I attended last week’s Community Conversation on the proposed Police Headquarters.
The City Manager explained how the alternatives had been narrowed to two sites. The Police Chief explained something equally important: wherever headquarters is located, officers will continue to be deployed throughout Boca based on where police services are needed.
So the choice of headquarters does not determine the level of police presence downtown.
Both locations would give our Police Department something it needs today — centralized command, control and communications.
But there are important differences.
The downtown site requires a multistory building, has no room for future expansion, and is within a hurricane evacuation zone.
The Spanish River site provides the centralized headquarters we need today, outside the evacuation zone, with room to accommodate whatever the future may bring.
At our discussion table, four residents with different backgrounds and from different parts of Boca reached a unanimous conclusion: we preferred the Spanish River location.
But I thought there was another question the public needed answered.
During Q & A, I asked the Finance Director: If voters approve a $125 million bond issue in March, what would it mean to taxpayers on their tax bill this time next year?
His direct answer was an estimated $93 per year.
That’s less than eight dollars a month.
I think that number matters – a lot.
For less than $8 per month, all 110,000 men, women and children get the public safety the need from a more efficient Police Department.
The City needs to make the case for why Boca needs a modern Police Headquarters — based on public safety, operational needs and the facts. Period.
And as we move toward March, I hope the discussion about the bond stays focused on the fundamental question:
What does our Police Department need to keep Boca safe, and is that worth $8 a month?
I think it is.