Local Government Bradenton City Council Votes to Govern All City CRAs

BRADENTON — A proposal to have the Bradenton City Council operate as the head of the city's Community Redevelopment Agencies passed 4-1 at Wednesday's meeting, with Gene Brown dissenting.

Effective January 1 of 2016, the CRAs need to have the council's approval for all city development projects it wants to undergo. Currently, CRAs do not have to do so, but the council has final veto power over any projects.

"Veto", which councilman Gene Gallo said was a negative word with negative connotations attached to the vetoer by some community members after the fact, would no longer happen under the new changes.

"Instead of vetoing after the fact, we'll have communications before the fact," said Gallo, who mentioned that the CRA had tried to start a project for $395,000 on a new library and children's learning center before the county (who has authority over all libraries in Manatee) stepped in and said 'no'. Gallo said that under the new changes, such a scenario would not happen in the future.

CRA Chair Steve Thompson argued that council members ought to do more to discuss the changes with community members before approving them. He called the decision to vote at Wednesday's meeting a rush to judgment and that his board did not understand yet "what is trying to be accomplished" by the changes. "There need to be some assurances from the city council; 'here is our vision, this is our plan,'" he said.

Gallo countered that the board would just keep doing what they're currently doing; "Only before you decide to go spend the money and do (a project), have some communication with us."

Mayor Wayne Poston said he disagreed with such a change, reminding the council that former county commissioner and TBT publisher Joe McClash once proposed changing Manatee to a charter county and how the council was opposed. "We could make a decision here, but we'd have to go to Manatee County to get it approved (if we had a charter county). That's the position you're putting us in here ... the CRAs are going to have to come hat in hand with everything they want to do," said Poston.

Gene Brown, the lone dissenter on the vote, said he felt the council was rushing the decision and should wait longer before voting. "There may be some things we can adjust and improve and get the support of the whole community," he said.

Bemis Smith, who made the motion to approve the ordinance, said that prior to January 1, the plan is for council members to go to communities in different areas of the city to discuss direction(s) that the new CRAs should go in.

Smith also said that any council members could make a motion to try to halt the approved changes prior to January if they decide they are not satisfied with the community feedback they are getting on the changes.