Budget Cuts Delay East Tampa Plan

EAST TAMPA - A business redevelopment plan anticipated for public review in May will be delayed at least 30 days as city departments crunch 2009 budgets.

Some of that information is needed by consulting firm URS Corp. before the plan can be completed, East Tampa redevelopment manager Ed Johnson said.

URS vice president Keith Greminger is expected to provide an updated schedule Tuesday at the monthly East Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership meeting.

The delay comes as the city faces budget cuts and layoffs due to property tax rollbacks. There also is uncertainty about a state Supreme Court ruling that could force governments to hold referendums before issuing bonds for big-ticket projects.

East Tampa and eight other community redevelopment areas in the city want to use bonds to boost their investment power. Without them, the city will have to set its sights on smaller projects.

To explore what East Tampa might face, the city wants URS to prepare financial plans with and without bonds.

The city's contract with URS totals about $395,000 over two years for developing a strategic business plan. The money comes from a portion of property taxes collected within the boundaries of Hillsborough Avenue, interstates 275 and 4, and the city limits.

Public workshops on the plan were held in February and March.

Greminger said his firm also would like to review a study done last year by Social Compact, a foundation based in Washington, D.C. The study, paid for by Citicorp, used a method known as a drilldown to capture information about Tampa from tax records, auto registrations, utility companies, school enrollment, business licenses and real estate inventories.

The study was expected earlier this year but is not available, Greminger said.

Johnson said adjustments to the URS contract are expected, subject to city council approval.

"There's going to obviously be additional work they'll do, and they should be compensated for it," he said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Monthly meeting of the East Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership

WHEN: 10 a.m. Tuesday

WHERE: Cyrus Greene Community Center, 2101 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

INFORMATION: (813) 242-3807