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Hillsborough Considers Tax For Light Rail

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By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 1, 2009

Updated: 04/01/2009 12:01 pm

TAMPA - The Hillsborough County Commission instructed its staff this morning to start drafting language for a referendum on a 1 cent sales tax for transportation projects, including light rail.

The commission voted 7-0 to start work on a referendum to go before voters in November 2010. Commissioner Jim Norman voted in favor of the motion, but warned his fellow board members the referendum will likely fail because of the dire economic conditions.

"I don't see an overwhelming vote for a penny," Norman said. "I get back to these are the toughest times we've ever been in. People are going to ask, 'Are we out of our minds.'"

But Commissioner Mark Sharpe pointed to the success of the light rail system in Charlotte, N.C., that was begun in 1996. Sharpe said the county can't delay building a multi-modal transportation without hurting longterm economic gains.

"What we don't do now, future generations will have to do at a much higher cost," Sharpe said

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