Commission delays vote on transit tax

Amid questions about how a proposed 1-cent transit tax would be distributed and administered, Hillsborough County commissioners decided Wednesday to delay a vote to formally put the tax on the November ballot.

A vote had been scheduled for March 3 to approve ballot language and an ordinance to put the tax before voters. But commissioners, including those who support the referendum, agreed details still need to be worked out about administration and distribution of the tax proceeds among the county and cities.

"I have to have it clear enough to support it and translate it to the citizens," said Commissioner Rose Ferlita. "Right now we're not there."

None of the five commissioners who have supported the referendum in the past indicated they had changed their minds. But several said they felt rushed by the March 3 approval vote.

"I'm a little hesitant to give a firm date until we get additional information," commission Chairman Ken Hagan said.

Hagan led a county Transportation Task Force that recommended the referendum be held to pay for a long list of transportation projects.

The task force also recommended that if voters approve the tax, 75 percent of the money will go toward building a light-rail system, mostly through Tampa, and expanding bus and smaller-vehicle routes throughout the county. The remaining 25 percent of the proceeds would go for road projects. The commission has tentatively approved that split.

But outstanding questions remain, including who will make sure the tax proceeds are not wasted, and how the money will be divided between the unincorporated county and the three municipalities - Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City.

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority is expected to oversee construction of the light-rail system and expanding the bus fleet and corridors. The HART board includes three county commissioners as well as representatives from Tampa and Temple Terrace.

Lucia Garsys, county administrator for planning and infrastructure, said a board will probably be needed to decide how the 25 percent of the tax money for roads and trails is divided. Or the Metropolitan Planning Organization, a multigovernment board that plans county transportation projects, could do the job.

Commissioners Jim Norman and Al Higginbotham, who oppose the referendum, were quick to jump on the suggestion that the tax would spawn a new bureaucracy.

"You're building kingdoms on top of kingdoms," Norman said, "and they're never going to give up their turf."

Norman said the money should flow through the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, a multicounty agency set up to plan regional transportation projects. The idea got no support from the other commissioners.

Another alternative, Garsys said, would be to use a formula similar to the one used to distribute the half-penny Capital Investment Tax. The formula is based roughly on population in the unincorporated areas and the cities.

"If it's done by formula, not much governance is needed," Garsys said.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, who attended the meeting but did not speak, said afterward she supports using the investment tax formula but with a caveat. Iorio said that for the first 10 years the tax is collected, 90 percent of the money earmarked for roads and trails should go to the county, which has a $16 billion backlog in needed road improvements. After that initial period, the formula would kick in.

The commission is scheduled to meet for another transportation workshop Feb. 25. In the meantime, Garsys is to meet with representatives from the three municipalities to work out suggestions on oversight and governance of the tax money. If the commission accepts the recommendations, a vote to put the tax on the ballot could be held March 17.