Truces drafted for thorny disputes
Mayors and county commissioners will vote on proposals drawn up as part of the Pinellas Assembly process.
By MICHAEL SANDLER, Times Staff Writer
Published January 5, 2004
[Last modified January 5, 2004, 01:45:54]
CLEARWATER - A long, concerted effort aimed at solving some of Pinellas County's largest intergovernmental squabbles is coming to a close.
Many involved in the Pinellas Assembly process are optimistic about the recommendations that will be presented by seven task forces at St. Petersburg College this Friday.
But don't expect too much back-patting. The 24 municipalities and County Commission still have to come to agreement on which recommendations to adopt at the final meeting in a few months.
The mayors will have one vote. The County Commission will have the other.
"If it is a 1-1 vote again, there will still be a standoff," said Commissioner Karen Seel, the outgoing chairwoman of the County Commission. Seel, along with Tarpon Springs Mayor Frank DiDonato, led the process, which has lasted more than one year.
Those who served on the seven task forces are hoping that won't happen when the elected officials join them at 8 a.m. at the college's Seminole Campus, at 9200 113th Street N.
During the past year, small groups of residents, aided by government officials, discussed a range of issues that have challenged government workers and plagued relations between the cities and county for some time. Among them:
Transportation
Law enforcement
Health care services
Recreation
Fire and emergency services
The county's municipal services tax
Annexation policies
Seel and DiDonato hope to schedule the final meeting in March. They feel some consensus can be achieved.
"That would be the goal," DiDonato said. "Whether or not everything is agreed exactly remains to be seen. The goal is to work for the better of the county."
One of the thorniest issues was figuring out a way to smooth the annexation debate. The topic has caused plenty of friction and a few court battles.
The task force dealing with this topic intends to present a number of recommendations that are almost certain to initiate some thought, dialogue and perhaps even some heated debate.
For example, the task force suggests restoring planning and annexation areas that predate a 2000 referendum, which established the current boundaries. That was the only recommendation that did not get full support of the task force (one person objected).
The group will also recommend giving the County Commission the same authority cities have to initiate changes to the planning area boundaries. When the county attempted to initiate a change a few years ago, Pinellas Park and Largo disagreed and took the county to court. The case is still pending.
But lawyer Ed Armstrong, who chaired the group, said the task force sought input from many of the players involved in the debate, including Largo City Manager Steven Stanton and Pinellas County Administrator Steve Spratt.
He has had some informal feedback since sending along his report, and it has been mostly positive. He hopes everyone will consider the total report, instead of picking it apart piece by piece.
"They do not like everything we've done," Armstrong said. "But on the whole, they could accept it. I'm hoping the board of county commissioners could look at the totality of the recommendations, too."
- Michael Sandler can be reached at 445-4162 or sandler@sptimes.com
If you go
The Pinellas Assembly will convene at St. Petersburg College - Seminole Campus, in the C.W. "Bill" Young University Partnership Center Digitorium, Room UP 160, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday.
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