HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners again discussed their concern about a move by the state Legislature to eliminate the three Anna Maria Island cities, consolidating them into one city, into the city of Bradenton or into Manatee County.
During an April 9 meeting, Commissioner Terry Schaefer addressed the elephant in the room, stating that he and other city leaders believe that the ongoing Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) study is likely to recommend elimination of the cities and place Anna Maria Island under the control of Manatee County commissioners. He said the study is due to be completed by the end of July.
City Attorney Erica Augello said that the report will be sent to the legislators who requested it but otherwise, the results of the study may never be seen by anyone else. State leaders are under no obligation to release the study or its results to any other officials or the public.
Schaefer said the members of the Manatee County state legislative delegation, particularly Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and Sen. Jim Boyd, requested the report.
At the same meeting, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said the average response time for his officers is two minutes. The department has its own dispatcher, meaning that only calls to 911 have to go through the county’s dispatchers, saving response time for callers directly to the police department. Schaefer said that one adverse effect of the elimination of the cities would be that all emergency calls would need to go through the county and be answered by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, exponentially increasing response time and potentially creating a public safety issue.
“That’s just one example of a potential issue that can arise for our residents,” he said.
Schaefer also noted that city leaders cannot put a referendum on the ballot to vote against consolidation or elimination of the cities, but local voters can. He said that he encourages members of the voting public who are against consolidation or elimination to consider creating a ballot referendum.
If a referendum is created, it could be the only chance voters have to make their voices heard on the matter. State legislators can force the cities into consolidation by creating and voting on a bill. As long as it’s approved by the governor, the bill would become law without any input from the local governments, community members or voters.
