Bradenton Beach commissioners are reacting to citizen demand.
In response to several citizen-initiated referendums that changed the city charter in 2017 and new proposals to amend it in 2018, commissioners motioned April 19 to form a charter review committee. It was unanimously passed.
Additionally, the commission unanimously passed a motion to amend the land development code and comprehensive plan to prohibit new multilevel parking garages in the city and also discussed the possibility of hiring a city manager — both items included in citizen-proposed charter amendments for the November ballot.
A charter review is mandated every five years, but can be conducted anytime. The last review was in 2015, but three charter amendments — added to the ballot by the now-defunct Concerned Neighbors of Bradenton Beach and approved in November 2017 — and four proposed for the November 2018 election, led Mayor John Chappie to suggest forming a CRC now.
At the April 19 meeting, city attorney Ricinda Perry said the 2017 amendments hadn’t been published to the city’s Municode site because of conflicts with language in the charter.
She said additional policy concerns with the charter need to be addressed and, historically the city has appointed a committee to review the document.
She presented the commission with a resolution to form a CRC and also included the previously approved resolution adopting the CNOBB initiatives and citing their insufficiencies.
“So now the burden is on the city to make sure the charter can actually function as intended by the voters,” Perry said.
She said, according to the charter, the mayor nominates members for appointment to the CRC, and each commissioner votes on each candidate.
She added that CRC members cannot be on another city board, such as planning and zoning or Scenic Waves Partnership Committee.
Chappie said he would like to move the process forward.
“That way everything is out there in the open, there is total transparency and an opportunity for anybody to come forward with their ideas and to develop this outside the elected officials,” Chappie said. “It’s just the citizens that would be appointed.”
The city will be accepting applications for the CRC through May 7, with commissioners voting on the candidates at their meeting at noon, Thursday, May 17, at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
Parking garage prohibitions
Following discussion on the CRC, the commission addressed the issue of multilevel parking structures.
A charter amendment proposed by a newly formed PAC, Keep Our Residential Neighborhoods, comprising former P&Z members Reed Mapes and John Metz, who also spearheaded last year’s initiatives under CNOBB, would permanently ban multilevel parking structures in Bradenton Beach.
Commissioner Ralph Cole said April 19 he added the agenda item because the comprehensive plan prohibits parking garages, but the LDC doesn’t provide the supporting regulations.
He said he would like to add language to the LDC to prohibit parking garages in the city.
Chappie said according to the comp plan, parking garages are prohibited in the residential-office-retail land-use category and the Bridge Street mixed-use commercial zone, but there are other zoning districts where a parking garage could be allowed.
“This should be of great concern to everyone on this dais,” Chappie said.
He added that he is not sure the state would allow land-use matters to be addressed through the city charter, which is what KORN is proposing.
Perry confirmed Chappie’s statement, saying the state mandates land-use matters be included in the comp plan and LDC, not the charter.
“Those are the tools and documents where the land development regulations are supposed to be placed,” Perry said. She said the best plan would be to follow Cole’s suggestion to “tighten up the comp plan to address parking garages throughout the city and also review the LDC to make sure it mirrors that prohibition.”
A motion directing city planner Alan Garrett to work with the P&Z to review the comp plan and LDC and draft prohibitions for garages throughout the city was unanimously approved by the commission.
City manager pros, cons
Cole began discussion about the possibility of a city manager in Bradenton Beach, saying he put it on the agenda because its another KORN initiative proposed for the Nov. 6 ballot.
He said hiring a city manager has come up repeatedly but cost has been a primary concern.
“Would we have to raise taxes to put in a city manager position? is always the concern,” Cole said.
He said the city has been running well with the weak mayor and department head structure and he sees no need for change.
Chappie said he thinks Bradenton Beach is too small for a city manager.
He said the transparency of the current system, which requires open discussion “in the sunshine” is his preferred form for government.
“It’s not a city manager or a strong mayor type of government, where a lot of that discussion doesn’t take place out in the public,” Chappie said.
He added he looks forward to hearing the CRC’s perspective on the issue.
During public comment, Metz said, “any good city manager will save as much as he costs.”
He said he thinks the city would benefit from more administrative expertise, including employee performance reports and project management.
“It should be run like a business with the concept that you are not really running a business, but pleasing residents,” Metz said. “If you were running a $3 million business, you’d want someone who has been trained.”
Vice Mayor Marilyn Maro said she has never seen any residents at the monthly department head meetings, where the city clerk, building official, police chief and public works director give updates to city officials.
“At those meetings, every department head goes over what they did for the month and we all evaluate it,” Maro said. “I was very impressed with that, but no one else is ever there.”
Perry recommended the city manager issue as one topic of discussion for the CRC, and Cole said it is among his directives for the committee.
Could a professional manager prevent problems in BB?
During the April 19 discussion regarding the pros and cons of a city manager form of government, former Bradenton Beach Planning and Zoning Board member John Metz said the city might have been spared the delays with its floating dock at the Historic Bridge Street Pier if a city manager was on board to provide oversight.
The Bradenton Beach dock project was approved in March 2017 that is yet to be completed.
Commissioner Ralph Cole responded that he recently watched a video of another city commission meeting in the state that employs a city manager but is facing similar delays with contractor Technomarine.
Mayor John Chappie said city staff is not responsible for the problems with the floating dock: “The chief and the pier team has done an exceptional job in this whole process.”
Commissioner Ralph Cole needs to ditch the baseball cap during meetings. Wouldn’t be surprised if he was also wearing torn cutoffs and flip flops. Show some respect for the office to which you’ve been elected!
Perry confirmed Chappie’s statement, saying the state mandates land-use matters be included in the comp plan and LDC, not the charter. Another lie. Clearly the state has nothing to do with the charter and what goes in it. Do I need to remind them that the height of a building is and has been part of the Charter of Bradenton Beach for years. Why is this done this way. Because city council seems to have the ability to change anything the citizens want when ever they want. So 5 people can change what the voters have demanded. Clearly banning a multi-level Parking Garages belongs in the Charter. If the voters don’t want it, what makes City Council think they should be able to change it.