Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/348392
Regular city elections will be held in March 2015, with a runoff (if necessary) in May. The interim appointees will serve until May, when the newly elected commissioners will be sworn into office. There is nothing preventing an interim appointee from running for a seat. REGULAR PUBLIC HEARINGS Two non-judicial public hearings are on the July 21 agenda; they will be in the evening, as required by law. One will affect virtually everybody in the city. The Utilities Department wants a 6-percent increase in water and sewer rates starting Sept. 1 and another 6-percent jump a year later. The first hike for a 4,000-gal- lon-per-month user will be $4.28; in 2015, it will be $4.53. About half the new revenue will pay to replace the 50-year-old pipeline to the Verna Well Field. The hikes will yield long-term sav- ings, because the city will not have to borrow money with revenue bonds to pay for the pipeline and other maintenance items. Not only do bondholders receive their principal back, but they also end up with roughly twice the original amount in interest. The second non-judicial public hearing involves a hot issue on St. Armands Circle. A flap earlier this year concerning a late-sea- son art festival sparked the staff and City Commission to look at the regulation of spe- cial events citywide, with particular attention paid to "the Circle." The commissioners will get an earful, because City Attorney Robert Fournier is offering five different options on the number of special events the city will allow, including whether side streets can be closed off. More discussion Monday will focus on the Cultural District that has been proposed to encompass a bayfront swath, including part of the parking area for the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader July 18, 2014 Page 31