Practice makes perfect.
And the island cities need to practice getting along to take advantage of $230,000 of surplus revenue — expected to grow to $500,000 — from the two public beach concessions.
Manatee County commissioners discussed the surplus concession revenue Sept. 23, approving a draft resolution allocating funds to an island project, or projects, if the three cities’ mayors agree.
In addition, county commissioners approved the first joint island expenditure: a community study to be conducted by the Urban Land Institute.
According to county administrator Ed Hunzeker, surplus revenue from concessions at Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach and Manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach — both popular tourist destinations — has accumulated for four years.
Hunzeker said when new contracts for the vendors operating the concession stands at the beaches were signed four years ago, the county began setting aside some of the collected fees.
That money, currently about $230,000, has been placed into a separate fund. Commissioners have been referring to it as the beach concessions fund. Hunzeker said he expects the fund to reach $500,000.
Hunzeker said he had been in contact with the island mayors, sharing the draft resolution and taking reports from the mayors on their commissions’ input on possible revenue from the county to fund projects and possibly the ULI study.
Mayors Bill Shearon of Bradenton Beach and SueLynn of Anna Maria attended the Sept. 23 meeting.
“We have had conversations and, in general, we are in agreement. The only criteria we take issue with is the criteria involving matching funds,” said SueLynn.
SueLynn added she would like to see the terms requiring the cities to match funding either be eliminated from the resolution or clarified.
“We are very grateful and appreciate the extra funding, but there are millions of dollars the county receives, including TDC money, that it feels like we’re having to double back on any of the money we are given,” she said.
Shearon shared SueLynn’s view, and both mayors expressed concerns the county would require matching funding for the ULI study.
Shearon, SueLynn and Holmes Beach Mayor Carmel Monti told their respective commissions the study would be funded by the county.
SueLynn indicated that all three commissions support the study if the county pays for it. She asked that, “at the very least,” the county set aside matching funding on the study. She said the commission OKs did not include funding.
County commissioners, at their Sept. 23 meeting, discussed funding the ULI study using beach concession funds before approving the draft resolution allocating the money for that purpose.
Hunzeker urged commissioners to approve the ULI study, saying the cities “needed to move forward,” and conducting the study during high tourist season, or winter, is the goal.
Commissioners ultimately voted to fund the $130,000 study. No matching funds will be required.
The study cost is $125,000, and Shearon said an additional $5,000 is the cost to house, feed and transport the experts who come to the island to perform the study.
Commissioners relieved the mayors of “matching funds” for the ULI study in part because the resolution was unclear on what would be required of the cities and also the work involved for municipal staff.
Shearon said compiling data for the experts to review during the study would be cumbersome for city employees. The experts will review planning and zoning maps, comprehensive plans, land development codes among other data that will need to be compiled by city employees.
“Keep in mind, the cities will have a lot of skin in the game, as some of the cities only have one or two people in their departments,” said County Commissioner John Chappie.
Having “skin in the game” became synonymous with “matching funds.”
County attorney Mitchel Palmer told commissioners that requesting matching funds ensures the island cities “some skin in the game” to prompt fiscal responsible.
Palmer continued, saying the intention was to add flexibility. Commissioners could approve a project without the requirement of matching funds, or they could decide what constituted matching funds, whether it was dollars, labor or in-kind.
The ULI study will be funded at $130,000 from the projected $500,000 in surplus concession revenue fund, and the cities will need to agree upon a project to spend more.
The project must be a one-time expenditure, or a capital improvement. After agreeing upon a project, the three mayors will need to draft a letter and a plan to the county commission for approval.