- April 25, 2024
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The Sarasota County Commission has set tentative priorities for fiscal year 2019 and approved priorities for this year’s legislative session following meetings earlier this month.
Affordable housing solutions top the commission's priority list. All five board members agreed at a Dec. 8 retreat that finding creative ways to expand affordable housing was the No. 1 priority for the next year, and emphasized the importance of taking real actionable steps.
The No. 2 priority for the commission is to work on its relationship with surrounding municipalities, particularly in light of the downtown Community Redevelopment Area dispute with the city. The city says the county owes it money, but the county says it doesn't.
“If we stay at odds with the city of Sarasota and potentially even go to litigation, I don’t care if we win 100%,” Commissioner Charles Hines said. “We lose public confidence when we can’t cooperate with our sister and brother cities.”
The commission identified ten topics to focus on, which it will approve in 2018. Commissioners plan to have the priority list ready early in the year to help shape the fiscal year 2019 budget.
The list also includes an emphasis on balancing the budget, which will be important as the county looks for spending cuts to avoid a shortfall in the coming years.
On Dec. 12, the commission approved its 2018 Federal Legislative Program, which identifies priorities for Sarasota County at a federal level.
“The county’s federal legislative program has increased focus on pursuing federal funds through competitive grant opportunities, while carefully monitoring any direct appropriations that become available from Congress,” said a memo to commissioners.
The program focuses on the following issues:
