In a poll taken of the approximately 20 residents who attended Manatee County’s Budget 101 session at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall March 11, 92% said they would prefer to keep paying their current taxes rather than cutting services to save money.
The scenario presented by Claudia Campos, Manatee County’s interim Chief Financial Officer, saved residents $15.08 a year, but the service cuts included an elimination of pool lifeguards and road maintenance, a reduction of traffic operations (signal timing) and increased wait times on the 311 information phone service.
“For some people, $15 is a lot of money, and I’m not trying to dismiss that,” Lakewood Ranch’s Tauna Durand said. “But I feel very fortunate that the $15 wouldn’t affect me. I’d rather keep the services.”…