Town Commission amends budget for proposed consent order

The Longboat Key Town Commission voted unanimously on Monday to amend the fiscal year 2021 budget for costs associated with the June 2020 sewage break.

An additional $795,000 is needed to fulfill the requirements of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s consent order.

“It doesn’t involve the general fund.” Town Manager Tom Harmer said. “It’s all within the utility fund.”

A total of $795,000 from the fund balance and depreciation expense is transferred to:

• Town attorney professional services: $40,000
• Other attorneys’ professional services: $220,000
• Pollution/conservation management: $535,000

The approved amendment leaves the town with $10.7 million in unrestricted fund balance within the utility fund.

Monday’s decision also transfers $405,000 from wet well and maintenance hole repairs, Gulf of Mexico Drive gravity crossing and rehabilitation of sewer lines to wastewater collection subaqueous rehab.

“The other capital project fund is taking existing capital money within the budget and putting it into a single line item related to the subaqueous pipe and relates to the assessment of the existing pipe,” Harmer said.

The town is working with an engineer to finalize plans to perform a reassessment of the existing pipeline by Sept. 30, 2022.

“The fund transfer below is expected to be adequate to accomplish the full assessment
as recommended by our engineer,” Public Works Director Isaac Brownman wrote in a memo to Hamer.

On Monday, town commissioners also voted 7-0 in favor of hiring the Tampa law firm of Gaylord, Merlin, Ludovici & Diaz as the town considers projects that could involve right-of-way acquisitions. Harmer said one of those potential acquisitions is the wastewater line.

The town is proposing a $16 million project to build a second sewer pipe from Longboat Key, across Sarasota Bay and western Manatee County to a treatment plant near Conquistador Parkway. It’s unclear how much spending would occur from possible land acquisitions.

Last month, commissioners approved two environmental projects to satisfy the FDEP consent order. The state must still review and approve the projects, which include improvements to the wet well at Master Lift Station D on Gulf Bay Road and replacing a backup generator.