The Town of Loxahatchee Groves and the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District have agreed, with an executed interlocal agreement, and “acknowledge that the eligible public roadway improvements include construction and re-construction of roadway drainage facilities including, but not limited to, canal excavation, culvert replacement…”
The town agrees to reimburse the LGWCD in an amount not to exceed $150,000, as provided in section 336.025 of state statute.
At the July 1 Loxahatchee Groves Town Council meeting, an elected LGWCD official took exception with the claim that the interlocal agreement specifies the LGWCD as being financially responsible for public culverts located on roads designated on the town’s gas tax map.
“Wanting to clear the facts,” the LGWCD spokesman explained, “the language of the agreement was to allow for the use of gas tax funds for the public culverts that crossed over Okeechobee Blvd. We spent $42,000 to clean and repair those culverts.”
Fact: The agreement does not include any of the aforementioned language.
Fact: LGWCD funded the repairs of public culverts.
Adopted town policy states roads on the gas tax map are public use. The county required the LGWCD to fund repairs to public culverts under a county road. The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council is charged, by having such policy, to require the LGWCD to fund repairs to public culverts under town roads. The use of the $42,000 of town funds on a county road requires further examination by council.
Each Groves property is assessed by the LGWCD for road maintenance. Each Groves property located on roads that have OGEM is assessed by the LGWCD for the debt. The LGWCD receives additional town funds for the road repair contract. The town also surrenders the town’s gas tax revenue to the LGWCD. The LGWCD operates under a legal one-vote-per-acre election process instead of one-man-one-vote, which is the norm.
The LGWCD has fashioned Loxahatchee Groves into a company town.
Keith Harris, Loxahatchee Groves
