Bradenton City Council Agenda Results: April 10, 2013

BRADENTON – At Wednesday's meeting, the Bradenton City Council voted on a request by First Baptist Church to expand the number of days the existing on-site day care is open; a first reading to adopt revisions of the city's Form-Based Code regulations; and an agreement between the City and the Southwest Florida Water Management District to study efficiency improvements for Bradenton's Aquifer Storage and Recovery System. All items were approved with unanimous votes by the council.

1. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

2. PROCLAMATIONS

-  Child Abuse Prevention Month – April City Clerk Carl Callahan spoke aloud the proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month for Mayor Wayne Poston. Major  Connie Shingledecker of the Investigative Services Bureau accepted the proclamation. Also in attendance for the proclamation were Child Protective Investigators and detectives for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Shingledecker said she was "extremely honored to accept the proclamation on behalf of Manatee County's most vulnerable citizens," and noted that in 2011, 106 children in Florida died of abuse and neglect, and that programs such as Who's Watching Your Children exist to help prevent such abuse. "All citizens are responsible for reporting known or suspected child abuse neglect. Remember: we will never know the lives that we save - only the ones that we don't."

-  Military family & Community Covenant Day – April 17, 2013 Callahan gave the proclamation for Military family & Community Covenant Day.

-  PowerTalk 21 Day – April 21, 2013 Callahan gave the proclamation for PowerTalk 21 Day, which recognized "the importance of parents talking with their teens about alcohol." 

Monica Johnson, program specialist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, accepted the proclamation, explaining that April 21 is the nationally planned day "for parents to begin talking to their teens about alcohol...and have what could be a live saving conversation." Johnson noted that alcohol use kills more than 5,000 teens each year - more than all illegal drugs combined; that about half of the country's tenth graders are drinking alcohol; and that  only 1 in 100 parents believe their child is binge drinking.

3. PRESENTATION 

4. ADMINISTERING THE OATH 

5. CITIZEN COMMENTS

6. CONSENT AGENDA (passed unanimously)

a) Minutes: March 27 City Council meeting. 
b) MB.13.00074 One-year extension of time/Tropicana Manufacturing Co. 
c) Request from Police Department to use forfeiture funds to buy SWAT Team ballistic vest replacements. 
d) Resolution 13-14: Appointing Xena Vallone to the Code Enforcement Board. 
e) Resolution 13-15: Appointing Rachel Whitcomb Layton to the Architectural Review Board. 
f) Public Event: Walk for Life 5K run/walk on Sept. 28, 2013, over the Green Bridge. 
g) Public Event: Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon on Saturday, March 15, 2014, at Riverwalk.

7. BUSINESS/ADVERTISING, PETITIONS, HEARINGS AND COMMUNICATIONS

SA.13.00024  WARD 3  NEIGHBORHOOD 1.01  (passed unanimously)

Request of Peter Rodewald, agent for First Baptist Church Bradenton, owner, for special use amendment to expand the existing on-site day care located at 1306 Manatee Avenue West (zoned T5).

Rodewald was in in attendance to request the expansion of the church's on-site day care in person. "We have a desire to open (day care) up for Mondays through Fridays," he said.

Director of Planning and Community Development Tim Polk recommended approval of the item with the stipulation that the daycare accomodate a maximum of 55 children.

ORDINANCE 2948         FIRST READING (passed unanimously)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BRADENTON, FLORIDA, PROVIDING FOR FINDINGS OF FACT; PROVIDING FOR TEXT AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY OF BRADENTON FORM-BASED CODE INCLUDING MODIFICATIONS TO PRE-APPLICATION PROCESS, WAIVER/ADJUSTMENT PROCESS AND CRITERIA; DEFINITION OF TERMS; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION OF HISTORIC, ANTIQUE, AND VILLAGE OF THE ARTS DISTRICTS; PROVIDING FOR CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS;  AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

8. NEW BUSINESS BY DEPARTMENT HEADS, CITY ATTORNEY AND COUNCIL (agreement adopted by unanimous vote)

Claude Tankersley, Director of Public Works & Utilities 
Agreement between City and SWFWMD for arsenic pre-treatment system enhancements.

Tankersley explained the cooperative agreement between the Southwest Florida Management District and the city of Bradenton. The study, as the agreement states, will "evaluate the feasibility of methods to increase the flow rate and increase the run time between cleanings (for) the city's Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) System," and will be funded by SFMD up to $200,000, which is expected to be the maximum cost of the project; the city will cover any costs beyond that. 

Talking about the ASR well in the city's downtown area that stores potable drinking water for future use, Tankersley said that at first, "we were using new equipment and new techniques that had not been used before ... and when you have first generation equipment, there are some kinks involved with it, (which need to be worked out). So we're ready to move to the second generation equipment," which he said would be less maintenance intensive. 

9. BUSINESS BY APPOINTMENT 

10. COUNCIL REPORTS 

Gene Brown talked about a recent conversation he had downtown with a couple who recently moved to Bradenton, saying that they first visited the city seven years ago, but that nothing drew them back until the recent downtown renovations and Riverwalk, which helped encourage them to move to the city.  

Councilman Patrick Roff talked about attending last week's USF-hosted welcoming cermony for the new Presidents of New College and State College of Florida, Dr. Donal O'Shea and Dr. Carol Probstfeld. Roff said that the school is being recognized as real collaboration between Bradenton and Sarasota. "It's nice to see (the city) moving forward and being recognized on another level," he said. 

Roff also noted that Police Chief Radzilowski has given the council information about synthetic bath salts "being sold at stores (in the city)."

Councilman Harold Byrd re-iterated the positive comments made by Gene Brown regarding the city's recent changes. 

Mayor Wayne Poston said that the Seafood Festival was a big success, and that there was a large turnout at the Marauders' opening game at McKechnie Field.

11. DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORTS

Claude Tankersley reminded that MCAT is working on their 10 year Transportaiton Development Plan. "There's been one workshop so far, and have three more planned. I encourage everyone to attend those workshops," he said.