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Loxahatchee Groves Council votes to back Palm Beach County Fire Rescue bill protecting MSTU revenues
Summary
After a presentation by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, the Town Council pulled a consent resolution and unanimously approved a letter of support for a local bill intended to preserve fire MSTU revenue when municipalities annex service areas, citing planning and coverage concerns.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue officials told the Town of Loxahatchee Groves Council on Dec. 2 that a proposed local bill would protect the county’s municipal services taxing unit (MSTU) revenues in the event of municipal annexations and asked the council to back the legislation.
"All it does is allow us a conversation on the back end of, after you annex," Amanda Bommero, a district chief with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, said, describing the measure as a mechanism to preserve service delivery and revenue while municipalities grow. Chief Pat Kennedy said the county has multiple stations that could be affected if annexations cherry‑pick high tax base areas, describing past examples where new stations and equipment were planned only to see service boundaries change.
Council members asked about fiscal impacts for small municipalities if the county were to lose portions of the MSTU tax base. Fire Rescue representatives said the bill would make annexations revenue neutral to the MSTU by allowing the county to continue collecting the MSTU rate from the annexing municipality or otherwise negotiate service delivery, helping avoid staff reductions or station closures. The presentation cited roughly 16 county stations located inside potential annexation areas and highlighted planning uncertainty as a key issue.
Council member discussion focused on whether the proposal would shift costs to smaller towns and how the protections would be implemented. Council ultimately agreed to pull and vote on the consent item and then approved the resolution and letter of support by voice vote, recorded as passing 5–0.
The council’s action was procedural: the resolution directs town staff to publish a letter supporting the county’s legislative request and to coordinate with the town’s legislative representatives. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue thanked the council for the support and said it would continue to brief municipalities as the bill is drafted.
Next steps: staff will finalize and transmit the town’s letter of support and monitor bill language for any requested clarifications or technical changes.
