County Commissioners Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Work Session, June 10

BRADENTON -- The county commissioners met today for a scheduled meeting to go over the recommended CIP plan that covers the next five years. Some issues that were addressed included the tax collector now handling all of the licensing that was once provided by the soon defunct DMV. The cost of beach restoration will be significantly decreased by renting out equipment from or to other counties. The Manatee Pier is still scheduled to be built, but at a smaller scale than was previously proposed.

Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Work Session
June 10, 2010
1:30 p.m.

I) Call to Order

II) Introduction

• County Administrator Ed Hunzeker outlined the CIP plan for the next five years

• The County is trying to cut back spending in order to save as many jobs as possible.

III) Tax Collector Budget Issues

• Ken Burton Jr. explained the transition that will be taking place within the next year when the state closes the DMV.

• He and his workers are willing to take on more of a workload in order to prevent excess spending from hiring more people.

• He explained several cost cutting measures that the tax collector’s office has implemented. For example, they are leasing a new inexpensive building.

IV) CIP Presentation (heated debate occurs over Palmetto Little League- full story Monday)
A) Sources and Uses

• Peggy Curtin highlighted what revenue is funding  certain projects, and where other revenue will come from in the future.

B) Budgetary Changes

• This includes the comparing and contrasting of the CIP from last year to this year, and predicts future spending for the next five years.
• One thing that was missing from the CIP was funding for the Palmetto Little League.
• Several Palmetto baseball fields were demolished in order to build Palmetto Elemementary. The fields were never replaced.

V) Beach Renourishment/ Manatee Pier (full story Tuesday)

• The board agreed to a less costly, lower-profile alternative to the Manatee Pier.

• The new pier will be considered a groin; a structure used to prevent erosion, but will still serve the same purposes as the pier. The idea is to make it eligible for federal funding.
• There will now be three identical piers that are very similar to the ones that are there currently.

• Beach renourishment will go ahead as scheduled

VI)  Public Comment

• Only two people commented. Ernest Marshall, Director of the Natural Resource Department, said that by not making the Manatee Pier an actual Pier, the county was liable to be sued for injury should anyone get hurt.
• He also said that the commission needed to address the Little League issue immediately.

VII) Adjourn