The City of Venice and Fraternal Order of Police, representing officers and supervisors through the rank of lieutenant, have reached tentative agreements, which could be effective Oct. 1 if ratified by the union membership and approved by Venice City Council.

The three-year agreements call for no changes in pay for the next year, but allow for negotiations for the last two years of the contracts. However, the agreements stipulate there will be no decrease in base salaries for the duration.

“I think it is important to recognize in these tough economic times the members of FOP have set aside their needs for the sake of the city and residents,” Chief Julie Williams

“The city sincerely appreciates the spirit of cooperation in which these agreements have been reached,” said Alan Bullock, administrative services director and lead negotiator for the city.

Venice Police Officers Joe McGee, Ruth Terry, Rob Palmieri, Aleks Gregoire and Keith Quick negotiated for the officers. Lt. Eric Hill, Lt. Tom Mattmuller and Sgt. Ron Perisho negotiated for the sergeants and lieutenants.

The city is currently negotiating with its other two bargaining units, International Association of Fire Fighters and Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees.

About 5 gallons of sewage spilled on a grassy area in the 600 block of Leslie Lane in Venice when a sewage line became blocked on Sunday, Aug. 29 around 2:45 p.m. The discharge was contained and vacuumed, after which the area was disinfected. The spill did not present a danger to humans or the environment.

Living on the Gulf of Mexico, with its blue-green water and fascinating wildlife under an umbrella of sunny skies, is truly a little bit of Paradise. But Paradise has its hazards. What can be done to keep your property from flooding when clouds roll in? You can find out by attending a public meeting on Aug. 31 at 10 a.m. at Venice City Hall Council Chambers, 401 W. Venice Ave.

Over the past 12 months, the City of Venice, with technical assistance from Sarasota County, developed a flood-plain management plan.  It is part of a local mitigation strategy, developed by a countywide committee of representatives from local jurisdictions and critical facilities. 

The committee evaluated a number of flood hazards and selected eleven action items to reduce danger and damage caused by floods.  The draft plan can be found online at: www.scgov.net/EmergencyServices/mitigationdocs.asp. If you have questions or concerns, please attend this meeting or contact Val Raney at (941) 486-2626, ext. 25006, or e-mail: vraney@ci.venice.fl.us before 4 p.m. Aug. 31.

Most of the improvements at Harbor Drive and West Venice Avenue in Venice have been completed. The $334,746 project was funded by federal stimulus money awarded by the Florida Department of Transportation and overseen by the city of Venice Engineering Department.

Improvements include paver crosswalks, larger street signs, new signalization on poles and audible pedestrian signals.  The new signals adjust timing to allow more vehicles to pass through the intersection when traffic is heavy.

Walk buttons should be used to ensure pedestrian safety. To use the pedestrian signal, push the walk button. After a few seconds, the signals cycle to stop all vehicular traffic. A bird chirp (to walk east or west) or a cuckoo sound (to walk north or south) will sound to help the sight impaired, as well as the walk light will appear. The cycle provides about 30 seconds for the pedestrian to cross the intersection and provides a countdown of number of seconds

The poles on which the signals are mounted are more likely to survive a serious storm than are those hung on wires across intersections. The project is in keeping with the aesthetics of the downtown area, known for its Northern Italian Renaissance architectural style.

The contractor will complete a punch list items that will require replacement of some of the concrete and paver bricks in the intersection to meet the required quality standards and repair adjacent sidewalks. This work will take place between now and the middle of October. Pedestrians and drivers are asked to be especially alert when in the presence of workers. 

The City of Venice learned Tuesday that it will receive a letter from the state Department of Community Affairs stating that the recently adopted comprehensive plan update is not in compliance due to relatively minor data issues. It is believed the state singled out two administrative issues related to interlocal agreements within the 500-page document. These concerns do not involve major policy issues already debated and decided by the city.

 “The process has gone extremely well over the last year,” City Manager Isaac Turner said. “We communicated well with DCA staff. That is why I am disappointed with the DCA finding over two relatively minor issues.”

The city’s understanding is that the joint planning agreement with Sarasota County needs to be amended to ensure consistency with the new comprehensive plan. The JPA amendment is limited to who will provide utility service in North Venice, an area along East Laurel Road and Knight’s Trail Road that is currently partially developed. The city and county agreed earlier to amend the JPA once the comprehensive plan was approved, and DCA was made aware of this agreement. However, the state is now requiring the amendment to take place before it will find the plan in compliance.

“We are pleased that the overall planning framework and future build-out projections have been validated. This allows us to preserve our small town, lower-intensity urban form that the city council established,” said General Manager of Development Services Tom Slaughter.

The other issue was in regard to information from the School Board that was updated after the comprehensive plan was submitted. By law, the city must coordinate future population projections for the new planning areas with Sarasota County School Board to ensure accurate student enrollment projections.

“These relatively minor data issues do not overshadow the significant achievement made by the city council in adopting this plan,” Turner said. “We are confident these items will be addressed in a cooperative and timely manner.”