Commission decision could give voters power

It isn’t exactly the speed of light.

But in Longboat Key Town Commission land, the pace at which commissioners are moving to allow voters to decide whether to bury power poles and other utilities is pretty darn close.

The commission will receive an update on a proposal to bury power poles and other utilities at its Oct. 20 regular workshop. If commissioners reach consensus to proceed, the commission will hold a special meeting immediately after the workshop to discuss the proposed ordinance on first reading.

If commissioners then adopt the ordinance Nov. 12, on second reading, voters would decide whether to bury the utilities in a referendum question on the ballot of the town’s general municipal election in March.

“The timing is a bit tight, but we can do it in time,” Town Manager Dave Bullock said at the commission’s Oct. 6 regular meeting.

Commissioner Terry Gans expressed hesitance about the proposed timetable.

“I’m very concerned about the haste at which this is moving,” he said at the Oct. 6 meeting. “It’s well and good to advertise a special meeting, but getting reasoned public input when we haven’t even had the opportunity to react bothers me.”

But Commissioner Lynn Larson urged moving forward with the proposal.

“We need to get the facts and put them before the voters to decide,” she said.

At its Oct. 20 workshop, commissioners will discuss the “not to exceed,” or maximum price for undergrounding utilities, along with the extent of the project. The “not to exceed” price that the commission approves on first reading can only be revised downward on second reading.

Also on first reading, town staff will present preliminary debt and millage implications to the commission for design, financing and construction costs.

Town staff first proposed the concept in May because FPL was planning a hardening project to install larger, wider 41-foot poles along Gulf of Mexico Drive that would be more able to withstand hurricane-force winds.

When the commission first discussed the project, which would have an estimated $10 million to $20 million price tag, depending on its scope, commissioners reached consensus to bury the proposal.

Country Club Shores resident Bob Gault urged commissioners to debate the issue in the fall, after more Key residents return to the island. In July, commissioners flipped the switch and unanimously agreed to allow town staff to spend up to $50,000 to study costs associated with burying utilities, and FPL agreed to hold off on its project.

Advantages of burying power lines include the aesthetic value and increased reliability for the island’s power grid.

One disadvantage is that it would take longer to fix power outages after severe weather.

If the commission does not approve the ordinance in time for the March 2015 election, it could still place the referendum question on a future ballot.