Observe This: Today’s Top Stories

Irrigation fees to rise 50%

→ Braden River Utilities, the entity that provides irrigation water to Lakewood Ranch, will be increasing its rates.

Braden River Utilities, the entity that provides irrigation water to Lakewood Ranch, is moving forward with infrastructure improvements that will link its water supply to reclaimed water from the city of Sarasota.

But, those improvements won’t come cheap.

The improvements, as well as overall increases in operating costs, will result in a 50% rate increase for non-potable water, which will go from... [click here to read on!]

Bus budget breakdown.

→ With 944 bus routes covering about 14,000 miles daily, Manatee County Public Schools’'transportation department is one of the district's most complex.

As acting transportation director for the Manatee County Public School District, Don Ross maintains his department is running as leanly as possible. On any given school day, in fact, transportation department employees with CDL licenses can be found out driving school buses, because bus drivers are short in supply.

“There is no fat in this office,” Ross said. “There are times when there are only three people left in the office, because (our employees are out driving). There’s nobody to cut. You still have to do payroll. You still have to do routing. There’s no room to cut.”

Ross said the department’s only option, at this point, is .... [click here to read on!]

Consultant recommends options

→ A TE Connectivity Networks representative didn’t give a ringing endorsement to any one solution but found that both a DAS system or cell tower could improve north-end communications.

The idea “towering” over the town’s $36,000 wireless communications study was a proposed 150-foot cellular tower on the Longboat Island Chapel property. The findings of the study were presented at the Longboat Key Town Commission’s Thursday, April 19, regular workshop.

Scott Wierson, project manager for TE Connectivity Networks Inc.’s island-wide study, didn’t sound off on whether small-cell technologies, such as an outdoor Distributed Antenna Solution (DAS) system or a cellular tower, would best serve the island but instead made recommendations about implementing each option.

Wierson presented findings suggesting... [click here to read on!]

Rising costs add up in budget

→ Upcoming budget discussions could get 'down and dirty' due to increasing pension and health-insurance costs.

The town is considering collectively buying employee health insurance with Sarasota County and other municipalities in the county as a way of saving on health-insurance costs. These costs are projected to rise by 10% or $100,000 in the next fiscal year according to what Town Manager David Bullock told the Longboat Key Town Commission at its Thursday, April 19, regular workshop.

The town will also see its required pension contribution increase by ... [click here to read on!]