BELLEAIR BLUFFS - Mayor John Robertson and Commissioner John Hayes will each serve another two-year term on the Belleair Shore Town Commission, no other candidates having filed for the March election.
Robertson announced this at the commission's meeting here December 20 and at the same time said that the idea of holding a government meeting outside the town's boundaries will become legal.
Only recently the town discovered that its meetings in a location outside town was not legal. Robertson said sponsors, State Rep. Jim Frishe and Sen. Dennis Jones, will file legislation to correct the situation.
Belleair Shore is a tiny town with no public buildings. Some years ago, meetings were held in the home of the then mayor but this became impracticable.
At last Wednesday's meeting the commission also hired a new town clerk to replace the retiring Loraine Blankenship. Bonnie Dohnau will begin her duties January 1 and Blankenship will work with her through January 31.
Dhonau also works in Indian Shores as an administrative assistant.
The town also got a go-ahead to conduct beach cleaning with a private firm. The idea is to remove seaweed that escapes the pullback into the water and is left above the high tide line.
Robertson polled the town's residents to determine if there were any opposition and there was none.
The town decided to drop its membership in the Suncoast League of Cities because there was no benefit to the city in membership. Belleair Shore does belong to other entities like the Florida League of Cities, Big-C, Mayors Council, etc.
The YMCA program that had been funded by Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach and Indian Shores is dead. The YMCA has pulled out. Its director for the program was fired.
Belleair Beach quit funding the program two years ago and there was little point in the $100,000 a year the four cities supplied to keep the YMCA running.
Robertson said Y activities will be available through the Clearwater branch and there will be sign up availability in the town.
While the commission will meet January 17 there will be no February meeting.