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Transportation Task Force Keys On Mass Transit

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By RICH SHOPES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2007

TAMPA - Reconvening after a four-month break, the county's Transportation Task Force on Monday quickly sketched out its main goal for next year: work with other agencies on a long-range transportation plan that emphasizes mass transit.

The big question as the agency moves forward concerns funding, but members of the task force were no closer to finding that out than when the meeting began.

Mike Merrill, the county's debt management director, said the county can depend on about $600 million in sales tax to pay for its five-year road improvement program and other county programs. County commissioners in August agreed to spend about $500 million on roads and intersections after the task force gave its blessing to the plan.

However, figuring out how much is left over for mass transit will take at least a few weeks, task force chairman Ken Hagan said.

Still, the task force has plenty else to focus on, including how its plans coincide with other agencies' proposals and whether it will push for passage of a referendum to raise sales taxes to pay for mass transit.

County Commissioner Mark Sharpe agreed mass transit probably will be a focus as the task force moves forward but left the door open to bus rapid transit and possibly a toll road as ways to move commuters.

In setting its agenda, the task force will ask for presentations from other agencies, including the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit and the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The next meeting of the task force will be in January.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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