Bradenton CRA approves funding for code enforcement and downtown maintenance; discusses water line cost increase for youth center

The Bradenton City Community Redevelopment Agency voted unanimously to accept applications for two funding requests on Thursday, approving a $65,000 contribution to support code enforcement work within the agency’s redevelopment districts and renewing the downtown cleanup/maintenance team contract.

The actions came during a regular CRA meeting in which staff also reported a cost increase tied to a required water line for the 13th Avenue Youth Center (the Rogers site) and said a contract amendment will be brought back to the agency for consideration.

Volker Reis, code enforcement manager for the city of Bradenton, told the CRA that his office is requesting $65,000 in contributions from the CRA districts and that the total has been broken down among the three CRAs under the agency. "We're requesting $65,000 in contribution from the CRAs," Reis said. He described the office’s work as a mix of complaint-driven and proactive inspections, saying the department handles about 3,400 cases annually and typically performs three proactive inspections for each complaint.

Reis said the enforcement team includes a coordinator, one senior code enforcement officer and four full-time-equivalent code enforcement officers, with one position currently open and a new officer scheduled to start Sept. 2. He said the requested CRA funds would be used for enforcement above and beyond citywide services specifically within CRA areas; the request is additional to the citywide code enforcement staffing.

Agency members moved to accept the code enforcement funding application so staff could include the contribution in the CRA budget; the motion passed unanimously.

Later, James Water, division manager for the city’s Solid Waste Division, and Bert Lawton, superintendent of Solid Waste, presented on the Downtown CRA cleanup/maintenance team and their operations. Water described recent work planting more than a thousand flowers and plants across Main Street and side streets, improvements to irrigation and drip systems, and new equipment acquisitions including a truck capable of carrying mulch and a power washer that allows crews to access alleys the previous trailer-mounted washer could not. He credited collaboration with Bradenton Police Department CRA officers and said the team now has the equipment it needs.

"The work proof is in the pudding. If you walk down Main Street, it looks really, really good," Water told the board. The CRA reviewed and accepted the team’s application for annual contract funding; board members moved to fulfill the funding request and the motion passed unanimously.

During a broader redevelopment update, staff summarized grant activity (listed as 282 applications in Tamiami, 97 in Central, and 321 in Downtown) and described project-level needs at the 13th Avenue Youth Center (Rogers site). Staff reported a required water line must be installed before construction can proceed and that costs have risen by about $50,000 since earlier estimates. The presenter recommended the CRA cover the additional $50,000, which staff said would raise the CRA’s contribution to $200,000 for that project; staff said the developer is to contribute $300,000 and the city will apply $150,000 in impact fees.

Staff said they will present a contract amendment for agency action and that, when the property contract closes, the CRA is expected to be reimbursed the developer’s $300,000 contribution. "We need to get that water pipe in before anything else—nothing else can happen until that pressure is on that side," a staff member said, explaining the sequencing requirement. Staff told the CRA it will return with an amendment for formal approval.

The meeting opened with citizens’ comments (no speakers) and the consent agenda was approved unanimously earlier in the session.

Board members were also informed that Love Park design is complete and that purchasing will provide an update on procurement at the next meeting. Staff encouraged CRA members to attend the Florida Redevelopment Association conference and board training.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: Motion to approve the consent agenda as presented; passed unanimously. - Code enforcement CRA contribution: Motion to accept the code enforcement funding application (total requested $65,000, divided among three CRAs); passed unanimously. - Downtown CRA cleanup/maintenance team: Motion to fulfill the downtown maintenance team funding request and make it an annual contract; passed unanimously.

Members of the CRA said staff will return with a contract amendment related to the 13th Avenue Youth Center water line before the agency takes final action on that item.