Brenner makes recommendations for budget surplus

Longboat Key Vice Mayor David Brenner laid out his recommendations for the town’s $52,400 budget surplus for the 2011-12 fiscal year in an email to Town Manager Bruce St. Denis.

Brenner recommends that $8,000 of the surplus should go toward eliminating the proposed increase for business-license fees.

He also suggests that the town add back contributions for the following organizations that had been eliminated from previous budgets: Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START), $17,500; Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence (SCOPE), $2,000; Economic Development Corporation (EDC) of Sarasota County, $4,000; Manatee EDC, $2,500 and Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, $15,000.

Brenner recommends applying the $2,900 balance toward reducing the share of health-care costs paid by employees at the lowest end of the pay scale.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].