News Briefs 07.22.10

+ P&Z chairwoman scolds member
Planning and Zoning Board Chairwoman B.J. Webb sent an e-mail to the planning board and the Town Commission Tuesday, July 20, suggesting that fellow board member Bradford Saivetz might not be suited for serving on a town board.

Referring to an opinion column Saivetz wrote for the Longboat Key News last week regarding the commission’s approval of the Longboat Key Club’s Islandside project, Webb wrote:

“For a P&Z member to be writing an article, pro or con, after a decision has been made by the P&Z and not even acknowledge he is a member of the P&Z Board is unseemly at best.”

In her e-mail, Webb said that being on a public body has certain public-speaking restrictions and disclosure requirements.

“The time to debate an issue is before a vote with fellow board members,” Webb said. “If one is not able or willing to debate an issue from the dais, perhaps that is not a person well suited for serving on a board.”

Webb plans to discuss the issue at the planning board’s Sept. 21 regular meeting.

Saivetz responded in an e-mail sent to the town Tuesday, explaining that the project the commission approved was “a much different plan” than the one the planning board approved.

Wrote Saivetz: “Neither the new plan, nor the original one, were things that I was able to ‘debate from the dais.’ It is not in the best interest of this board, or any board, that the members are in lock-step with its chair.”

+ Town to outsource fleet maintenance
The town of Longboat Key will save thousands of dollars per year by outsourcing the maintenance of its fire-rescue emergency vehicles to Sarasota County.

County commissioners unanimously approved July 13, an agreement between the two governments in which the county will maintain and repair 13 Longboat Key vehicles.

The service will not cost the county anything, because the repair technicians doing the work are already on staff.

The agreement makes possible the servicing of all 67 town vehicles, but, at this point, town leaders only want emergency vehicles serviced.

An outside contractor maintains the rest of the Key’s fleet.