even more important. But we’re ahead of the curve now—we’ve made significant improvements over the years.” Another priority has been the town’s roads. “When we first took over from the county, there wasn’t a plan to maintain or improve the roads, and they were deteriorating,” Mayor Breitkreuz explains. “We developed a road repaving program about ten years ago to ensure all our roads are resurfaced on a 30year cycle. We’ve budgeted for it yearly and are trying to get ahead of the curve.” Looking to the future, the town’s most significant infrastructure project is constructing a new public safety building. “Right now, we contract with the neighboring town of Davie for our police and fire services, and they’ve been a great partner,” Muñiz says.“But we don’t have the infrastructure to house their personnel and equipment on the western side of town, so we’re building a firehouse and an emergency operations center.This is a big project for us, and we’re excited to see it move forward.” KEEPING TAXES LOW Southwest Ranches takes a unique approach to municipal operations by contracting out most of its services, which has helped keep taxes low. “We’re a contract town, which means we outsource many of the services that other towns handle in-house,” Mayor Breitkreuz explains. “Everything we do is competitively bid, so we avoid the bureaucracy that can drive up costs.” This approach has paid off: Southwest Ranches now features the third-lowest millage rate in Broward County.“When we first formed, there were questions about whether we could even survive as a town,” Mayor Breitkreuz recalls. “But here we are, 24 years later, and we’ve kept our taxes low while still providing high-quality services.” We’re your neighbors, family, and friends, working for a sustainable tomorrow. And wherever, whenever our communities need us, we’re delivering solutions you can count on. WM is proud to be the environmental solutions provider for Southwest Ranches. WE’RE DRIVING SUSTAINABILITYSM wm.com/sustainability 305 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 11 SOUTHWEST RANCHES, FL
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