Welcome Back: Poles still here, but not for long

After years of debate, the town’s electorate voted Nov. 3. to bury power lines along Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Voters approved a referendum that asked if the town can issue bonds not to exceed $25.25 million to underground the road’s utilities.

The project includes a fiber optic network and enhanced street lighting along Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Voters approved the referendum by 562 votes. Town Clerk Trish Granger reported that 1,399 voters, or 62.6%, voted in favor of the referendum, and 835 voters, or 37.4%, voted against the referendum.

A simple majority of 50% plus one of the returned ballots was needed for the referendum to pass. The vote was needed because the town charter amendment requires the town to obtain voter approval via a public referendum to issue bonds of more than $800,000.

Overall, 37.34% of the town’s electorate participated in the election. 

In Manatee County, 392 voters, or 53%, approved the referendum, and 347 voters, or 47%, opposed it.

In Sarasota County, 1,007 voters, or 67.3%, were in favor of the referendum, and 488 voters, or 32.6% opposed it.

However, the turnout rate was higher on the north end of the Key. Manatee County voters had a 38.2% voter turnout rate; in Sarasota County, turnout was 36.91%.

Approximately 98% of the island’s property owners will pay less than $3,000 over 30 years as part of their tax bill. The average annual extra cost to taxpayers is between $153 and $182.

The approval officially derails Florida Power & Light Co.’s plans to install larger, heavier concrete poles along the island’s main thoroughfare. FPL, though, is responsible for ongoing repair and maintenance of the underground system once it’s installed.

Scheduling of surveys and design work will begin immediately, and construction for the project will begin in 2017 and take three years to complete.

Still, many residents are concerned about how the town will craft a second referendum to bury the rest of the town’s overhead utilities. They won’t have to wait long to find out how the process will unfold.

The commission has already directed Town Manager Dave Bullock to craft funding formulas for a neighborhood/side streets project that will have all residents paying for an undetermined  portion of the project.

The commission previously discussed a neighborhoods project once estimated at $18.8 million that would only be voted on and funded by residents of above-ground communities. But commissioners want to find a fairer, more equitable way to fund the project.