The county and the school district would share most of the revenue from a proposed penny increase in sales tax, but some residents see no need for it.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published June 18, 2003
NEW PORT RICHEY - More than anything, the county needs roads: wider ones, new ones.
So said the County Commission, which pledged Tuesday to put half of its Penny for Pasco revenue toward transportation projects if voters approve the 1-cent sales tax increase next year.
Roads were identified as a top priority in a recent poll by Pasco's Citizen Committee, a group promoting the sales tax proposal. And Commissioner Ted Schrader said the county could get twice the bang for its buck if it uses the tax revenue to team up with the state Department of Transportation on road projects.
"The state helps those who help themselves," Commissioner Ann Hildebrand said, nodding in agreement.
The extra penny on the sales tax would bring in about $31-million a year. Under the proposal, the county and the school district would each get 45 percent of the revenue; the cities would split the remaining 10 percent.
Over the 10-year life of the tax increase, county government would get between $166-million and $196-million, county budget director Mike Nurrenbrock estimated.
Commissioners sketched a rough outline Tuesday for how they would spend that money: 50 percent on transportation, 25 percent to buy land for preservation or drainage projects, and 20 percent for public safety needs. The remaining 5 percent would go into a contingency fund.
That was the easy part. In the coming months, commissioners will hold other workshops on each category to discuss specific projects.
Critics of the sales tax left the meeting at the West Pasco Government Center even less convinced the county needs the additional dollars.
"To me, the whole procedure seems backwards," said Ann Bunting, head of the Spirit of '76 Republican Club. "First they say we want to tax you; then they figure out how they're going to spend it."
Before discussing the Penny for Pasco proposal, commissioners went over a proposed list of projects, totaling $48.6-million, that could be covered by existing sales tax dollars.
The list includes a $15-million expansion of the courthouse complex in New Port Richey, $5-million apiece for parks in Wesley Chapel and Trinity, and $2.5-million apiece to expand the libraries in Land O'Lakes and Regency Park.
Commissioners will vote on that list at another public hearing. Although commissioners said the list shows only a fraction of the county's needs, Bunting said it proves the county has enough money to spend.
"The county has not established it has any need," she said.
- Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is bhall@sptimes.com
