The Rotary Club of Royal Palm Beach kicked off its 29th year of service to the community when the gavel fell to open the first meeting of the new Rotary year at the Pirate’s Well in Royal Palm Beach on Thursday, July 12. Newly installed President Jeff Hmara presided at the well-attended 7:30 a.m. meeting.
The meeting featured two highly informative presentations.
Attorney Shay Manibog gave a five-minute presentation on conflict resolution. Manibog is an expert in the field and heads TriDialogue Mediation. She is a certified mediator and has extensive legal experience in conflict resolution.
Manibog discussed various mediation methodologies available to assist parties in settling conflicts without having to resort to litigation. These methods include negotiation, arbitration and mediation. Conflict resolution can be utilized to solve family issues, including divorce, adoption and custody issues. Manibog added that conflict resolution can also be used in civil disputes.
The guest speaker for the week was Royal Palm Beach Village Manager Ray Liggins, introduced by Hmara, who is also a member of the Royal Palm Beach Village Council.
Liggins’ remarks focused on two key areas of governance in the community. The first was the Strategic Plan. He described the process by which the Strategic Plan is updated annually with community input at a public meeting, where citizens contribute ideas and prioritize goals to be achieved in the ensuing year. The key elements of the Royal Palm Beach Mission Statement provide for services and facilities to the community.
The second area of focus is the village budget. Liggins indicated that the budget for the upcoming year will not require a tax rate increase. In fact, the tax rate has not been increased in Royal Palm Beach in more than 20 years.
During the meeting, Hmara presented Past President Steve Logan with his third Paul Harris Fellow Award for Logan’s contributions to the Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Club of Royal Palm Beach is chartered by Rotary International, an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders.
The Royal Palm Beach Rotary Club meets every Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. at the Pirate’s Well at Crestwood and Southern boulevards.
Any interested resident is welcome to attend as a guest and learn more about Rotary.
