City Commission talks reopening plans, business assistance

The City Commission declined to take any action on most of the items listed on the agenda of today’s meeting, instead focusing its attention on issues related to the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, which a majority of the board participated in via teleconference, the commission discussed public health and economic policies related to the disease. With a statewide lockdown order set to expire at the end of the month, commissioners expressed a desire to see expanded access to COVID-19 testing, in part to help eventually facilitate the reopening of some nonessential businesses.

The board indicated it did not want to see beaches or boat ramps reopened imminently. Still, the commission discussed the need for a long-term strategy for managing the COVID-19 threat while still facilitating some activity that is currently prohibited, with multiple board members stating they wanted to follow the guidance of health experts in determining the best course of action.

“We have to understand this virus is not going away anytime soon,” Commissioner Hagen Brody said. “There’s not a vaccine out there that’s around the corner. We are going to have to figure out what that new normal looks like, and we’re going to have to do it pretty soon.”

The commission also discussed the possibility of using available economic incentive funds to bolster the response to COVID-19 and the recovery from the shutdown. Brody suggested the city could pursue a similar strategy to that of Sarasota County, which established a small business loan program through the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County. Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie also said she wanted to see an emphasis placed on support for local businesses, stating there was a need for expanded access to testing to ensure safety within the workplace.

City Manager Tom Barwin said staff planned to meet with representatives of local businesses to gather information about what sort of a response would be most helpful for the community. Barwin said economic development funds could be used for procuring tests, masks and thermometers to try to address any concerns about public health when businesses ultimately begin to reopen.

“I would really like to see our community come back extremely smart and have a process in place,” Barwin said.

The commission agreed to continue its discussion of an economic support program at its May 4 meeting, which the city plans to hold via videoconference.

Although there were 15 items on the consent agenda for today's meeting, the board voted to postpone all but one of those topics to the May 4 meeting. Brody criticized Barwin for some of the items on the agenda, stating the city should be limiting new spending outside of the COVID-19 response. Barwin responded by saying Brody “either doesn't understand what we're doing in the city or is grossly misrepresenting it.”

One item singled out during the discussion was a proposal to spend $493,316 to replace one of two chillers at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Although Barwin said the device would help prevent long-term maintenance issues at the city-owned venue, Brody disagreed with Barwin's assertion the request was essential.

“We sit here today not even knowing if there’s going to be a season for the Van Wezel next year, and we’re talking about spending $500,000 on a backup water chiller,” Brody said.

“Even though we are in a public health emergency, we still have some basic responsibilities we have to attend to,” Barwin said.