- April 27, 2024
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Summertime typically brings a lull to Longboat Key, and we're not just talking about traffic and crowds.
Elected officials are permitted by the town charter to cancel meetings in July, following a vote on a maximum millage rate for next years taxes, and in August, setting up a return to public meetings in September.
This summer, as in almost all summers, a few key issues will be addressed with all seven town commissioners return on Sept. 12.
Is Longboat Key’s next town manager someone already on the municipal payroll? On the Sarasota County's or Manatee's?
Is he or she from out of the area?
As Tom Harmer looks for his successor from a field of hand-picked possibilities, one thing is pretty clear. Town commissioners are not interested in fielding want-ad applications for Town Hall’s top administrative position, at least as a Plan A.
By the time commissioners return to public meetings, Harmer will have about 90 days remaining until he retires from public service following his announcement in June that he does not plan to renew his contract after five years on the job.
Commissioners in July discussed at length the direction they wanted the job search to go, initially deciding to rely on a method the town has used before: direct recruiting.
Harmer himself was recruited from his job as Sarasota County Administrator in 2017.
In doing so, contacts aren’t initially brought before commissioners in a public setting and there are no open-to-the-public applications to sift through, if you're so inclined. Still, commissioners will have final say on recommended compensation and other contract details, but must agree by a supermajority to confirm a new manager.
Harmer was signed in July 2017 and didn’t take over for the outgoing Dave Bullock until December. This newcomer to the office will have about half the time transitioning with Harmer still on the job.
Residents have two more chances to weigh in on the town’s budget, a revenue-and-spending document that must be approved by the end of September to take effect for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
At the heart of the issue is the town’s proposed millage rate of 1.99, a cut of 5.9% from the previous year’s rate of 2.1144, which is expected to still generate nearly $1 million more in revenue that in the previous year. In comparison, the Manatee County Commission agreed to a maximum property tax rate of 6.3326 for 2023, down from 6.3826, and the Sarasota County Commission agreed to a maximum rate of 3.4463, down from 3.4561.
Town tax bills will likely drift downward for most, though when combined with county taxes, the final figures could end up higher.
The budget calls for $17.849 million in general fund spending against $18.5 million in general fund revenue. All in, the budget that also includes capital project funds, enterprise funds, debt service and special revenue funds calls for $85 million in spending, $49.5 million in revenue, a beginning fund balance of nearly $91 million and more than $55 million in the fund balance at the end of fiscal year 2023.
Town commissioners will consider the final document at a public hearing first at 5:01 p.m. Sept. 12 and again on Sept. 27.
If you enjoy a nice cigar on the sand, you’re fine.
But, if you have a penchant for a Camel or Viceroy while watching the sun set, plan on getting all that puffing done either soon or on the way home.
Commissioners will likely set the ball rolling on a beach and park smoking ban as soon as they return from their summer break, which means a new rule could be in effect by Halloween.
By virtue of a state law that relaxed a ban on local governments regulating smoking on the beach, cities and counties around Florida have already taken action to reduce butts in the sand.
Commissioners signaled their intention in their final meeting of the summer, asking staffers to prepare similar regulations for an initial vote in September.
State laws still say cigar smoking can’t be banned by local governments, though.
According to Ocean Conservancy, cigarette butts have been the most commonly found litter on Florida beaches during the organization’s annual Coastal Cleanup for the past 31 years. The butts are made of tightly packed plastic fibers that erode into smaller bits, which accumulate in fish and other organisms, adversely impacting sea life health and reproductivity as well as human health when consuming the affected fish.
City leaders are expected to pick up where they left off on Sept. 20 in their consideration of a plan presented by the Longboat Key Club to build four pickleball courts for the use of members and their guests alongside the Tennis Gardens.
On June 21, as opposition from residents of nearby Winding Oaks began mounting on the basis of noise, suitability, tree removal and potential alternative sites, board members granted the club’s request to put off a vote that would either support or reject the proposition in advance of Town Commission action.
Although it's one of the nation’s fastest growing sports, pickleball has picked up a reputation along the way as being unreasonably noisy, especially when played vigorously or when multiple courts are in action at once, a point many enthusiasts dismiss.
One of the stickiest points in the process was the residents’ challenge of an exemption to town noise regulations for facilities to which the public has access.
"Intuitively, a private club is not a public facility," said Edward Willner, a lawyer representing Winding Oaks residents.
Town Attorney R. David Jackson, when asked his opinion, said he leaned toward agreeing with the town staff’s assertion about the exemption, adding there was no mention in the ordinance about private clubs and noting there was a difference between a for-a-fee-club and a private residence or condominium association, to which the public has no access.
Also still up in the air, a formal sound-level test by the club and consideration of residents’ request the courts simply be moved to a site farther away.
Sarasota County recently opened two new pickleball facilities within steps of residential areas – 12 courts at a Legacy Trail-connected park on Pompano Avenue and six in Longwood Run Park – with no public outcry.
As the summer approached and talk turned to the next round of elections, Mayor Ken Schneier floated the possibility of discussing in the fall changes to the town's charter that might open up the field of potential candidates for Town Commission.
Schneier said two main changes might accomplish that:
Although charter changes typically require voter approval and likely wouldn't be in play for this upcoming candidate-qualification season and March elections, he said at the time they were worth discussing.
