Amy Bohannon, the city's Community Redevelopment Agency manager, presented the CRA budget and projects to the commission and said the CRA received a county contribution and a city match that together totaled $307,460 in the current year.

Why this matters: CRA spending affects downtown redevelopment, façade grants, streetscape and events that shape business activity and pedestrian traffic in the redevelopment district.

Bohannon told the commission the CRA received $153,730 from the county plus a matching city contribution. The CRA also receives rental income from a city-owned building (about $1,000 per month) and modest interest earnings; Bohannon said she budgets conservatively on revenues and conservatively high on expenses to avoid midyear shortfalls.

On the spending side, Bohannon listed personnel for a two-person office, an audit line, a $40,000 commercial façade grant program and a $20,000 residential façade program, $50,000 for professional services (including work with GAI), $35,000 for planning, a beautification line for planters, and funding for policing in the district under an interlocal agreement with the police department. She said the CRA added funds for a parking improvement project that will be a focus this year and next.

Commissioners discussed recent and potential state legislation constraining CRA operations. A commissioner noted that legislation affecting CRAs was tabled in the state committee this session but said similar proposals have returned repeatedly in past years. Bohannon and the mayor emphasized that the city's CRA follows Florida Redevelopment Association guidance and that the local CRA has taken an active role in downtown improvements.

On the farmers market, commissioners said the market will be funded from the general fund going forward; Bohannon will remain involved in oversight. A commissioner explained the operational reason: CRA-funded projects typically require an exit plan and eventual transfer to an operating fund, so ongoing operations are usually the responsibility of the general fund after an initial startup period.

Bohannon said she expects carryover and some adjustments to certain line items (printing, repair and maintenance, uniforms for market staff, and subscription fees), and that the CRA will continue to seek discrete projects that fit the redevelopment mission. No formal vote was taken on CRA budgets at the meeting; Bohannon said she will bring any required budget adjustments back to the commission for approval.

Ending: The commission offered praise for the CRA’s work and asked staff to continue refining numbers and projects; no legislative action was taken at this meeting.