Why Hillsboro Beach needs a Town Manager

1. The Model City Charter recommends the council/manager structure of municipal government. This is stated in the 8^th edition published in 2003. It has become the most widely used governmental structure in American cities.
2. The Town did a Charter Review in 2008 and the recommendation was to convert to a Town Manager/Commission form of government. Our current Mayor was a member of the review committee.
3. Most Florida towns our size have moved to the Town Manager form of government since the Sunshine Laws made it illegal for Commission members to interact on a daily basis. Similar/neighboring towns include:

Highland Beach

Pompano Beach

Deerfield Beach

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

Jupiter Island

(All of the above have the Police Chief reporting to the Town/City Manager.)

4. The Sunshine Laws create the need for a Town Manager. Commissioners cannot talk to one another except at public Commission meetings once a month, but a Town Manager can talk to anyone anytime.
5. Commissioners are largely volunteers donating spare time and offering their best efforts to run a $6+ million business. No private sector corporation would install five volunteers (meeting once per month, who cannot discuss business among themselves otherwise) without a manager running the daily affairs of the enterprise.
6. A $6+M entity cannot be run efficiently without daily, professional oversight. Though small, HB is a complex entity including: Police, Water Department, beach issues, and 30 employees/contracted consultants.
7. Without a Town Manager, even minute details of management cannot be dealt with except once a month and in public, wasting the time of a room full of people, many of whom are Town employees paid by the hour.
8. Every employee needs a job description and an official annual evaluation. All equipment/processes must have manuals detailing operations and procedures. A Commission of volunteers is not equipped to oversee this.

Come to the meeting this Friday and tell the Commission you want them to put this vital issue on the March 2015 ballot. We hope you will make it a top priority to attend. This issue is fundamental to the future efficiency and effectiveness of your local government.

If you cannot make it, please email your thoughts to the Commission, care of the Town Clerk and ask that it be sent to all Commissioners:

 jmmark@townofhillsborobeach.com .

We're looking for Commissioner Candidates

Introduction

The Hillsboro Beach Advocates (HBA – an ad hoc citizens’ group) is preparing for the March election of three of our five Town Commissioners. HBA wants to assure that progress on managing our beach is accelerated by voting in the right candidates. Here’s why:

Over the past six decades, Hillsboro Beach has suffered significant beach erosion resulting from the combined impact of the Boca Raton Inlet and the man-installed ocean rock formations adjacent to Deerfield Beach (Deerfield groins). The combined erosive impact has resulted in six re-nourishments, costing the citizens of Hillsboro Beach over $11 million and counting.

The Town of Hillsboro Beach has just begun to address the root causes of our erosion problem but needs to do much more, in the opinion of the HBA.

Interaction between HBA and Hillsboro Beach Commission

The HBA has researched the technical issues of beach erosion and the licensing and permitting by state and federal agencies of the two entities causing major erosion to our beach. HBA has developed a strategic plan of how to proceed to mitigate the impact of the Boca Inlet and the Deerfield groins. These efforts have been shared with our Commission and specific steps proposed. These significant efforts have yielded a few positive results; however, HBA believes much more should be done.  

The Town of Hillsboro Beach should have a high-priority goal of reducing the need for expensive, frequent re-nourishment projects. To accomplish this goal, the Town must be more pro-active than it has been in the past. The Town Commission must work with many entities to get results: the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the US Army Corps of Engineers, County, State and Federal appointed and elected officials, our neighboring towns and our town residents. This is a difficult task that the HBA has been advocating since its founding. We need to work in harmony to improve our chances of success.

Looking ahead

In the upcoming March 2015 election, three of the current Commissioners' terms will expire. The citizens of Hillsboro Beach will be presented with an invaluable opportunity to elect Commissioners who will put the interest of the Town above all others. If we, the citizens of Hillsboro Beach, do not capitalize on this opportunity, the status quo of the past six decades will persist.

What needs to be done?

The HBA has been working hard to find qualified candidates to fill the Commissioner openings that will be available in March 2015 with dedicated individuals willing to take on this challenge.

If you feel you are the right person or know of someone you feel comfortable recommending, please step forward now. Now is the time we all need your help.

Click Here to Volunteer or Recommend 

Sincerely,

Hillsboro Beach Advocates
Working to save your sand and tax dollars