Opinion: Tampa needs a stormwater tax

Tampa Mayor Dick Greco is rectifying an old problem with his proposal for a citywide stormwater tax. Few things are as important to a crowded, waterfront city as the capacity to drain stormwater from the streets safely. The City Council should support the tax and reassure residents in different parts of town that a fair process will determine what work gets done.

The tax would cost homeowners $12 a year, and commercial properties would be charged a reasonable fee based on the size of their land and facilities. This affordable, steady financing stream would raise about $4-million a year, increasing by nearly half what the city now spends to maintain and install new stormwater drains. The city's drains and canals need serious work. This large dose of new financing is the best way to catch up on old maintenance and to filter the water that flows from the street to Tampa's waterways.

The question for the council is deciding where the work gets done. This is one of those programs that has the potential to pit neighborhoods against each other. Already some are warning that South Tampa, where many people with money and clout live, will get a disproportionate share. Equity is a valid concern, but the city can address it by putting in place certain checks and balances.

Administrators should present the council with a work-order list, allow some time for public feedback and create a clear and open process for moving job priorities around.

Residents should not fault work in South Tampa just because they may not live there; the area's low elevation, density and proximity to the coastal environs warrant a large share of the stormwater funding. Drainage is poor in West Tampa, too, and north Tampa has its own environmental impacts associated with stormwater runoff. The goal should be to fix the city's worst drainage problems and have some geographic balance so all residents get some return on their money.

The stakes would not have been as high had Greco better balanced his spending from the Community Investment Tax. The CIT was sold by Greco as money to address the basics, and there would have been more for drainage projects had the mayor not committed large sums to the downtown arts district and a local zoo. Still, that's not reason enough to oppose Greco's plan. Tampa needs a stormwater tax for reasons beyond whatever the CIT could provide. The council should approve it.

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