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Sarasota News Leader March 22, 2013 Page 45 HOMELESSNESS TASK FORCE DERAILED Good deeds sometimes do get punished. Responding to commissioner pressure to take action, any action, City Manager Tom Barwin late last year set up an ad hoc task force to tackle homelessness in Sarasota. He was new to town, still in his first 100 days. The group met a couple of times before getting halted by a judge for violation of Florida���s open meetings laws. Before its work was stopped, the group suggested the city hire caseworkers to inform homeless people of available social assistance. A budget was City Manager Tom Barwin speaks to the City worked up, and a local foundation kicked in Commission during his first meeting on Sept. 4, 2012. Photo by Norman Schimmel $100,000. The proposal called for the city and county to contribute $20,000 each. City Attorney Fournier told the commissionWhile the task force work was halted, Barwin ers, ���I would like to get the temporary injuncmoved to put the plan in action, including list- tion lifted and get on with it. That was made ing on the March 18 agenda an item regarding easier by the removal of [this] item on your the expense of the funds and the hiring of the agenda.��� caseworkers. On Friday, March 15, the judge in the public meetings case was asked to hold Barwin in contempt of court for taking action on a plan devised by a group the judge had already enjoined as acting illegally. ���The city manager can bring back the caseworkers when the injunction is lifted and hire a consultant and whatever other matters he may like,��� said Fournier. ���Please indulge me and make a motion [not to formally establish the homeless task force].��� Barwin threw in the towel on March 18, pulling the spending plan from the City Commis- City Commissioner Terry Turner made the sion agenda. motion, which passed unanimously.% QP 720px x 211px