ANNA MARIA – The city of Anna Maria submitted a 19-page response to the consolidation study-related request for information letter received from the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) in mid-November.
Sent to all three Anna Maria Island cities, and seeking separate responses from each city, OPPAGA requested written responses to the Island-wide consolidation study initiated earlier this year by state legislators Sen. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton), Rep. Will Robinson Jr. (R-Bradenton) and the rest of the five-member Manatee County legislative delegation.
The state legislators requested the study citing a potential reduction of property taxes for Anna Maria Island property owners by reducing the cost of similar services provided separately by the cities of Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach. Potential areas of consolidated services include law enforcement, public works, building and planning services, city administration and more.
Covering five years from 2018-23, OPPAGA requested a list of current city services, contact information for city officials, the total budgeted amounts and actual expenditures for each city service provided, a city organizational chart and more.
OPPAGA requested written descriptions as to how services provided by Anna Maria could be consolidated with the other two Island cities. OPPAGA also requested written descriptions regarding the benefits and challenges of three consolidation options: Consolidating the three Island cities into one new city, incorporating them into the city of Bradenton, or allowing them to remain as incorporated municipalities while working to consolidate similar city services.
City’s response
Anna Maria’s response includes three pages of written statements regarding the consolidation of similar city services.
Regarding public works, the city’s response states that the three cities could establish a centralized pool of specialized equipment – equipment not used daily – to be shared by the Island’s three public works departments. The response also mentions a centralized public works workforce for common city functions such as sign maintenance, grass mowing, tree trimming, beach cleanup and more.
“A single centrally located Island-wide work center large enough to house the equipment and personnel for all three cities could result in substantial revenue if the vacated properties were sold. Alternatively, the vacated property could be leased or used as public space for recreational purposes. The hosting city could charge the other two cities rent on a prorated basis.”
Regarding the consolidation of the Island’s three building departments, Anna Maria’s response says, “Any consolidation savings of the building department functions would result in permit fee savings but not ad valorem property tax savings. Currently, there are three separate building officials serving the three cities. Possibly, one of these officials could be eliminated, however, fluctuations in the workload may result in delays in the construction industry. Consequently, it is not recommended this be pursued.”
Anna Maria doesn’t have a police department and instead contracts with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to provide the city’s law enforcement services. The Anna Maria response suggests that establishing a single Island-wide police department or contracting with the sheriff’s office for all three cities could potentially produce significant cost savings, while also expanding the scope of law enforcement services provided to the three cities.
Regarding code enforcement, the response says, “Similar to law enforcement, some synergy could be achieved through a single code enforcement agency serving all three cities.”
Consolidation options
The Anna Maria response addresses the three consolidation options cited in OPPAGA’s request for information letter and acknowledges some potential consolidation benefits. The city’s response acknowledges having a single governmental entity instead of three separate city governments could produce cost savings and the elimination of three different sets of local laws, regulations, and codes might create less confusion for visitors, vendors and contractors.
The response then mentions the diversity that exists among the three Island cities and the loss of each city’s uniqueness that would occur if the three cities were consolidated.
“The result would be both a cultural and economic loss to the county and the state,” the response says.
Regarding consolidation with Bradenton, the response says, “With the stated goal of taking steps to reduce taxes, the annexation of the three Island cities into the city of Bradenton would have the opposite result. The tax rate within Bradenton is 5.7726, while the combined tax millage rate of the three Island cities averages approximately 2.1. The result could be a 275% increase in ad valorem tax rate for Island residents.”
Regarding the consolidation of the three cities into one new Island city, or into the city of Bradenton, the response says, “Under either scenario, there is the loss of the existing charters and comprehensive plans which establish strategy, density, structural heights, zoning, quality of life issues, etc. Loss of these plans has the potential to create a negative impact on the Island community and be disruptive to both businesses and residents. Either scenario is disruptive and almost certain to be met with strong legal opposition, thus making such an effort costly as well as time-consuming and delaying any savings from services consolidation.”
Regarding the consolidation of similar city services, the Anna Maria response says, “This option would be the least disruptive and potentially reap the quickest taxpayer savings. Island businesses, residents, and visitors could all benefit from service consolidation. If successful, the consolidated services could bring about taxpayer savings as well as streamlined processes for all three cities.”
The study is slated for completion in July 2024.
