Looks like consolidation was not the only option for Anna Maria Island’s three cities.
Dissolution is on the table.
A Dec. 15, 2023, information request from the Florida Office of Program Policy and Government Accountability to the city of Bradenton includes a fourth option involving dissolution of the island cities — an option that OPPAGA did not include in its requests to the island cities.
OPPAGA is a research arm of the Florida Legislature that supports lawmakers by providing data, research and analysis that assist budget and policy deliberations.
It has been working since last fall on a study into the potential consolidation of the island municipalities.
The study was proposed by state Rep. Will Robinson Jr., R-Bradenton, and unanimously backed by the Manatee County Legislative Delegation.
Last November, OPPAGA launched the study with information requests to each of the three island cities.
Those requests each included 15 questions, many asking for information and documentation for five fiscal years.
They also included a question seeking narrative responses on the benefits and challenges of three possibilities for the island municipalities’ futures, such as:
- All three cities are consolidated into one new city on the island;
- Three cities are incorporated into Bradenton;
- All three cities remain incorporated municipalities on the island and work to consolidate existing services where that makes sense.
The information request Bradenton received about a month after the island cities is similar to those made to the island cities but there were some changes.
Most notably, the Dec. 15, 2023, Bradenton inquiry includes a new proposal for the island municipalities under question 11: “Option 4: All three cities on Anna Maria Island are dissolved and the island becomes part of the unincorporated areas of Manatee County.”
That option would strip the cities of local governments and transfer authority into the hands of the Manatee Board of County Commissioners.
The preceding question in the request, question 10, asked Bradenton, “How, and to what extent, any one or more services provided by the City of Bradenton could be consolidated with one or more of the services currently provided by the cities on Anna Maria Island to result in increased efficiency or savings for residents of the Island.”
According to files received in a records request from The Islander that the city completed Jan. 31, Bradenton provided extensive documentation detailing its budget, government and staff structure, services, grants and interlocal agreements.
However, the city did not provide narrative responses to questions 10 and 11.
Instead, the Jan. 5 response from city administrator Rob Perry to OPPAGA states: “As to item numbers 10 through 11, we would welcome your collaboration, recommendations and further discussions on how to approach this task. The information requested is somewhat broad and burdensome on the city’s resources, but we will try to compile.”
OPPAGA senior legislative analyst Michelle Chandrasekhar wrote in a Jan. 22 email to Perry: “We would like to set up a time to discuss the remaining items from the city of Bradenton information request.”
Chandrasekhar provided three potential meeting dates — Jan. 24, Jan. 25 and Jan. 29 — but the files requested from the city do not include follow-up correspondence, so it is unclear if a meeting was held.
Mayor Gene Brown and Perry did not respond to calls Feb. 8 and Feb. 9 from The Islander.
Bradenton neither fulfilled a Feb. 9 records request for correspondence since Jan. 22 nor provided documentation for a meeting before The Islander’s press deadline.