Discussions will take place tomorrow regarding an ongoing battle on how to pay for city services in Venice. The city of Venice and Sarasota County have discussed consolidation and the Venice City Council will revisit the topic at its regular meeting tomorrow. A change would need to be made in the city charter to allow the county the county to take over fire operations. If approved consolidation would take place between Venice Fire Department and Sarasota County. If approved, a referendum may find its way onto the March 2018 ballot. As it sits, the city manager has the ability to control the position of fire chief, as well as other positions of power. Tuesday’s meeting will have a few additional items heard that could impact the changes in fire operations.
