Changes Coming To Bradenton CRAs?

Bradenton's Community Redevelopment Agencies, the bodies charged with overseeing neighborhood revitalization, could be merged, reorganized under one director or even reconstituted to include the Bradenton City Council, leaders said Wednesday.

City Clerk Carl Callahan laid those options out on the table during a work session with City Council members, and several of them said they'd like to explore the possibilities as a way to streamline government and cut costs.

"Given the financial times we're in, we have to look at being as lean as possible," said Ward 5 Councilman Harold Byrd Jr.

The city spends about $500,000 annually on administrative costs associated with the Downtown Development Authority — which is responsible for the downtown Bradenton and 14th Street CRAs — and the Central CRA. The CRAs invest taxpayer funds to attract businesses and improve neighborhoods in their areas.

The Central CRA has its own executive director and staff, which operate in a from city hall on Manatee Avenue East. The DDA offices are housed within city hall, and its executive director position has been vacant since at the end of January.

"We're like Noah's Ark — we have two of everything," Callahan said.

Callahan asked board members if they would like him to consult with the city's attorney on their options according to the CRA rules and guidelines already in place. Several agreed it was worth looking into.

"I think citizens expect us to look at things like that," Ward 2 Councilwoman Marianne Barnebey said.

Ward 4 Councilman Bemis Smith even threw out the possibility of the council serving as a CRA board instead of community members, a setup that existed more than a decade ago. Smith said the CRAs currently have more money available for discretionary spending than the city council because of dwindling tax revenues, yet council members bear the brunt of public backlash over spending on incentives, such as the recent $250,000 approved for .

"When it comes to allocating funds, the council becomes the whipping boy," Smith said.

Mayor Wayne Poston said he liked having citizen involvement on the CRAs, but added the "potential is there" for reorganizing how things are done.

"We're in the process of reinventing government," Poston said.

The City Council has final veto over actions taken by the DDA and Central CRA, a power that could be utilized regarding the controversial incentive package for .

The council will also consider approving a concept plan for the $5.8 million at its Feb. 23 meeting, and could soon after be asked to weigh an incentive package for a developer to refurbish or replace the historic "" with a Hampton Inn & Suites hotel, Callahan said.

"It's exciting," Callahan said. "We're kind of at a crossroads as to how we want to proceed."