Let’s see what was spent last year by the Town of Loxahatchee Groves: $700,000 for road maintenance, $485,000 for town management, $125,000 for engineering services and $110,000 for attorney fees. These are just a few of the expenditures that the town paid for last year.
The town roads are full of potholes, washouts or are bumpy. There are signs missing or damaged with metal poles sticking out of the ground. One third of the speed humps are painted (at the cost of $945 per speed hump) while the remaining two thirds are faded black humps barely visible during the day and not at all after dark. Tree branches are taking over the roads, reducing the road width while scratching the sides of vehicles.
What has the town spent our taxpayer dollars on? The town roads should be graded more than once a month. The potholes should be filled. The signs should be repaired or replaced as needed. The speed humps should be painted (for a lot less than $945 per hump) and the roads should be hedged.
All of the town councilmen and the town manager drive on our roads but seem oblivious to the problems around, in front of and underneath them. They are more concerned with dropping the speed limit on Okeechobee Blvd.
With just the four services listed above, the town spent $1.4 million last year, and this does not include paving and drainage on South B Road. Is it that difficult to grade the roads, fill the potholes, replace the signs, paint the speed humps and hedge the roads?
Now the town is asking voters to approve borrowing up to $6 million to do what they should have done last year, and the year before that, and the year before that… you get it.
The town needs to get its spending under control before asking the voters for additional funds.
The choice is clear to me. Vote “no” to allow the town to borrow this money and vote “yes” for Dave DeMarois, who will get this out-of-control spending under control.
Frank Schiola, Loxahatchee Groves
Editor’s note: Mr. Schiola is chairman of the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District.
