Voters approve county, school taxes

Sarasota Tsunami swim team coach Chris Daly kept his eyes on the lanes of swimmers completing laps at John H. Marble Park Monday. As each child, ages 14 and younger, finished, he provided instructions.

The Tsunami began using the East County pool at John Marble after the Manatee County YMCA disbanded its competitive swim team, the Blackfins, in April. Manatee County has only two other public pools — at G.T. Bray and East Bradenton parks — but neither is in eastern Manatee County.

Manatee County officials have already approved the conversion of the pool at John Marble Park into a year-round facility with the addition of lighting and pool heaters, but bigger and better improvements are forthcoming because Manatee County voters on Nov. 8 approved a 15-year, half-cent county surtax for infrastructure.

The sales tax is expected to generate more than $22 million annually — of which one-third would be paid by tourists and seasonal residents.

“I couldn’t be more supportive,” Daly said of the tax. “I think the kids need a place to go. These facilities have been fantastic.”

In keeping with a recommendation by a citizens advisory group, tasked earlier this year with exploring options for funding the county’s infrastructure needs, Manatee County government has committed to use 71% of sales tax revenues for transportation-related projects, 15% for public safety and 14% for parks and community facilities.

Danielle Meo, a Manatee County 9-11 dispatcher who lives down the road from the park, said the surtax is a necessity.

“We need a lot of improvements to our infrastructure, our parks and our roads,” she said. “Things have to get better here. If it keeps getting worse and there’s no money to fix the problem, they’re just going to close (amenities).”

For John H. Marble Park, the county is proposing about $3.5 million in investments. That includes repaving the parking lot, replacing the existing pavilion and replacing it with a pavilion and restroom, expanding the pool deck and replacing the existing gymnasium for use as a community center, among other improvements.

Manatee County officials envision those and additional renovations will make the facility more comparable to the county’s largest park, G.T. Bray, an athletic complex with amenities such as a skate board park, playgrounds, Olympic size pool, a kids pool and splash ground and other sports fields. Longer-term plans envision an expanded pool patio and a new gym that could incorporate a fitness facility. A kids splash pad area would be funded through impact fees.

“The John Marble Park complex is going to be a priority,” County Administrator Ed Hunzeker said. “We need more than one GT Bray. We need multiples of that. The idea is to replicate that in other areas of the county and Marble would be the first.”

Manatee County officials believe sales tax is the best way to diversify the county’s revenue streams to better meet the community’s existing and future needs. Manatee County is facing a budget shortfall starting in 2018 if it does not increase revenues or cut programming.

Hunzeker said the county will focus initially on projects that can be completed quickly, without the complexity of land acquisitions or extensive permitting.

Those projects will be items such as the replacement of playground equipment or facility repairs.

“We have no incentive to keep money in the bank,” Hunzeker said. “The incentive is to take care of the things we need to take care of.”

A list of projects promised to voters includes improvements to parks, including renovated tennis courts and LED court lighting at Lakewood Ranch District Park, an expansion to the Braden River Library, a new East County library, a new helicopter for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and a plethora of road-related improvements, including sidewalk installations and repairs and traffic signals on East County roads.