Sarasota County commissioners will be making grants next week

VENICE — The Sarasota County Commission meets twice next week and will spend a good deal of both meetings deciding how to divvy up money.

On Tuesday, in Venice, the Commission is scheduled to approve an action plan for federal Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships Program and Emergency Solutions Grant funds and Neighborhood Initiative Grant Program applications.

At Wednesday‘s meeting in Sarasota, it will discuss how to use funds from the settlement of lawsuits against manufacturers of opioids and select projects for funding under the multifamily housing phase of the Resilient SRQ program.

There’s $40 million in this phase of the program but eligible requests total nearly $150 million, according to the staff presentation.

Other business

Also on Tuesday the Commission will:

Consider a purchase of park land on Lemon Bay Drive, Venice.Consider purchasing two properties in Englewood to develop as parking lots.Consider the future of 1710 Vamo Drive, which the county has declared as surplus property. Among the options are the demolition of the 1925 house or a sale, though a prior offer to buy it was rejected by the Commission.Consider a budget amendment to provide additional funding for the Nokomis Community Park Pickleball Capital Improvement Program.Consider repealing the county’s local business tax.Consider a revised agreement for funding the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, which is

funded

in part by the local business tax.

Revenue from the tax represents about 25% of the EDC’s budget. A proposal by county staff calls for the county to match an increase in business contributions to the agency to make up the shortfall.

On Wednesday, the Commission will vote on accepting a state grant of $8 million for the widening of Laurel Road and matching it with $7.8 million in Venice mobility fees to fund the project.

The Venice City Council votes Tuesday on authorizing the use of the fees.

The Commission meets Tuesday, July 9, in Commission Chambers in the Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice, and Wednesday, July 10, in Commission Chambers in the Sarasota County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Both meetings start at 9 a.m.

The full agendas for the meetings are at SCGov.net.