Lakewood Ranch-area property owners won't see a new animal shelter tax on the Tuesday, November 3 ballot after the Manatee County Commission rejected a proposal Tuesday, July 28, to let voters decide on a 0.15-mill levy to fund a new facility.

Commissioner Amanda Ballard pitched the referendum as a way to replace the troubled Bishop Animal Shelter, where animal welfare activists have complained about conditions since the county installed modular buildings as dog kennels. The measure would have authorized up to $75 million in general obligation bonds over 30 years to acquire, build, and equip a new animal welfare facility.

Three commissioners opposed the idea before it reached a formal vote, and Ballard withdrew it. Chairman Tal Siddique, Commissioner Jason Bearden, and Commissioner Dr. Robert McCann lined up against the measure. Only Ballard and Commissioner George Kruse supported it. Commissioner Mike Rahn did not comment during the discussion, according to the Bradenton Journal.

Each commissioner who opposed cited a different concern. Bearden said he was not comfortable spending up to $75 million on animal services. McCann said he did not want the county to levy another tax, even one approved by voters, especially after the county failed on earlier promises to build a permanent shelter. Siddique said his priority was other infrastructure needs and raised concerns about the financial ramifications if voters approve Amendment 3, the statewide homestead exemption property tax measure, in November. He also called it premature to consider a ballot measure without first studying the likelihood of voter approval.

Kruse argued the proposal, if approved by voters, would have offset other county spending on animal services and guaranteed a funding source even if Amendment 3 passes.

"This is a chance to put before the voters, and to let the people decide whether or not they want to spend money on a top-of-the-line animal shelter that they think the animals deserve," Ballard said at the July 28 meeting.

Ballard had modeled her proposal on a separate $75 million land conservation bond referendum that the commission unanimously placed on the Tuesday, November 3 ballot the same day, as we reported Tuesday. That measure carries a 0.16-mill tax levy.

The commission also voted 5-1 earlier on July 28 to reject $1.42 million in shade structures and sound barriers at Bishop Animal Shelter, the Bradenton Journal reported. Siddique cast the lone vote in favor. "This isn't what the people are looking for. Why are we putting more money in this, and time," McCann said during that discussion.

Instead, the commission directed county staff to study how much it would cost to build a new shelter, whether at the Bishop site or at another location. No timeline for the study has been announced.