Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/127088
Sarasota News Leader May 3, 2013 Page 13 NEW FIRE STATIONS this year and the Tourist Development Tax revenue has continued to surpass figures for Although they took no formal vote, the comthe previous fiscal year. missioners on April 30 also gave their consensus for the construcStill, he said, "It's going tion of four new fire/ to be hard to get back EMS stations in the We need to suck it up and figure to the way we were in following locations: out how to do it. … We have surplus 2007." • Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota, to replace a station in a repurposed 1970s house. property that we need to sell that we don't use which will generate millions of dollars and put dents in these [capital improvement] programs. He noted that he and his staff had built a 3 percent increase in employee compensaJoe Barbetta tion into the 2014 fis• North Cattlemen Commissioner Road at University cal year budget, but alSarasota County Parkway, where the most all of that would station is operating be "eaten up" by inout of a mobile home with a canvas carport creases in healthcare benefits and Florida for the fire truck. Legislature action calling for higher employee • Just south of Westfield Sarasota Square payments into the Florida Retirement System. Mall, where the current facility is a metal In an April 26 email to the commissioners that warehouse dating to 1980. served as a preview of the workshop, Reid • Bee Ridge Road, where the current station wrote, "Our community has been fortunate to have the benefit of a sales surtax dedicated to is a structure completed in 1968. capital projects funding major improvements Fire/rescue/EMS impact fees would cover part and expansions of our County infrastructure. of the construction cost, Steve Botelho, the county's chief financial planning officer, ex- This budget year, capital project planning will be a little more difficult than in the past as plained. we 'reconcile' what we said we had hoped to The county is planning to borrow $8,754,098 accomplish with what we can accomplish in to pay for the new facilities, he added, but this era of far slower growing revenues." the availability of impact fee revenue could He added, "'Level is the new up' is a phrase reduce that figure. now making the management circles about GENERAL OUTLOOK our stabilizing revenue outlook for the near During his presentation to the board at the future. Sarasota County remains in a strong opening of the workshop, Reid pointed out financial condition and has adequate fiscal rethat county building permit applications were serves. The economy is fragile but beginning up 45 percent from March 2012 to March of to grow again from our indicators." %