Title
Charter County and Regional Transportation System Surtax (B)
Section 212.055, Florida Statutes allows charter counties to impose a discretionary sales surtax of up to one (1) percent. The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners is considering a 2014 ballot initiative for a one (1) cent Charter County Transportation System Surtax.
Explanation
Section 212.055, Florida Statutes allows charter counties to impose a discretionary sales surtax of up to one (1) percent. The proceeds from the surtax shall be applied to:
1) bus and fixed guideway systems;
2) on-demand transportation services; or
3) roads or bridges
The County is not required to distribute proceeds to municipalities; however if they intend to distribute proceeds to municipalities there must be an Interlocal agreement entered into pursuant to chapter 162. A one (1) percent surtax is estimated to generate approximately $30,000,000 annually.
To assist in developing a prioritized list of transportation projects, staff has compiled projects from the Transportation Improvement Plan, Transit Development Plan and the Long Range Transportation Plan. The projects are prioritized within categories i.e. transit, preservation of existing system, enhancement of existing system, enhancement to Bicycle/Pedestrian Network, and enhancements - new corridors. Staff recommends developing a funding distribution plan, in which a percentage of the available revenue is spent in each of the categories because of the difficulty in prioritizing projects between the categories on an objective basis.
Fiscal Note
There is no fiscal impact associated with this discussion.
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) hear presentation; and 2) discuss prioritization of transportation projects considered for Surtax funding.