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Norman's Talk Of Paltry Rebate Scores Empty Political Points

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2008

The economic slowdown has made construction companies eager to bid on local government projects, and the lower prices are good news for taxpayers.

But they should view with skepticism a plan by Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman to link his name to the potential savings.

Norman, who is running in 2010 for the Florida Senate, proposes that the county give the money back to taxpayers to help them through the bad times.

If the sums were substantial his idea might be worth debate.

The reality is that Hillsborough County expects to spend about $5 million less on current road projects than expected. Returning this savings to the people who paid it would be impossible, or at least so problematic as to be impractical.

Local sales and fuel taxes are the primary sources of road funds. How, exactly, would Norman divide the revenues, especially with out-of-towners having paid, too? Even if the savings were mailed to each Hillsborough resident, the check would be about $5 a person, not counting administrative costs and stamps.

Another possibility would be to give the savings to homeowners disappointed that promised property-tax cuts have been small to nonexistent. But giving them something less than $20 a household would do little to help family budgets or the county economy.

And how would you justify giving sales tax revenues to property tax payers? What about renters?

A better idea would be to hold the extra money in reserve to pay for future transportation projects. Chances are the economy will recover and prices will rise. But if the weakness continues, the county can expect lower revenues from sales taxes. It will need the $5 million for road repairs and other essentials.

The acceleration of road-building is the result of a recommendation by a task force headed by Commissioner Ken Hagan. The board voted to spend $500 million over five years to solve some of the biggest highway problems that the board had long ignored.

For years Hillsborough has spent far less per capita on roads than many other urban counties in Florida. According to a 2005 study, Hillsborough's per-person spending was about half that of Orange County: $162 per person in Hillsborough compared to $316 in Orange.

To return a few million dollars to taxpayers would send the false message that the county has solved its congestion problems when it has a transportation backlog approaching $2 billion.

At the state level, Gov. Charlie Crist is trying to speed up road projects to help the beleaguered construction industry and indirectly, the state economy. Hillsborough should be taking advantage of lower costs to do the same thing.

County Administrator Pat Bean plans to discuss the options with the board on Thursday night. County Attorney Renee Lee has hired an outside law firm - as she often does - to help her know what to say about Norman's proposal.

After spending taxpayer money for an outside opinion, the board will likely conclude that Norman's plan won't fly. But in politics, as he knows, it's often the thought that counts.

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