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CHARTER – Village of Loxahatchee
Where can I find the Charter for the proposed municipality?
The Charter submitted to Tallahassee on September 2nd, 2022, can be found here
CHARTER – VILLAGE OF LOXAHATCHEE – Purpose and Intent
The Charter clearly states the purpose of incorporation is to preserve and protect our rural, agricultural, and equestrian community. The Charter is like the constitution of the municipality. The Comprehensive Plan and the Uniform Land Development Codes (ULDC) adopted by the future Village of Loxahatchee Council should reflect the vision in the Charter voted on by the residents. The full Charter submitted to the legislature can be read here.
Below is the excerpt from the Charter setting out the PURPOSE of the Charter:
(2) PURPOSE OF THE CHARTER. – This act, together with any future amendments thereto, shall be known as the Charter of the Village of Loxahatchee (“Charterâ€).
(a) The Loxahatchee area in Palm Beach County includes a compact and contiguous rural community with a population of approximately 43,000 people who are experiencing certain impacts and threats to the agricultural character and lifestyle as well as plant and tree nurseries face impacts and threats to their agricultural business in the Loxahatchee community from urbanization in the surrounding area.
(b) It is in the best interests of the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the “Loxahatchee Area†to form a separate municipality for the “Loxahatchee Area†with all the powers and authority necessary to provide adequate and efficient municipal services to its residents.
(c) It is intended that this Charter and the incorporation of the “Loxahatchee area†shall serve to preserve and protect the equestrian and agricultural character, natural resources and rural quality of life of the community. In furtherance of this intent, the rights of the Village residents, on properties zoned agricultural or agricultural residential, as defined by the Palm Beach County Comprehensive Plan on the date of incorporation, to utilize said lands for agricultural uses and shall not be infringed upon by the Village, except for the following shall not be construed as an infringement of said rights:
1. laws of the United States;
2. laws of the State, or
3. Best Management Practices adopted by the State Department of Agriculture, or,
4. Agricultural Best Management Practices or any public health, safety and welfare regulations as may be adopted by Ordinance by the Village council.
(d) It is intended that this Charter and the incorporation of the Village is to secure the benefits of self-determination and affirm the values of representative democracy, citizen participation, strong community leadership, professional management and regional cooperation.
(e) It is the intent of this Charter and the incorporation of the Village to maintain a financially secure and sustainable municipal government and to responsibly manage the Village’s debt obligations without causing the State to incur any liability
Doesn’t the terms City, Town and Village apply to certain population levels for a municipality?
No. The term “municipality†may be used interchangeably with the terms “town,†“city,†and “village.†And has no other meaning.
What does preserving and protecting what we have actually mean?
We can find guidance on this from the Acreage Neighborhood Plan adopted by the County in their comprehensive plan in 1995 and revised in 2008. Note that the Acreage Neighborhood Plan only covers the currently active units of development in Indian Trail and does not apply to all the areas not included in the overlay area. Most of the areas excluded are actually in the rural tier unlike the ANP area which is the exurban tier. The ANP is a guiding document and not law according to the County. The full document can be found here and an excerpt from the vision statement is below
Also note there is a general consensus to preserve our agricultural land use and zoning as well as equestrian community designation.
Overall Vision Statement “Preserving and promoting our unique rural lifestyle by planning today for tomorrow†Goal #1 Enhance the rural character of The Acreage and protect a large lot, single family dwelling unit, residential neighborhood land use pattern. Goal #2 Preserve and protect The Acreage’s lifestyle while providing essential ingredients for the continued health of the community. Goal #3 Support land use controls that protect natural resources provide orderly growth and reduce conflicts between landowners. Goal #4 Encourage agricultural usage of property that is permitted by the Palm Beach County Comprehensive Plan and Unified Land Development Code. Goal #5 Uniformly enforce code regulations throughout The Acreage.