Killer property taxes?

via Time

Florida's Property Taxes Go Wacky in Housing Slump

In Palm Beach County, Fla., buyers who find fire-sale bargains at foreclosed home auctions — picking up, say, $400,000 houses for $100,000 or less — are also realizing they're required in many cases to pay the same property taxes, as if the homes were still valued at $400,000. ...

Welcome to Florida, the land of no income taxes — and killer property taxes. ...

...because of arcane provisions in the homestead law, government appraisers can tell a homeowner that although his house's current market value may be as depressed as a Florida sinkhole, its taxable value is still high or rising. More important, many of the state's county and local governments are raising their millage rates (the rate per thousand dollars of assessed value that determines the property tax bill) to make up for budget shortfalls. More...

Ongoing challenge

Gaping budget hole expected next year as real estate values continue to slide

By PAUL QUINLAN

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, June 26, 2009

Palm Beach County's real estate values will continue to fall next year by 10 percent or more, say county leaders, who estimate the deeper slide will open up a $110 million budget gap in 2011. More...

One less parade

NORTH PORT -- Commissioners eliminated the 2010 Fourth of July Parade and next year's city-sponsored 5K run during a budget workshop Thursday. more...

Upcoming events

Weekly Calendar June 28 – July 4, 2009

• Board of County Commissioners – June 30, 9 a.m., Commission Chamber, Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice. Call 941-861-5344 - LIVE TV

• Budget Task Force Meeting – July 1, 6-8 p.m., Think Tank, Third Floor, Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Call 941-861-5438 – LIVE TV

Budget projections by Sarasota County department

County warns of budget pitfalls

From YourObserver.com:

Date: June 17, 2009
by: Robin Roy | City Editor

Sarasota County predicts revenues will fall short of expenses.

As Sarasota County begins its budget discussions for the 2010 fiscal year, County Administrator Jim Ley issued a warning.

“We can’t continue funding shortfalls with additional funds in the coming years, without an increase in revenue or a reduction in expenses,” said Ley.

With estimated 2010 expenditures of $262 million and revenues of $227 million, the county will once again use additional funds, such as fuel savings and lower-than-estimated spending in 2009, to offset the expected $35 million shortfall. ...

The $981 million budget is $114 million less than this year’s budget, but the county will rely on more efficiently operating each of its departments instead of more layoffs to achieve those savings.

FY2010 county budget details

Department FY'10 FY'09

Mobility operations $16,801,386 $19,254,507

Public transit $24,455,578 $23,706,454

Capital management services $7,127,809 $7,127,809

Health and human services $23,353,481 $24,737,650

Planning and development $40,608,947 $33,265,056

Libraries $11,590,545 $11,590,179

UF/IFAS extension $1,038,747 $1,112,827

History center $468,856 $468,925

Parks and recreation $19,516,065 $19,267,566

Emergency management $1,790,119 $1,785,621

Fire services $34,480,113 $33,864,213

EMS $38,652,099 $37,083,288

Public safety communications $4,287,031 $5,005,068

Lifeguards $2,362,828 $2,362,723

Facilities services $7,915,233 $8,046,352

Facilities maintenance
and custodial services $6,651,880 $6,842,437

Horticulture services $6,950,929 $6,987,234

Operations
and maintenance field services $18,978,533 $21,952,169

Fleet services $26,900,948 $26,900,948

Stormwater $18,148,361 $18,004,886

Utilities $92,519,349 $97,369,211

Water resources $1,060,149 $1,450,401

Solid waste $42,303,445 $44,748,809

Natural resources $12,807,479 $10,155,126

Human resources $2,994,510 $3,112,529

Strategy management services $169,502 $376,492

Enterprise information
technology $16,313,910 $16,886,562

Financial planning $54,103,777 $52,818,105

Communications $3,940,490 $3,850,317

More...

Want to be more involved?

From the County's Home Page, an invitation to attend the state's annual Neighborhood Conference. (This blogger attended last year's conference in Tallahassee and found it very worthwhile. This year, it's in St. Pete.)

Sarasota County neighborhood leaders invited to conference

Neighborhood leaders, concerned citizens and organized neighborhood groups are invited to learn more about helping their communities at the 13th Annual Florida Neighborhoods Conference in St. Petersburg July 9-11 at the St. Petersburg Hilton Bayfront Hotel. Sarasota County Neighborhood Services is seeking advanced registration for a free shuttle bus to and from the conference on July 10 and 11. Click here to register online at the St. Petersburg's Web site. Participants can attend workshops, tours and exhibits focusing on subjects such as neighborhood improvements, leadership training, citizen engagement, neighborhood legal issues, partnerships and more. Subject matter experts from across the state will provide advice on many subjects including foreclosures and how neighborhoods can take advantage of the state’s new Neighborhood Stabilization Program, controlling traffic through neighborhoods, crime prevention, conservation and sustainability, and connecting with local governments. Participants in the conference will also have the opportunity to take part in bus tours of the historical sections of downtown St. Petersburg including Roser Park and the old northeast portion of the city as well as Main Street, Midtown and the Arts and Culture Center. For more information, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask about the 13th Annual Florida Neighborhoods Conference.

Q & A is now posted

The text of questions and responses from the Virtual Town Meeting is now available here. The pdf contains questions from all participating citizens and answers from county officials.

More info, the entire meeting, the budget survey, and video from the Budget Task Force is also online on the county's Community Connections site.

Only down $800 million

North Port officials were relieved last week to learn of the $800 million loss in the taxable value of city property over the past year.

And the libraries?

Sarasota County tax rate to increase

SARASOTA COUNTY - For the first time in a decade the county will increase its property tax rate, although most homeowners will pay just a couple of dollars more next year. ...

On Wednesday, county commissioners approved a 0.3 percent increase in the county's tax rate -- the first rate increase since 1999 -- which will mean $2.27 more in property taxes for a full-time resident owning a home with a taxable value of $150,000. ...

One of the few new programs funded in the budget would be as much as $50,000 to begin studying and eradicating invasive reptiles. Iguanas, monitor lizards and Burmese pythons have been reported in increasing numbers in the county and without measures to capture and kill the reptiles those fledgling populations are projected to explode.

Besides sagging tax collections, part of that drop comes from large investment losses the county had last year from holdings in bankrupt securities giant Lehman Bros.

more...

No word in the story about the cuts being considered for the libraries...

Less Summer Fun for Kids in Sarasota

Budget cuts cut into children's summer camps in Sarasota

Camps and summer classes are harder to find and more expensive this year because of budget cuts that have limited availability and financial aid to families.

At the Sarasota County School District, summer school classes were cut and will serve about 1,200 fewer students than last year. more...

Not-for-profits feeling pinch at worst possible time

Charities struggling

A quiet crisis is unfolding in nonprofit circles across the country, and the issue is particularly acute in wealthy Southwest Florida, where charity is a central part of life and major donors have been hit hard by the economic downturn.

... government spending on social services is declining as tax revenues plummet.

Sarasota County's budget for nonprofits dropped from $8.9 million in 2007 to $7.4 million this year and is expected to fall another 20 percent to 25 percent. That means up to $1.9 million more in cuts, or a 40 percent reduction in three years. more...

Going forward

As this blog was produced for a specific occasion, its immediate purpose has been realized. Of course, if the occasion re-presents itself, we hope to be back, along with more bloggers and twitterers and others.

Moving participation in community life and governance to a place which is more common, more open, more available to end users and inhabitants is what this is all about.

Meanwhile, if relevant news, information, appear, let us hear of it. We'll post what we find here and look forward to future virtual town hall meetings in Sarasota.

Time Bomb with a Kicker

NPR on the county property tax "tsunami":

Morning Edition, June 11, 2009 ·After facing tight budgets in recent years, many city and county governments now see a new financial time bomb in their future.

In states like Florida, California and Nevada, the collapse of the housing market has driven down home values dramatically. That means lower property tax revenue. Counties across the country say property tax collections may decline by 10 percent or more over the next few years.

Tax Increases Ahead?

In a mere 93 years...

Edison Keith Farmhouse, Phillippi Estate Park

According to a report this morning, today marks the 93rd anniversary of the arrival of electricity to Sarasota. Current to the city first turned on here on June 9, 1916. Within a lifetime, the town has gone from no current to the instantaneous currency of Internet access.

It's not easy to imagine the pace of innovation that enabled that to happen; less easy to chart a course knowing that the next 93 years could bring even faster development.

Planning, organizing, protecting and serving a rapidly growing population under such circumstances is not easy. It will require enormous resources of in-depth knowledge, managerial skill, attentive imagination and creativity, and input from as many thoughtful folks as possible. 

Using media that connects people is one way to enrich the viewpoints, and gain intelligent purchase on the complexity of these challenges. (See, for example, The Wisdom of Crowds.) 

We are grateful for the opportunity to be present to blog Sarasota County's first virtual Town Meeting. We trust it won't be the last. And we trust that 93 years from now, town meetings will be substantially different in form, but if anything more essential to stay current with the dizzying pace of change.

June 8 Town Meeting PermaLink

To view (or re-view) the Sarasota Virtual Town Hall Meeting that took place on June 8, 2008, click here. The link can also be found under "Resource Links" on the right, under Town Meeting 6.8.09. The 90-minute meeting included questions from residents who were present as well as from others via phone, email, and online links.

To offer further input, click here for the Advice Scorecard, where you can look at the tax impact of various levels of comprehensiveness for county services.

Message from a community leader

Dear Community Connections,

I wanted to thank Sarasota County Government for conducting it's first interactive town hall meeting concerning the budget. Tonight's "live" meeting is a great start to something that can benefit all of us. As you know, it's important for the citizens to be actively involved in the process. Without open dialogue or transparency we will be unable to move forward. Our community is dependent upon its leadership to do the right thing. Commissioner Thaxton's comment about the "time being right for all parties to be engaged" on subjects of mutual public interest was spot on. Please know, our organization will remain pro-active on the challenging issues that face us. I look forward to future town hall meetings. Thanks again.

Sincerely,

John Krotec

Chairman, Fruitville 210 Community Alliance
5373 Fruitville Road PMB 101
Sarasota, Florida 34232
www.Fruitville210.org

Your question didn't get aired?

County officials say questions received during the Town Hall Meeting but not responded to will receive replies on the county's web site.

Salient quotes from the virtual town hall meeting

• "We are facing our most challenging year" - Melanie Michael, Director, Health Services in Sarasota County.
  

In reply to a question about parking fees for residents, or possibly beach parking fees:

• "This county has always prided itself on having users pay for as many services as possible." - County Administrator Jim Ley.

• "There's big opportunity when things go south," - County Administrator Jim Ley, adding that times of challenge prompt communities to "see if there's a better way to do things."
  

• "People are telling us they will not stand for petty bickering" between the county and its four unincorporated areas - Longboat Key, Venice, North Port, and Sarasota, said Thaxton.



• Asked: Have we bottomed out? -- No, said Jim Ley, adding that the tax base is a year behind.
  

Impact on County Property Taxes?

[Meeting in progress] Asked if Sarasota property taxes will go up, Sarasota Commissioner Jon Thaxton said nothing is off the table. The board of commissioners doesn't plan a tax increase, but there are instances where some residential or commercial property owners could see increased tax bills.

County Library System Could Go To Outside Contractor

In response to a question from a citien, it was revealed that Sarasota County is considering contracting the management of the library system to an outside contractor as a means of dealing with budget shortfalls. The hours may also be reduced from 132 hours a week to 122 hours, said Sarabeth Kalijian, general manager of the County Library system.

County Administrator Jim Ley said the County will always own its libraries, but an outside contractor might provide the best services for the best prices, he added.

Your questions welcome

To blog the virtual Town Hall meeting, I'm in Sarasota County's "think tank" room, where we have wifi and monitors from the TV studio. Here are some of the participating citizens:

Any questions  for the virtual Town Hall received through the comment portions of this blog will be relayed to those in the studio. Here's a shot of the studio shortly before the start of the meeting:

The meeting will be available via this feed:

http://www.scgov.net/appvideo/scgovtv.asx

Add your voice

At this evening's virtual Town Hall Meeting, the subject is the $40 million decrease in county tax revenues, and its impact on the Sarasota County budget. One goal will be to gather knowledge and input from as wide a range of sources as possible with regard to deciding reductions in what many regard as essential services: What are our community's priorities? Can we discuss openly and reach public consensus? How can the public become more central to the process?

There are several ways for people who aren't physically present at this evening's meeting to participate:

• Telephone: 861-2255 (active on June 8)
• Fax: 861-7354
• E-mail: communityconnections@scgov.net
• Comment right here on this blog.

As the meeting develops (it begins at 6:30 p.m.), feel free to drop comments, questions, observations here. This is an independent blog created by a Sarasota resident interested in exploring the possibilities of social media for civic purposes, and will serve as a public record of the event.

Think of it as an experiment in an alternative mode of citizenship and join in!

New Budget Survey

A new budget priority survey can be found on scgov.net, Sarasota County's site. Click here to take the survey, then talk about it here.

More Budget Strains

Public works plans on hold

By DOUG SWORD

Published: Monday, June 8, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 10:38 p.m.

SARASOTA COUNTY - Even as the county speeds up public works spending to create local jobs, plummeting tax collections have tossed into limbo $107 million in projects once slated to happen in the next five years. more...

See also: Sheriff's Office Management Review

Virtual Town Hall gets Press

From the North Port Sun Herald:

Sarasota County residents to weigh in on 'Money Matters'

By CAROL SAKOWITZ
North Port Assistant Editor

  SARASOTA -- The classic town meeting gets an update Monday when Sarasota County holds a virtual town meeting starting at 6:30 p.m.

  The show will be broadcast on Access Sarasota Comcast TV 19/Verizon 21 and streamed online at www.scgov.net/communityconnections.

  The town hall, titled "Money Matters," will focus on the county's annual budget process and is part of an effort to engage its residents in county affairs, according to Crystal Pruitt, head of media relations.

  "It's an opportunity to do something new," Pruitt said.

  The virtual town hall, part of Community Connections, is the first of its kind in the county, but there are hopes that it won't be the last. If successful, there could be others regarding different topics on a quarterly basis.

  The cost to produce the town hall is about $2,500, Pruitt said, with the funding coming from various county sources.

  Monday, viewers should be watching a program that is virtually seamless. Friday afternoon, however, everything was abuzz in the Access Sarasota TV studio on the third floor of the County Administration Center at 1660 Ringling Blvd.

  Technical staff -- director, floor director, cameramen and a host of other personnel -- wore a path from the engineering booth to the stark black set where Pruitt, veteran journalist Ken Jefferson and county budget director and panelist Steve Botelho practiced an introduction and various talking points. In the seats audience members will use, county staffers sat as stand-ins, asking questions and allowing tech personnel to set sight lines.

  Jefferson, who is volunteering his time for the event, and Pruitt will be co-hosts. ("We're lucky to get him," Pruitt said of Jefferson.) Pruitt and Jefferson appeared to have a natural chemistry as they blocked portions of the program, which will include taking questions via studio audience and e-mail, telephone and fax, as well as a previously produced segment on the county.

  Concurrent with the program, viewers can blog their comments on* http://sarasotacommunityconversations.blogspot.com/.

  County Commission Chair Jon Thaxton and County Administrator Jim Ley will join Botelho as panelists. Off-camera, five to six directors of various key departments, such as John McCarthy of Parks and Recreation, will be available to supply their expertise.

  A key and untested component of the program is a "Money Matters" calculator tool that will allow residents who go online after the show to calculate how much their taxes will be, based on the valuation of their home.

  County commissioners have scheduled a series of budget workshops June 16-17, with another, if necessary, on June 19. The total budget this year is $1.1 billion, but the commission's discretionary portion is $243.4 million, or 22 percent.

  Tom Conway, a 10-year county TV engineer, will direct the show. Dave Hannon is the producer.

  Conway said that he and the TV staff are excited about doing the show.

  "It's not every day we get to do something like this," he said.

  E-mail: csakowitz@sun-herald.com

*URL is corrected from newspaper article.

Proposed Recovery Projects for Sarasota

A list of Sarasota projects proposed for funding by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 can be found here (pdf).


Categories include: Housing and Neighborhood Improvements, Public Safety, Transportation, Transit, Energy, and Health & Human Services.

Total estimated funding to date: $29.54 million. More about the Federal Stimulus and reinvestment in Sarasota County here and here.

A brief Q & A on the upcoming Town Hall Meeting

Here are more particulars about about the meeting coming up on Monday, June 8th, at 6:30 p.m. (from an email from County Planner Chris Kohatsu):

Greetings,

Thank you for your interest in "Community Connections" a town hall styled meeting to be held on June 8 at 1660 Ringling Boulevard in Sarasota.  The meeting will include participation from citizens in a variety of forms.  It will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. and run until 8:00 p.m.  

We have received a number of questions from interested participants and are happy to respond with the following information:

 

Why is this called a "virtual" Town Hall Meeting?

Citizens will be able to participate in several ways which include:

 

·         In-Person

·         Telephone: 861-2255 (active on June 8) or Fax: 861-7354

·         Online Web tools such as:

1.       E-mail: communityconnections@scgov.net

2.       Twitter.com/scgovconnection

3.       Certain blogs such as a community leader's citizen blog: "Sarasota Citizens Join the Conversation"

 

Where will the Town Hall be broadcast?

The Town Hall will broadcast on the Access Sarasota network (Verizon Channel 32/Comcast Channel 19) as well as via streaming video through our Web site:www.scgov.net.  Short text based updates, commonly known as "tweets" will be posted on Twitter.com. 

 

How can I participate in the Studio Audience?

Due to the size of our production facility, a limited number of seats are available.  To accommodate all that are interested, a camera with a live feed and a microphone will be positioned in the Commission Chambers, located on the first floor of the County Administration building.  If you are interested in being a part of the studio audience, please arrive by 5:30 p.m.  There will be a check-in table as well as staff available to guide you to a waiting room.  We will do our best to accommodate everyone interested in participating in-person. 

 

What is the Expected Format?

The Town Hall meeting will focus on the County's budget.  There will be a panel of speakers who will make introductory remarks.  This program is intended to provide a forum for citizen input as well as consensus building, so time will be dedicated to answering questions and sharing information.

 

How Do I Ask a Question?

Questions and comments maybe submitted via e-mail, telephone, fax, online or in-person.  We ask that every question be accompanied with personal information such as your name, neighborhood or affiliation with Sarasota County, and if possible, the category most applicable to your question (example: Parks, Utilities or Libraries).  A sample question can be viewed by clicking the following link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHILKqjDw3I

 

Is there a Dress Code?
If you are participating in-person, we ask that you arrive in business casual attire.  Nice slacks or khakis with a collared or button down shirt is appropriate.  Please avoid wearing white, red and black as these colors may interefere with camera images.  Commercial logos and busy patterns are also discouraged.

 

What is the Studio like?

The Access Sarasota studio is small in space and will accommodate a limited number of people for this production.  There will be several cameras in use as well as high powered lighting.  Those sensitive to light may prefer participating from Commission Chambers.  The studio is also temperature controlled (approximately 70 degrees) due to the large amount of equipment in use.  Please dress in accordance with the lower temperature.  Seating will be in rows of small chairs separated by stage risers.

 

Is there anything I can do to Prepare?

You may visit our Web site at: www.scgov.net to access the latest news and information pertaining to Sarasota County.  When you arrive, staff will provide an orientation and walk-though prior to the show. There will be light refreshments available in the green room to maintain your energy.

 

We anticipate the Virtual Town Hall to be an enjoyable evening and look forward to your participation.  Thank you in advance for your interest and service to Sarasota County.

 

 

Social Media in Indonesia Bolsters Movement

In Jakarta, a mother's cause becomes a movement:

“People power is real with Facebook, and seeing this reality I am so thankful there’s FB, and I keep thinking, what else can I strive for?” she said.

Ika’s Facebook site and the support and outcry in online virtual communities helped to shift the focus of major news media from days of domestic brouhaha over teen model Manohara Odelia Pinot and her dramatic return from Malaysia over to Prita.

And once major newspapers were putting Prita’s case on their front page, and TV and radio news stations were continuously reporting her case, political figures began to get involved. More.

The above may seem far from our focus on the Sarasota County Budget, but this blog is tracking both our community conversation in Sarasota while keeping an eye on benchmarks of social media along the way.

In that spirit: the Twitter food cart.

How do social media change the conversation?

Time Magazine's cover story this week is about Twitter - it's by Stephen Johnson, and it's a good intro to how users of social media are extending its reach and transforming traditional conferencing and dialog formats. E.g.:

Injecting Twitter into that conversation fundamentally changed the rules of engagement. It added a second layer of discussion and brought a wider audience into what would have been a private exchange. And it gave the event an afterlife on the Web. Yes, it was built entirely out of 140-character messages, but the sum total of those tweets added up to something truly substantive, like a suspension bridge made of pebbles. more here.

More budget axes fall

Schools to get less money for career preparation

after lawmakers cut the $11 million budget for the Florida Ready to Work program, state officials realized they do not have enough money to pay the schools.

North Port eyes service cuts

NORTH PORT - Aside from police, fire and park services, all city services are on the budget chopping block, and cuts could come quickly after the city receives its new property assessment values Friday, City Manager Steven Crowell said.

Join in

The impetus behind this blog was twofold: first, to create a means for people to join in the civic conversation -- via comments, questions, and observations -- and second, to invite others to post editorial viewpoints, links, and notes on resources that enrich and further the dialog.

A good deal of budget dialog in depressed economic circumstances tends to surround the question of "what am I ok with giving up?" - What can you name as something you now enjoy as a resident of Sarasota County that you are willing to forego? Have a look at the stories about Hillsborough County, the cuts they're facing: What sacrifices can we agree on?

A blog like this one sits in a new space between government, residents, and media -- i.e., this digital mode is not "the media" -- rather, it's for people who wish to go beyond traditional commercial media formats and formulae to engage the financial and quality-of-life issues we're facing on a level playing field.

If you're like to have posting privileges to this blog, please leave your name and address in the comments, or send an email to lakesarasota@gmail.com. Thanks.

Budget Headlines and Headaches in Hillsborough County

700 Hillsborough County jobs at stake under new budget proposal

Hillsborough making massive job cuts to balance 2010 budget

Hillsborough County budget cuts to run deep

Hillsborough County government may eliminate jobs, programs

A few choice quotes:

TAMPA - A popular after-school recreation program would be eliminated, at-home care for the elderly would be decimated and service for children would be sharply curtailed under a draft budget recommendation from Hillsborough County administrators....

Animal Control stands to lose 30 Positions. The Victims Assistance Program and County Consumer Protection Department would be completely eliminated....

"This has been a nightmare for me," [County Administrator Pat] Bean told county commissioners as she unveiled a budget that would shed nearly 1,100 jobs and $144 million in spending in the next two years.

Parks and recreation, code enforcement, consumer protection, child care licensing, animal services and nonprofit spending would be particularly hard hit....

After school programs and workers who serve the elderly will also be hard hit.

"It became emotional as we started going through and realizing just how deep we were going to cut," said Bean.

What this blog is for

This is an independent citizens' blog developed to facilitate online communication during virtual Town Hall meetings held by Sarasota County.

The first of these meetings is to be held on Monday, June 8, beginning at 6:30 p.m. There's more information here and also below. The subject is the county budget, and the idea is to hold an open conversation between county officials and the public. The first topic is the county budget, and some of the links to the right go to relevant portions of the county web site.

During the meeting on Monday, we'll be live-blogging the event, and the comments section will be open for public input. Please join us, and keep an eye on this space -- this is but the first of  a series of virtual meetings.

County Priorities

To stimulate thinking about some of the budgetary issues facing the area, take this survey.

Money Matters: More about the Town Hall meeting

A televised “virtual” Town Hall meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on June 8 in the Sarasota County Access TV television studio.

The Town Hall discussion will be broadcast with a studio audience on Comcast 19 and Verizon 32. The session also will be streamed on the County's Web site to allow citizens to participate in the discussion online.

Citizens will be able to participate in the discussion and ask questions in several ways:

• e-mail: communityconnections@scgov.net
  
• Comment on this blog, which will be live-blogging the meeting.
• Follow scgovConnection on Twitter
• Phone: 941-861-2255 (Active on June 8)
  
• Fax: 941-861-7354
  

Note: the contact numbers will only be available during the hours of the broadcast. Make your voice count on county budget decisions.

Your Money Matters

For a video overview of the Sarasota County Budget process, how it relates to property values, and where your taxes are spent, click here. You're invited to a virtual Town Hall meeting where your opinion matters.

An initial conversation: about money

Would you like to talk about how you want your community to spend your money?

You're invited to a conversation - about "Money Matters" - a public discussion regarding Sarasota County's revenues and budget planning for next year. It's on Monday, June 8th, starting at 6:30 p.m.

For more information about the virtual Town Hall meeting, call the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 or visit the Community Connections Web site. Or stop back here - we'll have more details soon.