The Hillsborough Policy Leadership Group on Thursday voted to accept the recommendation by County Administrator Mike Merrill to move forward on a referendum for a half-cent sales tax to last the next 30 years. However, that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to go before voters next year to pay for a series of transportation improvements.
That’s because County Commissioner Al Higginbotham acknowledged after the meeting that he won’t support putting the measure on the ballot. That means it could come down to Commissioner Victor Crist being the difference whether county residents get to vote on it in 2016.
“Where I stand today, I can’t see that I’m going to send it forward,” Higginbotham said.
Higginbotham said last year when he was running for the County Commission District 6 race he would be committed to the process, but now says that after the measure “lost its way” with the controversy over the procurement process and the Beth Leytham issue, “I didn’t feel comfortable being a part of that.”
Commissioner Stacy White has been steadfast in his opposition, and Commission Chair Sandy Murman declared Wednesday that she could not vote to support a tax, instead coming out with her own hybrid plan that would use all types of various places in the budget to generate what she said would be between $50 million to $100 million annually.
The proposal needs four votes to go on the ballot next year.
Murman’s hybrid plan would be financed by increasing the county’s gas tax 5 cents to 17 cents, from a transportation tax increment trust fund, taking $22.8 million from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil settlement, and taking some from depleting reserves.
That plan was met with negative reviews.
“Any plan that uses reserves, and one-time funding to solve long-time needs is irresponsible and risks adverse credit rating consequence for the county,” Merrill said.
Commissioners Ken Hagan, Victor Crist and Les Miller all added their own criticism on Murman’s plan for using non-reoccuring funds.
“There’s only one source that has the most flexibility, you can bond and you can leverage state and federal dollars,” Hagan said. “That’s the sales tax. Like it or not.”
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said he would prefer a full-cent sales tax, but he could work with a half-cent. “We are not going to have a first-rate future with a third-rate transportation system. We’re just not,” Buckhorn said.
Although Commissioner White applauded Murman for presenting a “Plan B,” option, he said that he couldn’t support increasing the gas sales tax. In fact, he asked for a 10-year sunset on any potential increase be part of its implementation.
At the conclusion of Merrill’s presentation, he made an impassioned plea to support a half cent transportation tax.
“Some of said to me, ‘I’m sorry that this effort and all this criticism is so hard,'” Merrill said. “My answer is, ‘Thanks, but let me tell you what’s really hard. What’s really hard is telling one more family that their loved one has been killed or injured walking or riding a bicycle, when we knew our streets were unsafe.”
Murman was undaunted at the conclusion of the meeting, saying she looked forward to a more robust discussion on her plan at an upcoming BOCC meeting.
“To quote Arsenio Hall, ‘Let’s get busy,'” Miller said at the end of the meeting.
