ITEMS OF INTEREST

Link to Agenda and Meeting Video

Quorum of 6 – District 1 Commissioner position vacant.

Invocation – Rev Sam Rainier, West Bradenton Baptist Church

Pledge of Allegiance – Army Major Maria Rodriguez-Gnos

Awards/Presentation/Proclamations

Awards

Presentation of the Team Award to Robert Bonnell, Matthew Davis, Juan Luna, Freddy Martin, Daniel Mersch, James Nixon, Mike Ruth, Keith Scutti, Paul Spencer, Elliot Waters.

The Transit Fleet Maintenance team from Public Works was given the team award in recognition of 6½ years without an “OSHA recordable injury” (a severe injury leading to death or emergency room or hospital treatment and time out of work) which demonstrates their commitment to safety.

 

Proclamations

Adoption and Presentation of Proclamation Designating November 12, 2024, as the “Manatee Genealogical Society 50th Anniversary” in Manatee County

Motion to approve all awards and proclamations approved 6-0.

Port Authority meeting – Consent agenda approved 6-0.

Citizen Comments on future agenda items

Martha has been unable to do her job on Lido Key and received emergency unemployment assistance through FEMA. She has been unable to navigate the Florida disaster unemployment assistance website and was referred to Career Resources, which does not exist. She can’t pay her rent. She questioned why the county doesn’t have funds to support people like her.

Commissioner Ballard clarified that the program is run by the state and the county doesn’t provide the services. County Administrator Bishop asked Tracey Adams (Community and Veterans Services) to talk with her.

Jill asked Chair Rahn what the county is doing to help residents who were flooded after Hurricane Debby.  She received multiple texts warning of flooding including notice that shelters were available, but no addresses. She wondered why the flood zone information hasn’t been updated as they have never flooded before in her Zone X. She asked the Board to allow citizens in her community to be updated and to be part of the process.

Dawn expressed concerns about the recently approved contract for the sale of the old city hall property at 500 15th Street W. She asked the Board to reconsider and bring it to a work session and allow for public input. She noted that the area is devoid of green space.

Glen agreed the Board rushed into a decision about the old city hall property and made a bad deal. He criticized the lack of transparency on the decision made by the commissioners. His final request was for further explanation about the Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU) approval process.

Dina requested the Bishop Animal Shelter status be placed on the agenda for an update in December. She noted that it was approved in 2022 and appears to be stalled pending a traffic study. Dina added her concern about advisory boards. At the Nov 2023 George Kruse town meeting, they were told that the collective Board and Charlie Bishop, County Administrator, would be reviewing all County advisory boards. We are at the end of 2024 and the Advisory Board topic has not been put on any BoCC Agenda and there have been no updates nor any discussion with the public. Why is community involvement not included for the animal shelter, the library, and many other issues?

Commissioner comments

Bearden requested Evan Pilachowski, Deputy County Administrator, address the flooding. Pilachowski said that the investigation into the watersheds is wrapping up but was delayed by the subsequent hurricanes. He expects to schedule a work session in January or February 2025. Bearden said he wants to focus on revising code standards for the 100-year flood plain with more stringent standards.

Kruse said he is working on the ADU guidelines. He confirmed that the animal shelter will be on the January agenda and he said that advisory boards will be reinstated with meaningful involvement for members.

 

Citizen Comments on consent agenda items – none

Approval of Consent Agenda

Citizen Comments on consent agenda items – none. Motion to approve passed 6-0.

Advertised Public Hearings

Adoption of Ordinance 24-88, amending Section 2-22-24 of the County Code regulating stopping, standing, or parking in the county right-of-way

There was no presentation requested, and adoption of ordinance passed 6-0.

Commissioner Agenda Items

Ballard – Discussion on Boys and Girls Club

Ballard referred to the Oct. 22 meeting when the Director of Advocacy for the Boys and Girls Club came to the Board to ask for assistance due to the Governor’s veto of ongoing funding of their opioid prevention program. The reason given for the veto of the drug prevention program is that the county is receiving opioid litigation funds. Although the Boys and Girls Club had hoped to be able self-fund, they are unable to do so due to hurricane damage.

Ballard did not want to use more of the opioid litigation funds for this program. She held a meeting with staff from the county’s outreach team and there is some funding available. Boys and Girls Club is requesting $162,585 for this year to continue the program. Ballard doesn’t recommend siphoning funds from current programs such as Fresh Start Manatee and Under one Roof, which support those already struggling with addiction. Ballard made a motion to direct staff to identify a source of funding in the amount of $162,525 for the Boys and Girls Club.

Kruse commented that prevention is very important and said that the Board needs to add this funding to discussions with the legislature because the state is pushing the cost to the county. Ballard noted that the current scale of the problem is large and suggested it may make more sense to have the organization make an emergency request to the Children’s Services Advisory Board. There was an agreement that both identifying a source in the current budget and an emergency request be considered.

Public comment

Martha said she had lost a partner to opioid addiction and recommended that the county consider treatment like guided meditation as another approach.

Motion to identify a source of funding passed 6-0

 

Rahn – CASL Redevelopment and Revitalization at 8076 N. Tamiami Trail

Rahn said that the proposed housing project by CASL (Community Assisted Supported Living) can provide an opportunity to continue revitalizing an area on Rt. 41, (8076 Tamiami Trail). Scott Eller, Chief Executive Officer of CASL, was requesting $2.3 million loan to assist in the acquisition of the property to construct a 5-story housing project for workforce residents (teachers, firefighters, airport workers), which is expected to qualify for low income tax credits. An example was a family of 3 with a maximum annual income of $72,000 can rent a two-bedroom unit for around $800. The site plan includes community spaces and support services for families with children, such as after school programs that would be made available.

Commissioner’s comments:

Ballard, Bearden and Rahn expressed support of additional workforce housing and, as it is near the airport, the opportunity to revitalize the gateway to Manatee County. It was stated that businesses and neighbors support the housing.

Kruse expressed support for the Blue Sky Communities already developed by CASL. He had questions about fallback funding if the tax credits aren’t received and wants to make sure that he has an opportunity to talk with Eller about the project before contracting. He said that this is more complicated than previous gap funding.

Rahn made a motion to direct staff to negotiate a loan request for CASL in the amount of $2.3 million to assist in the acquisition of 1.15 acres of commercial development at 8076 N Tamiami Trail and authorize the County Administrator to negotiate loan terms with CASL and bring the documents to the Board for consideration.

No public comment. Motion passed 6-0.

Commissioner Comments

Rahn presented plaques to the outgoing commissioners Satcher (not present), Turner, and Van Ostenbridge and recognized them for their service. Ballard and Bearden made appreciative comments.

GOVERNANCE

Link to Good Governance Guidelines

Agenda was posted timely.  Updates were added after public commenting period was closed.

The CASL Redevelopment and Revitalization at 8076 N. Tamiami Trail

• Was posted after public comment period was closed depriving citizens time to research or to be prepared to comment.
• Should have been a regular agenda item rather than a commissioner item because it included a motion and the loan is a significant dollar commitment.
• Should have had the PowerPoint presentation included as documentation with a link on the meeting agenda for citizens to have the opportunity review before and after the meeting.

Rahn continues to have difficulty with the order of the meeting. Hopefully, orientation for the new Board will include a complete briefing on Rules and Procedures.

Several times it was mentioned by commissioners that opioid litigation settlement money was used for infrastructure projects. Good governance demands that funds that are allocated for a specific purpose be used for that purpose, unless the need no longer exists.

Kruse’s attention to details on loans and real estate transactions is commendable.

We are pleased to see the return of the inset video of the BoCC meeting on the online meeting agenda.

Click here or information on how to phone or email the commissioners.