FULL STORY: Commission adopts 1.8872 millage rate

Even if you can’t make it to Longboat Key Town Hall on the first Monday night of the month, you’ll still be able to spend the evening with the Longboat Key Town Commission.

Although Town Manager Bruce St. Denis suggested eliminating the town’s $20,000 contract with the Bradenton-based Studio 26 Productions, ending televised meetings, the commission directed St. Denis to add $10,000 to the budget to continue the contract for six months, during which the company will add live-stream videos. The town will evaluate the number of viewers after six months to determine whether to continue.

If you do curl up with a commission meeting, you may notice that commissioners aren’t flipping through giant stacks of paper. They likely will be using iPads, which they directed St. Denis to add to the budget at a cost of $6,000. The tablets had been discussed as a way to decrease paper costs and increase efficiency.

The streamed meetings and iPads are two of the tweaks the commission made during its Sept. 12 budget workshop during which they considered various items in St. Denis’ preliminary budget and gave direction on how to use the $52,400 surplus.

Commissioners also directed St. Denis to eliminate a proposed business-tax hike estimated to generate an additional $8,000 in revenue.

“I just think this is not the time to be increasing business taxes,” Vice Mayor David Brenner said.

They agreed to resume contributions to Solutions to Avoid Red Tide, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, the Economic Development Corporations of Sarasota and Manatee counties and Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence, although in the total amount of $44,600, rather than the proposed amount of $52,400.

Later, at the commission’s regular meeting, Commissioner Phill Younger asked Town Finance Director Tom Kelley about one of the town’s biggest budgetary items — its three employee pension plans.

Kelley said the plans will cost the town more than $2.7 million this fiscal year — more than 15% of its overall budget.

The commission unanimously approved on first reading the 2011-12 fiscal year budget, along with a millage rate of 1.8872 mills — unchanged from the previous fiscal year. The commission will adopt the millage rate of 1.8872 and budget at a special meeting beginning at 5:01 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, at Longboat Key Town Hall.