Mayor advocates for Sarasota County-operated library in Longboat Key

The COVID-19 pandemic put Longboat Key’s request for a county-operated library on hold but town leaders are again expressing their desire to bring a Sarasota County-operated library to the island.

On Monday, Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier wrote a letter to the Sarasota County Commission.

“We feel the timing is right to reignite plans to construct a library on Longboat Key and understand that town and county staff are looking at ways to establish incremental library services,” Schneier wrote. “We agree that is a good path to quickly provide library services to cardholders on the island while the county advances plans for a permanent presence in Longboat Key.

While Longboat Key is in both Sarasota and Manatee counties, it is the only municipality in Sarasota County without a public library.

Earlier this year, a state report outlined the pros and cons of whether Longboat Key should remain in two counties or consolidate to one county. In 2020, Longboat’s Sarasota County taxpayers sent $61.5 million to the county.

Town Manager Tom Harmer said the town felt it was important to get the letter to the Sarasota County Commission ahead of its Friday retreat.

“They’re going to be talking about their planning over the next several years and what their priorities are,” Harmer said. “It seemed like the right time.”

Schneier and Harmer mentioned how the two commissions met on Feb. 26, 2020, to discuss planning for a new library.

“Unfortunately, shortly after, COVID changed priorities and paused those discussions,” Schneier wrote. “Fortunately, COVID has not impacted revenues as originally expected and there are now additional funding opportunities associated with ARPA and other federal infrastructure programs.”

Schneier also mentioned how the county’s surtax planning is another source of funding for a new library.

The town does have the privately-operated Longboat Library, a nonprofit organization, staffed and operated by volunteers. The library’s lease at 555 Bay Isles Road runs through June 15, 2024.

However, the lease allows for termination of the agreement by the town at any time giving the Longboat Library at least one year's written notice of the town's intent to terminate the lease or with 90 days advanced written notification to facilitate the implementation of public library services.

Schneier wrote in his letter that Longboat Library leadership has indicated support for a transition to a public library. The plan would be for the group to support the Sarasota County Library “in a volunteer relationship as Friends of the Sarasota County Library.”

“When COVID hit, everything kind of changed,” Harmer said. “Things were paused, the county was reviewing library hours and cutting costs, and there was a sense of what was going to be the impact on revenue for everyone, the town (and) the county, and so it just became a ‘we’re going to put it on the back burner.’”

Harmer said he’s had conversations with county staff, Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis and Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources Director Renee DiPilato.

Also, Harmer said a new Sarasota County-operated library would complement the Town Center site.

“I don’t think that precludes the idea of a discussion with Manatee County about libraries and or a partnership between the two counties,” Harmer said.

Harmer said his understanding there is an agreement between both counties about library use.

“We’d have to explore that more because we know that we’re within two counties, so we want all of our residents to be able to access that,” Harmer said.