Citrus: Officials discuss how to widen tax's appeal

Officials discuss how to widen tax's appeal

Having failed twice with voters, commissioners examine a 1-cent sales tax proposal to fund three areas: water quality, schools and public safety.

By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET

CRYSTAL RIVER -- Perhaps the third time will be a charm.

At their annual goal-setting session Tuesday, county commissioners discussed the possibility of bringing a 1-cent sales tax proposal back to the voters to fund the growing needs of several local agencies.

Citrus County voters rejected a 1-cent sales tax for water quality projects in 1992 and 1997, but officials think a third sales tax proposal could garner more support if the money went to several programs.

"If we broaden our approach, perhaps we would have greater success," Interim County Administrator Richard Wesch said.

County Commissioner Jim Fowler suggested the county propose a 1-cent sales tax with half of the revenue for water quality projects, a fourth for the School Board and the other quarter for public safety and Sheriff's Office programs.

"The sheriff's got very serious needs. We've got very serious needs," Fowler said. "And the superintendent of schools has been wondering where he is going to get $30-million or $35-million to build a new high school, plus two new elementary schools."

Commissioners also discussed the possibility of raising money for the Sheriff's Office through a Municipal Service Benefit Unit or a Municipal Service Taxing Unit, different kinds of taxing districts that would appear on property owners' bills.

The board made no decision Tuesday about which taxing option to pursue, but asked staff to pull together information about the exact projects that need funding and how much money could be raised under different taxing proposals.

Commissioners plan to hold a workshop to examine the taxing proposals and decide which one to pursue. But they said it is clear that additional funds need to be raised somehow.

The county has an estimated $50-million in water quality projects that need funding over the next five years, Wesch said.

Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said his department needs $4.5-million to upgrade its radio communications system, which he wants to do within the next year. Dawsy played a tape of the radio calls during the last Floral City fire so commissioners could hear the amount of static and feedback that comes through the current system.

Dawsy also said he is "bulging at the seams" of his Inverness headquarters, and asked the board to consider building a new $9-million Sheriff's Office somewhere in the county, along with an expanded Emergency Operations Center.

And schools Superintendent David Hickey said the district will require money to build the schools needed by a growing population.

"The needs are great for your children in this district," Hickey said. "The growth is real."

Hickey said he personally supported the idea of a 1-cent sales tax, and would ask the School Board at an upcoming meeting whether it could back the concept.

Commissioners showed little interest in a separate proposal by Public Safety Director Charles Poliseno to bring a small group of paid firefighters on board to work alongside the volunteer crews.

Poliseno's written proposal states that the number of volunteer firefighters has dropped from 400 five years ago to 235 today, yet the number of calls over that time has increased 24 percent. Their response time averages nearly 11 minutes, compared with the national standard of 5 to 7 minutes, because it takes time for the volunteers to meet their crew at the station before going to a fire, he said.

And with the state Fire Marshal's Office considering mandating the "two-in, two-out" rule, which would require at least five firefighters at a scene before anyone could attack a fire inside a building, Poliseno said, the crews may have to wait for enough volunteers to arrive before battling structure blazes.

Commissioners praised the efforts of the volunteers, and said the county should do more to offer incentives and recognize their work.

The board discussed a range of topics during its daylong session at the Fort Island Trail Park, at times asking staff to research issues further, but making no final decisions on any topic.

Discussion items included:

Exploring the possibility of moving County Commission meetings to Lecanto. Commission Chairman Roger Batchelor said it does not make sense for the county to rent the Masonic Building for $2,535 a month when it already owns a more suitable chamber at the Lecanto Government Building.

Commissioner Gary Bartell said the county seat would remain in Inverness, even if the commission meetings were in Lecanto, because the courthouse, clerk of courts, property appraiser and tax collector all maintain their primary facilities in Inverness. The money saved on renting the Masonic Building could go toward improving the constitutional officers' facilities.

Commissioners Fowler and Josh Wooten, who both represent the east side of the county, opposed moving the meetings out of Inverness.

Finding funding next year to expand the county transit program for disadvantaged citizens. The buses run at 97 percent capacity, and if the program is not expanded soon, Community Services Director Heidi Denis said, "We will be having to deny service to some people very shortly." Considering hiring a lobbyist to represent Citrus County in Tallahassee. Without a full-time presence in Tallahassee, the county has no one to fully advocate for its interests or watch for new developments that would affect Citrus, Wesch said.

Commissioner Gary Bartell suggested the county "piggyback" onto lobbyists who represent neighboring counties.

Looking into new ways to enforce the watering restrictions. Bartell suggested the county shift the responsibility of enforcing watering restrictions from the sheriff to the code enforcement division, as Hernando County does.

Finding ways to clean up roads. Commissioner Josh Wooten said roadside litter is the top complaint he hears from citizens, and he said the county should allocate more funding for roadside cleanups.

Many of these issues will come back to commissioners for action at general board meetings or special workshops.

"Today we've obviously established some goals -- to hold some more workshops," Batchelor said, chuckling.