City Commission considers budget cap amendment

Searching for a solution to what he feels is a looming issue in the city of Sarasota, Mayor Shannon Snyder drew inspiration from the south.

Snyder, who believes tax increases will eventually drive people away from the city, asked commissioners Monday to consider a possible charter amendment similar to one that Venice voters approved last month.

Voters in Venice, by a nearly 3-to-1 margin, approved an amendment that limits the general fund budget the city manager submits to a 3% increase, unless the City Council grants an exception in advance.

The proposal was popular among Venice voters, but the Sarasota City Commission had a more mixedreaction. The idea has life beyond Monday’s commission meeting, as Vice Mayor Willie Shaw and Commissioners Paul Caragiulo and Suzanne Atwell showed a willingness to consider the proposal — to varying degrees.

Caragiulo said he wanted to speak with the Sarasota County Property Appraiser and account for the differences between Venice and Sarasota’s budgetary process before moving forward with an amendment. Still, he was receptive to the proposal, arguing that it should be up to the citizens to decide what to do.

“It’s a big, big issue, but I think it would be pretty hard to convince me not to put it on the ballot,” Caragiulo said.

Atwell and Shaw showed a greater hesitance to cap spending, particularly with looming expenditures such as a potential forthcoming homeless shelter. With the 2014-15 budget process set to begin next week, both commissioners wanted to take a more methodical look at any changes.

“In the past, we have come up with ideas — without properly brainstorming them — that have come back to bite us,” Shaw said.

Commissioner Susan Chapman was staunchly opposed to the idea, arguing that areas for budget cuts needed to be specifically identified. She also balked at revising the city’s charter, and believes that a much more deliberate approach was necessary to amend the guiding document.

“We’re not supposed to mess with our charter every time we get a whim,” Chapman said.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to include hypothetical 2014-15 budget figures, were such an amendment passed, as a point of reference to further consider the proposal. Chapman and Shaw cast the dissenting votes. Fiscal year 2013-14 general fund expenditures totaled $59,175,203; limiting that budget to a 3% increase would cap the 2014-15 total at about $60.95 million.

A majority of the commission signaled a belief that November would be too soon to place such an amendment on the ballot. The board expressed a desire to move slowly on this issue, but commissioners agreed the proposal would soon become a hot topic among their constituents.

“It’s very hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube,” Caragiulo said.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].