorably with other nearby municipalities.
The plan acknowledges challenges to the fiscal well-being of the village and points to existing and potential Florida legislation that could impact village revenues and services, impact fees, home rule, etc. Of significant concern to the village is the proposal by Gov. Ron DeSantis to do away with property taxes, which currently are major sources of funding for municipalities, sheriff’s services, fire services and schools.
Perhaps with that looming financial threat on their minds, the council then discussed recreational services. The village is well known for its parks and leisure services program, which come with a cost. Liggins briefed the council on how twice-monthly events, like a cover band with food trucks at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park, cost the village about $3,000 per event. Five times a year, the village holds major events, whose total cost is about half a million dollars annually. The village’s most expensive and popular event is the Fourth of July celebration, which costs about $130,000.
The council then turned its attention to public involvement goals within the context of the strategic plan. The village keeps its residents informed via a variety of platforms. The village’s web site is being refreshed, and the village is developing an app to make interactions with residents even more seamless. Residents are encouraged to go online and sign up for the free monthly Village Voice and Mayor’s Vector newsletters. Liggins added that the village now has a full-time public involvement position.
At the end of the manager’s presentation, Councilman Adam Miller thanked Liggins and said he found the presentation very helpful. Councilwoman Sylvia Sharps took it a step further.
“We have the best village manager in the USA,” she said. “I am so proud of Ray and his staff on how seriously they do their work. They make us all proud.”
Liggins thanked them, but noted that, “It’s all about teamwork. Nothing happens individually.”
