Traffic Concurrency, Ethics Reform Discussed at Community Forum

Commissioner Santamaria

Commissioner Santamaria

County Engineer George Webb

Inspector General Sheryl Steckler

COE Executive Director Alan Johnson

Commissioner Jess Santamaria held his monthly community forum on June 15 at the original Wellington Mall. About 80 west-central area residents and community leaders attended.

County Engineer George Webb gave an informative PowerPoint presentation on new state laws that eliminate many long-standing rules regarding traffic concurrency associated with new development.

“I am very proud of what Palm Beach County has done with preventing overcapacity roads for the past 20 years,” said Webb. “This (legislation) undoes most of that.”

Webb gave a working example of how certain large-scale property owners won’t be required to pay for much, if any, of the cost to expand roadways to accommodate the extra traffic their projects will generate. “I think it was a major mistake, but it’s a state law and we’re going to adhere to it,” he said.

Questions from the audience touched on the broad use of CRALLS (constrained roadway at lower levels of service) designations, and diminished state oversight due to a downgrade of the Department of Community Affairs.

Inspector General Sheryl Steckler and Alan Johnson, executive director for the Commission on Ethics, gave updates on implementing ethics reform measures for approximately 8,000 municipal employees and elected officials, who are now under the jurisdiction of both agencies.

Steckler has been on the job just shy of one year. She said her office is slightly above the 200 complaints she had predicted would be received in the first year. Johnson mentioned that the first annual report by the Commission on Ethics is available for review at http://www.palmbeachcountyethics.com.