В Санфорде обсуждают новые правила финансирования мероприятий после закрытия агентства по обновлению районов

SANFORD, Fla. – Leaders in Sanford are weighing options on funding for special events after last year’s sunset of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). At a meeting on Monday, commissioners will discuss whether the full cost of an event’s public safety requirement should fall entirely on the event applicant or if it should be shared with residents. Recommended Videos The Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency, which was started in 1995, was shut down at the end of last year because a CRA cannot last more than 30 years in Florida. The CRA budget and responsibilities returned to the city, which has until the end of the year to complete any ongoing projects. Over the last four years, the city said service support costs have totaled approximately $684,000 for a total of 523 events. Since 2006, the city used a policy tool that allocated a $50,000 annual appropriation for special event and charitable organization funding with a maximum allocation of $7,500 to any one organization. In an effort to determine if the policy provides a fair and streamlined distribution network, commissioners will weigh it against two other options. A cost recovery option would have applicants pay 100% of public safety and city service costs. If that policy is chosen, there would be no city sponsorship budget, although it may reduce the number of events. The third option calls for a one-year pilot of a “Public Safety & City Services Support Fund.” The pilot would provide a partial offset of security for qualifying events and require an annual evaluation. Commissioners are being asked to confirm a policy direction, set funding parameters, and establish a timeline when a decision is made. The discussion will happen during a work session on Monday at 4 p.m.