Bradenton’s leaders hope $140 million budget lays the foundation for city growth
Bradenton city leaders met this week to unveil a $140 million budget that includes a reorganization of government leadership.
Bradenton’s 2022 budget is the first that City Administrator Rob Perry, who was hired in July, has prepared for the City Council. In a presentation to board members, he walked them through his proposed budget, which is about $17 million higher than last year due to property value increases and an added $11 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan.
City officials voted Thursday evening to approve the first reading of the budget. Residents will have another opportunity to share their thoughts on the proposed budget during a public budget hearing at 5:01 p.m. Sept. 21. The meeting will be held at Bradenton City Hall, 101 Old Main Street in downtown Bradenton.
While the budget includes money for paving sidewalks, replacing sewer lines and improving roads, an emphasis has been placed on bolstering city staff to improve government efficiency.
“We’re making an investment in human capital and trying to basically meet the needs of the city in today’s modern world,” Perry said.
Perry plans to spend about $1.6 million on new government positions and raises for employees. Speaking with the board, the new administrator explained the need for 15 more employees, including accounting staff, electricians and an executive assistant.
“This is how we progress our city to the next step. If you don’t have the people in the seats, that can’t happen. The reorganization is something that (Perry) worked through to set us up to succeed,” Mayor Gene Brown said. “We’ll still be a lean government, but this is getting the right people in the seats and figuring out what our strategic plan is going to be.”
The city’s tax rate remains unchanged from last year at 5.8976. Property owners will be charged roughly $5.90 per $1,000 of their land’s taxable value. That means that the average homeowner in Bradenton will pay around $750 in property taxes to the city, which is about $10 higher than last year due to rising property values.
Council members also said they were pleased with the budget, which they expect to improve efficiency for residents and elected officials in City Hall. Following the loss of key staffers earlier this summer, officials previously said they would allow Perry to make the changes necessary to organize his administration in a way that makes sense.
“Bringing in this structure, I feel it will really make Bradenton feel like the Friendly City,” Councilwoman Pam Coachman said, referring to the city’s tagline. “People can get things done much faster because right now we have people trying to do 10 jobs.”
“What we’re doing is restructuring the government that was inherited from (former mayor) Bill Evers and the small-town business model that we were operating under. We’re now going into a modern mid-sized city,” Councilman Patrick Roff added. “We’re really going into a whole new level of governance that we’ve never done before.”
After decades with the city, former city administrator Carl Callahan and former city clerk Sharon Beauchamp both retired within days of one another at the end of June. Their absence left a significant gap that Perry hopes to fill with the new positions.
Perry says the added staff will guide Bradenton toward the milestones that city officials have desired, such as a more vibrant downtown area and providing services for a growing population.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 1:20 PM.
