Tequesta oversight committee approves 2023 infrastructure surtax expenditure report after staff presentation

The Infrastructure Surtax Oversight Committee for the Village of Tequesta on Jan. 16 recommended approval of the village's 2023 infrastructure surtax expenditure report following a presentation by Public Works Director Doug Chambers.

Chambers told the committee the Public Works Department provided oversight for $961,483 in surtax funds during fiscal-year 2024 and summarized the projects that used that funding. "It was a busy year," Chambers said, citing roadway, drainage and sidewalk work and a multi-phase passive park project.

The report highlighted a mix of smaller and larger investments. Chambers said $151,321 in surtax funds was used on the Country Club community road work, part of a project that totaled about $710,000 after accounting for work the village did not directly fund. The El Portal Drive project received $402,328 in surtax funds and had a total cost of just under $1 million, the presentation said. Remembrance Park received $199,887 of surtax money toward an overall project budget of about $1.1 million. A sidewalk extension serving the pickleball and tennis courts at DeQuesta Park was listed at $27,136. Chambers also said crews replaced roughly 2,000 linear feet of concrete sidewalk in multiple locations.

Chambers described preparatory work to limit future repairs: engineers and staff collected about 26 to 27 core samples in the Country Club area to inspect the road base, and the Loxahatchee River District televised sanitary sewer pipe to look for leaks that could undermine pavement. Chambers said the village also coordinated with utilities such as Florida Power & Light, Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to avoid repaving before underground or utility work was finished.

During public comment, resident Marco Valdez of 102 Beechwood Trail asked about the committee's target balance and whether any statute governs how much reserve the village must keep. A staff member replied that the surtax is set to sunset in 2025 and that county officials have discussed but not yet deployed a potential transportation surtax that could replace the existing surtax; timing has not been announced.

Committee members then moved to recommend approval of the surtax expenditure report. The on-the-record motion passed; the transcript does not record a roll-call vote count or the names of the motion maker and seconder.

The committee's recommendation will be transmitted with the report. Staff noted that some projects remain in construction and some future projects will be prioritized as the village enters the next budget season.