Loxahatchee Groves Council asks voters to delay payback

LOXAHATCHEEGROVES— Voters will decide whether the town should have more time to repay borrowed money after the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council on Thursday night approved a ballot question on the issue.

If approved, the measure would allow Loxahatchee Groves to have 11 years to repay loans and other forms of borrowed cash, instead of the three years currently allowed. Officials say approving the measure would allow the town to make muchneeded repairs and upgrades on its road system.

The question will appear on the Aug. 28 primary election ballot for Loxahatchee Groves voters. This was the second and final reading of the measure. The council unanimously approved adding the question to the ballot.

Town attorney Mike Cirullo said the step also could help homeowners who want to pave their dirt roads, a decision that requires a majority of homeowners along the road to agree the step is needed, then enter into an agreement to pay 50 percent of the cost. “When there’s a 50-50 match, the town’s going to borrow the money and the people will pay it over a 10-year period through an assessment,” Cirullo said.

The ballot question is one of two upcoming votes for residents that some officials say could improve road conditions. The other is an upcoming June 25 vote that could possibly incorporate the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District into the town government.

The district and the town have operated separately since Loxahatchee Groves incorporated a little more than a decade ago. Until this past fall, the town paid the district to maintain several roads. Supporters of the merger say that since the district no longer performs road maintenance, the money the district collected for the roads should come to the town.