Title
Charter County and Regional Transportation System Surtax Interlocal Agreement (B)
Section 212.055, Florida Statutes allows charter counties to impose a discretionary sales surtax of up to 1 percent. The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners approved a November 2014 ballot initiative for a 1-cent Charter County Transportation System Surtax that requires an interlocal agreement between the City and County. *ESTIMATED STAFF PRESENTATION 10 MINUTES*
Explanation
Section 212.055, Florida Statutes allows charter counties to impose a discretionary sales surtax of up to 1 percent to fund transportation projects including transit, on-demand transportation services and roads or bridges. The City of Gainesville must enter into an interlocal agreement with Alachua County in order to receive the funds and must provide a final list of projects for inclusion in the agreement. Surtax proceeds shall be used only for projects identified on the list of projects. The agreement also includes the provision for the oversight of expenditures by a citizen oversight committee.
On April 17, 2014, the City Commission adopted a list of projects allocating 55% of revenues to roadway projects inclusive of system preservation, enhancement and expansion; 40% to transit projects inclusive of fleet and operational enhancements to expand the reach of existing services and add a few new routes, accessibility improvements and amenities; and, 5% to bicycle and pedestrian projects including expanded connectivity, safety and accessibility enhancements. The list was transmitted to Alachua County on April 30, 2014.
On June 5, 2014, the City Commission adopted a modification to the project list reducing the roadway and transit allocation by $800,000 each in order to fund a senior transportation initiative and requested staff to present options to accommodate the funding reallocation. The following options are presented for consideration:
(1) Transit Reduction:
a) Remove the proposed ne...
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