More than a few people have questioned the now $1.3 million that Hillsborough County taxpayers are spending to fund transportation consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff for outreach on a potential transportation tax that residents would vote on next year.
One of those today was Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione.
The District 7 representative questioned the city being asked to spend $74,985.09 to Parsons Brinckerhoff, the first time that the city has been asked to contribute to the Go Hillsborough, the name of the public outreach program that Parsons and local public relations executive Beth Leytham are being paid to implement.
Jean Duncan, the city’s Transportation and Stormwater Services manager, said the money was being requested by Hillsborough County.
Earlier this summer, the county’s Policy Leadership Group – the group working on the transportation plan – agreed that there would be more than 50 additional public meetings to educate Hillsborough residents on what projects would be funded under the tax if approved next year.
It was at that point that the Hillsborough County government agreed to fund Parsons hundreds of thousands of additional dollars to the already $900,000 committed to public outreach, and ask partner cities like Tampa to chip in some amount.
