Hillsborough County must get out from under the AFT storm clouds for the county to begin honestly and transparently addressing its transportation issues.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Time for Sunshine to Get Rid of the Transit Tax Storm Cloud
Hillsborough County must get out from under the AFT storm clouds for the county to begin honestly and transparently addressing its transportation issues.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Raise Gas Tax to Spend Less on Transportation
Historically, ad valorem property tax revenues always funded transportation and road projects in Hillsborough County. However, when the recession hit in 2008, all property taxes that was funding transportation was diverted to other items and areas to balance the budget.
As the local economy recovered, those revenues were not re-diverted back to fund transportation and roads.
That finally changed in September 2016 when that Hillsborough County Commission approved a 10 year transportation funding policy.
BOCC Board Policy 03.05.09.00 purpose was "to establish a fiscal policy of the Board of County Commissioners (“BOCC”) that transportation is one of Hillsborough County’s top priorities and that the proposed annual tentative budget for each fiscal year through FY 26 will reflect increases in funding for transportation uses".
The intent of the policy was to use the growth of existing revenues, including the growth of ad valorem property and sales tax revenues, to fund transportation and much needed new road capacity projects in Hillsborough County. The policy specifically excluded mobility fees and any new gas tax fee if implemented after the policy was in place. Those additional transportation revenue sources were intended to SUPPLEMENT the revenues included in the 10 year transportation funding policy.
The $812 million transportation funding plan is still in place but we posted here about the attempt to get rid of that funding plan - even as all the legal issues with the All for Transportation $16 Billion transit tax are not yet resolved.
The attempt to officially begin tearing apart the $812 million funding plan starts at tomorrow's BOCC meeting. On the BOCC meeting agenda is item B-2 Revision to BOCC Transportation Funding Policy to:
It takes a super majority to implement any change to the 10 year transportation funding policy. It will take at least 5 commissioners to vote for the change.
And any commissioner who votes for this change is voting to raise taxes and spend less on transportation.
As the local economy recovered, those revenues were not re-diverted back to fund transportation and roads.
That finally changed in September 2016 when that Hillsborough County Commission approved a 10 year transportation funding policy.
BOCC Board Policy 03.05.09.00 purpose was "to establish a fiscal policy of the Board of County Commissioners (“BOCC”) that transportation is one of Hillsborough County’s top priorities and that the proposed annual tentative budget for each fiscal year through FY 26 will reflect increases in funding for transportation uses".
The intent of the policy was to use the growth of existing revenues, including the growth of ad valorem property and sales tax revenues, to fund transportation and much needed new road capacity projects in Hillsborough County. The policy specifically excluded mobility fees and any new gas tax fee if implemented after the policy was in place. Those additional transportation revenue sources were intended to SUPPLEMENT the revenues included in the 10 year transportation funding policy.
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| BOCC 10 year transportation funding policy - mobility fees & any new gas taxes were to SUPPLEMENT transportation funding |
The attempt to officially begin tearing apart the $812 million funding plan starts at tomorrow's BOCC meeting. On the BOCC meeting agenda is item B-2 Revision to BOCC Transportation Funding Policy to:
Approve by supermajority vote the proposed revision to BOCC Policy Section Number 03.05.09.00 regarding transportation funding to provide that the Five Cents Local Option Fuel Tax, if levied by the BOCC, is an eligible funding source under the policy.What this change does is raise the gas tax on Hillsborough County residents without providing any additional transportation funding - that the BOCC stated was a top priority of the county.
It takes a super majority to implement any change to the 10 year transportation funding policy. It will take at least 5 commissioners to vote for the change.
And any commissioner who votes for this change is voting to raise taxes and spend less on transportation.
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