Colony: Not the only agenda item

The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort Association’s petition to extend its Dec. 31 re-opening deadline by 18 months is the item that will likely fill Town Hall Chambers Tuesday, Sept. 4, but it isn’t the only item on the Longboat Key Town Commission’s regular meeting.

The commission has a full agenda for its 7 p.m. Sept. 4 meeting, which will take place on Tuesday instead of Monday because of the Labor Day holiday.

The commission’s summer hiatus will actually come to an end before the meeting:

A special budget workshop will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday for discussion of the 2012-13 fiscal year budget.

Then, the commission will return that meeting for its regular meeting. According to a draft agenda, the commission will:

• Hear a report from Acting Police Chief Pete Cumming, who will discuss the town’s crime trends over the past five years and provide a status update on proposed license-plate recognition cameras.

• Adopt a millage rate and budget for the town on first reading and public hearing for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The commission voted in July to assess a maximum millage rate of 1.8872. The ordinances will be forwarded to a special meeting Sept. 24 for adoption on second reading and public hearing.

• Discuss changing the designation of town-owned properties at 4110 and 5810 Gulf of Mexico Drive on the town’s future land use map to reflect their current use as open space on first reading and public hearing. Emerald Harbor resident Bob Craft brought the issue to the commission’s attention in March, when he said at a meeting that the 3.9-acre property at 5810 Gulf of Mexico Drive near his home is classified on the map as residential, rather than open space.

• Consider an ordinance on first reading providing for the pass-through of a second consecutive yearly wholesale water and wastewater rate increase. The increase would be effective Nov. 1.

• Consider on closing and action on consent agenda the appointment of new at-large Commissioner Terry Gans to the committee and outside agency seats held by Hal Lenobel, who resigned in July, as well as the appointment of a resident to the Citizens Oversight Tax Committee.

• Issue a proclamation recognizing the town’s IT Department for receiving the Florida Local Government Information Systems Association Achievement Award for “Best Application Serving a Public Organization’s Business Needs.

• Discuss proposed agenda items for a 1:30 p.m. Oct. 1 joint meeting with the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, at Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].