Proposed bill could terminate town's business tax receipt program

The Longboat Key Town Commission will discuss a resolution at today’s workshop that would oppose Florida House Bill 4025 and Florida Senate Bill 760, which would eliminate provisions in state statutes allowing for the collection of the local business tax. The bill would terminate the town’s business tax receipt program, from which the town derives approximately $165,000 annually.

The town has imposed the tax since the early 1960s, according to a Dec. 8 memo from Town Clerk Trish Granger to Town Manager David Bullock.

Also at today’s workshop, the commission will discuss:
• A proposed ordinance that would amend the Town Code to begin future workshops at 2 p.m. instead of 1 p.m. Mayor Jim Brown proposed the ordinance because the workshop time often conflicts with the Sarasota Tiger Bay Club meetings, which many commissioners attend.

• A proposed resolution that would establish the towns next general municipal election for March 20, 2012.

• A proposed ordinance that would amend the Zoning Code to provide alternative methods to meet requirements for landscape buffers in transition yards.

• A proposed ordinance that would amend requirements to include a six-month window for property owners whose required landscaping was involuntarily damaged or destroyed to bring their landscaping into compliance with town code.

• A resolution that provides additional funding to expand its pension-plan study to include the firefighter pension plan. In January, the commission authorized funding for a study to analyze costs for alternatives going forward for both the general employee and police officer pension plans.

The workshop takes place at 2 p.m. today at Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].