VENICE – The Venice City Council will conduct its day-long strategic planning meeting Monday at Village on the Isle. Topics include public safety services, a parks agreement with Sarasota County, the Venice Municipal Airport, roads and transportation plans, Seaboard area development and emergency operations.
City officials, especially in pubic safety, are asking for several more employees to offset the impact of growth.
Public comments can be made after lunch.
Betsy Steiner will facilitate the meeting, scheduled to end at 5 p.m. There will be no live transmission of the meeting, though an audio recording should eventually be posted on the city website, https://www.venicegov.com.
Village on the Isle is at 920 S. Tamiami Trail.
Public safety issues warrant staff increases
The Venice Police Department has 51 sworn officers – including 37 officers and 11 investigators – and 20 non-sworn support staff members.
That workforce has held mostly flat, despite population growth, from 25,463 according to the 2020 U.S. Census to an estimated 27,793 as of April 1, 2023, according to the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research, as well as expansion of the city limits from annexation.