Anna Maria Island’s three governments are at risk of consolidation and city leaders are speaking up.
Officials from Anna Maria and Holmes Beach addressed the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability’s study of island consolidation at separate meetings during the week of Nov. 13.
The resounding message from island officials?
They say they found disappointment in the study’s scope and lack of public access to the potential results.
An information request Anna Maria received Nov. 16 from OPPAGA includes 15 questions for the city to answer before 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8.
Many of the questions require sourcing information for the past five fiscal years, running from fiscal 2018-19 to 2022-23.
Eight questions pertain to services and ask the city to provide:
- A list of services provided, as well as consumer feedback and performance audits;
- Financial reports for service expenditures, revenues, as well as grant awards from the county or the school district;
- Interlocal agreements between the city, county, school district, other island cities and Bradenton over.
Five questions pertain to municipal structure and the consolidation of services and ask the city to provide:
- “A description of any ways that services for your city could be consolidated with other cities on Anna Maria Island that would result in savings to residents”;
- An organization chart;
- Copies of audits, performance audits and consultant reports for city services, as well as performance measures and outcomes for services provided by the county and school district.
Two other questions pertain to government consolidation.
One asks for additional supporting documentation “that would be informative to OPPAGA’s analysis of the administrative, fiscal, and/or efficiency impacts of consolidation of the local governments on Anna Maria Island.”
The other asks for potential benefits and challenges to individual citizens and government operations for three presented options:
- All three cities are consolidated into one new city on the island;
- All three cities are incorporated into the city of Bradenton;
- All three cities remain incorporated municipalities on the island and work to consolidate existing services where that makes sense.
Anna Maria Commission Chair Mark Short said he and Mayor Dan Murphy attended a Nov. 7 call with OPPAGA staff director Emily Leventhal about the study.
He said OPPAGA will complete separate analyses for each of the island cities before pooling information for the big picture.
OPPAGA intends to complete the study by July 2024 and will not provide recommendations for “any specific course of action,” only pros and cons, according to Short.
However, OPPAGA is exempt from the state’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law, which establishes a basic right of public access to most government communications, documents and meetings.
That means OPPAGA is only obligated to provide a report of its analysis to the Legislature.
“Personally, I found that extremely disappointing,” Short said.
Commissioner Robert Kingan called the lack of public access “egregious” and voiced concern that legislators could make dramatic decisions based on unknown information.
Murphy expressed disappointment in the study scope but said he is an “eternal optimist” and called for patience.
“I think we need to look for the good here,” Murphy said. “If OPPAGA can help, I’m all for it. And I hope you are too.”
Murphy said the intended goal of the study is to explore consolidation possibilities that could save taxpayer money, so incorporating the island cities into Bradenton wouldn’t make sense.
Both Anna Maria and Holmes Beach have a 2.05 millage rate, the amount per $1,000 of property value used to calculate property taxes, while Bradenton Beach has a 2.3329 millage rate for fiscal 2023-24.
All three cities have lower millage rates than Bradenton, which has a 5.8351 millage rate.
That means island property owners would pay more in taxes if the three cities were incorporated into Bradenton.
Murphy said that option wouldn’t make sense in light of the study’s intended goal of saving taxpayer money.
He added that each island city has its own distinct culture that attracts different residents and visitors and eliminating the governments would provide little benefit.
“It’s not like we’re making all kinds of money,” Murphy said. “You’re not going to save any money wiping us out.”
Commissioner Jonathan Crane said he will “exercise my right to be a little skeptical” until the situation developed further.
In Holmes Beach, Mayor Judy Titsworth addressed the study in a Nov. 9 post on Facebook.
Titsworth met with OPPAGA representatives Nov. 8 and learned a final report would not be published unless legislative leadership, “most likely Will Robinson, or Jim Boyd,” decides to publish it.
She wrote, “I urge all citizens to pay attention to decisions being made at the local and state level. Do these leaders have your best interests at heart? These decisions will have a profound effect on quality-of-life issues. Our unique small town identities and a century of history could soon be lost to consolidation and to the neighboring city of Bradenton.”
Titsworth also addressed the study during a Nov. 14 city commission meeting.
She said that legislators want to “eliminate our cities” and often target her and Holmes Beach because she is not a Republican.
“They feel they can come up with a better use for our city and our charters need to go,” Titsworth said.
Nevertheless, she added that the only path she saw forward was to work with OPPAGA and prove Holmes Beach is a city that deserves to remain.
A small audience attending the meeting applauded.
Commission Chair Terry Schaefer said, “Unfortunately, battle lines have been drawn” but he and the rest of the commission stood behind Titsworth.
Schaefer said he was encouraged by the fact the study would involve interviewing elected officials such as himself but was discouraged that it would not seek public.
Commissioner Dan Diggins said he hoped the consolidation “threat” could turn out to be an “opportunity.”
“I believe our job now must be to help the evaluators follow their own guidelines. We must ensure they learn the unblemished truth about what has already transpired and must guarantee they have all the effects they need to reach a fair and just conclusion. … We need to embrace and participate in every aspect of this study unreservedly and enthusiastically,” he said.
During public comment, resident Dennis Groh called the matter a “sobering subject.” He said the city had been dealt a tough hand and all it could hope for was for state legislators to play “by the rules.”
Resident Nancy Deal also spoke in support of the city.
“I know folks, residents and visitors alike, who are interested in preserving the unique characters of each of the island cities and are willing to oppose the efforts to combat forced consolidation,” Deal said.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie did not respond to a Nov. 17 call from The Islander.
Boyd and Robinson have not responded to calls from The Islander regarding the study.
Study background
State Rep. Will Robinson Jr., R-Bradenton, first questioned the number of governments needed to govern the island in January.
He asked his colleagues in the Manatee legislative delegation to support a study on the island’s governing structure and to present options for the 2024 legislative session.
The delegation unanimously approved Robinson’s motion but the study was tabled so the island mayors could discuss limited consolidation.
State Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, and Robinson brought the study back to the forefront in August, when they wrote a letter to the island mayors calling for feedback about the study ahead of an Oct. 5 delegation meeting.
The mayors agreed to embrace the study but pushed to change its scope to explore consolidation of services.
The legislators did not address the study at the Oct. 5 meeting.
In an Oct. 31 letter, OPPAGA notified island mayors the study’s scope would include the consolidation of government structures.
— Ryan Paice