Commissioner Murman quoted in this St Peters Blog regarding transportation:

 

Sandy Murman optimistic about Hillsborough County finding a way to fund transportation projects in 2016

MITCH PERRY

When the Hillsborough County Commission rejected putting the Go Hillsborough sales tax referendum on the ballot for the second time last month, its many critics cheered, saying the proposal lacked vision.

Others were disappointed, saying the vote showed a lack of leadership on a crucial issue that the board has failed to address.

On the same day that the board was putting a kibosh on that twenty-year half-cent sales tax, however, they did vote on a proposal by County Commissioner Sandy Murman that would look at a plan to put one-third of all growth in property and sales taxes to a dedicated source to pay for transportation projects.

 

“This is new revenue,” Murman stressed when asked about it on Monday morning. “We’re not taking away anything existing that’s in the budget right now.”

The plan calls for the county attorney to create two separate trust funds — one for the unincorporated parts of the country, and one inside the county. A citizens advisory committee made up of a representative chosen by each commissioner would also be selected.

Critics who opposed Go Hillsborough said that there were sufficient funds in the current budget that could be allocated for transportation. County Administrator Mike Merrill and other board members disagreed, and the board subsequently rejected proposals to reduce the funding for agencies like the sheriff’s dept. and the clerk of the court to find more money.

As she noted in an op-ed in Monday’s Tampa Bay Times, Murman says that expected increases in property values would help pad the coffers of this dedicated source, which she’s calling “Transportation New Revenue Growth Funds.” County officials are reporting an eight percent increase in property values this year, that will amount to $5.7 billion.

 

Murman says it’s important not to preclude any options when a study on expanding the Tampa Streetcar and a “premium transit” study funded by the Florida Dept. of Transportation are expected to be completed in the coming years. She said that in the future, a one-cent sales referendum may be needed at that point.

The board is supposed to discuss the plan in a workshop next month, with a vote expected on whether to create those separate funds shortly afterwards.

 

 

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on foster care:

 

Foster children taken into care ended up sleeping in Hillsborough County offices

 

Monday, July 4, 2016 5:50pm

 

TAMPA — Some of them were still traumatized after being taken from their homes because of issues like abuse, neglect or domestic violence.

But on their first night in the state’s care, 17 Hillsborough County foster children ended up sleeping on air mattresses in an office building and a teen recreation center.

Officials acknowledge that over a three-week period in May and June, they had the foster children sleep for one or two nights in buildings intended only for daytime use. There were no available beds elsewhere, according to Eckerd Kids, a nonprofit group that is paid $70 million a year by the state to place and care for children in foster and group homes in Hillsborough.

Most of the children were 16 and 17, but at least one was 11. Officials said they told the Florida Department of Children and Families where the children were sleeping.

DCF said no child in care should sleep or even spend long periods in office locations, hotels or other unapproved accommodation.

“DCF is reviewing Eckerd’s failure to find appropriate placement and will impose a formal corrective action plan if the issue is not quickly and thoroughly resolved,” said Jessica Sims, a DCF spokeswoman.

The children who slept in make-do accommodations all had acute treatment needs or behavioral issues that required more support than regular foster or residential homes typically provide, said Lorita Shirley, director of operations for Eckerd Kids.

Also, a spike in the number of children being taken into care that month used up available beds, she said. Typically, about 140 children a month are removed from their families because of concerns for their safety and placed with relatives, foster parents or in group homes, Shirley said.

In May, that number went up to 195, a surge of almost 40 percent.

“It is always a failure of the system if it cannot accommodate every youth that is brought into the child welfare system,” she said. “We’ve been fortunate to not have any more kids staying the night in an office, and we do not foresee ever going down that road again.”

In response, the DCF has set up a work group with officials from Eckerd, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Guardian ad Litem program and the judicial system to look into the increase in the removal rate of children, Sims said.

The two locations converted into makeshift residential centers for children were an office building on 51st Street N used by Devereux, a firm that contracts with Eckerd, and a teen center run by Camelot Community Care on Nebraska Avenue.

The teen center has a kitchen, TV, games and other activities, Shirley said.

In most cases, children only stayed one or two nights at the facilities before being placed. In addition to air mattresses, blankets and pillows were supplied and the children had access to showers.

Dinner was brought in for them and there was trained adult supervision throughout their stay, Shirley said.

Placing children is more than just finding an empty bed. Some have behavioral and mental health issues. Some have been released from Department of Juvenile Justice detention centers. There also is a requirement to keep siblings together when possible.

State law requires that foster parents be made aware of the full history of a child before they agree to host them.

The strain on the child welfare system in Hillsborough is well known to professionals who work in that field.

Rosemary Armstrong, executive director of Crossroads for Florida Kids, said it’s typical for children taken into care to have behavioral issues and placing them in temporary accommodation could exacerbate their problems.

“These kids need more attention and sleeping in an office isn’t the way to handle their issue in a way that will lead to success,” she said.

Robin Rosenberg, deputy director of Florida’s Children First, a statewide advocacy organization focused on children’s rights, said in addition to the use of temporary accommodations, children may be being moved from one temporary home to another too frequently.

“When the system is overcrowded, they go somewhere temporarily and then move until they can find somewhere they can stay longer,” she said. “We harm them when we move them.”

Eckerd provides social services for children and families in 20 states. Since 2012, it has handled foster care placement and provided social services for children taken into care in Hillsborough County through a contract with DCF. It also runs diversion and prevention programs to prevent at-risk children from having to be taken into care.

The Clearwater company is paid $65 million to provide the same services in Pinellas and Pasco counties, a contract it was first awarded in 2008.

Hillsborough County is the second largest area for children taken into care in Florida, after Broward County. Including children placed with relatives and friends, about 2,000 children are under state care here.

Foster homes and licensed residential centers can accommodate a little more than 1,000 children, according to Eckerd. But providers also accept children from other counties, using up capacity, Shirley said.

The decision to remove children from their families in Hills­borough is made by the Child Protective Investigative Division, a unit of the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office.

Capt. Jim Bradford said there has been no change in the criteria they use when deciding to remove a child. The increase in May is a result of more calls coming in on the Florida Abuse Hotline, he said.

Shirley said Eckerd is working to ensure there is no repeat of the accommodation crisis.

It has met with Hillsborough County officials to discuss expanding the county’s 30-bed residential program. It has also met with providers to discuss how to increase the number of available beds and raise awareness of the need for more foster parents.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman, who worked on child welfare issues during her time as a state lawmaker, said she wants the problem resolved quickly.

“It is not an acceptable practice,” Murman said. “These kids are getting ripped away from anything they’ve ever known as far as their personal family. We need to make sure they are safe and secure as quickly as possible.”

 

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Biz Journal article on TBX:

 

Hillsborough MPO approves wee hour vote on controversial TBX plan — with caveats

Jun 23, 2016, 6:44am EDT

 

The Tampa Bay Express transportation plan was approved 12-4 by theHillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization, after hours of passionate pleas from supporters and dissent among critics in a meeting that ran more than eight hours and didn’t end until almost 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

The MPO formally added the TBX plan to its Transportation Improvement Plan, which is an annual list of priorities. The inclusion of TBX into those priorities was required to secure all necessary funding to move forward with the plan, costing some $3.3 billion – though other figures for the entire plan put it at $6 billion.

Despite approval, opposition to the plan far outweighed support, with approximately 95 speaking or waiving against it compared to 46 in favor. Those numbers take into account individuals who signed up to speak but gifted their three minutes of comment to another speaker.

As expected, supporters were mostly business owners, leaders and groups, while critics consisted of residents in neighborhoods where homes and businesses are likely to be demolished under the plan, including Seminole and Tampa Heights and V.M. Ybor.

Critics were also mostly supportive of other transportation initiatives that include more emphasis on multimodal transit options like bus rapid transit, bus service expansions or light rail.

The TBX plan includes a footprint for future premium transit options with a right of way secured along Interstate 4 and includes a foundation for future light rail across the Howard Frankland Bridge.

TBX also includes 91 miles of tolled express lanes that would be available for public transportation and school buses to travel at a guaranteed rate of speed.

However, those lanes would also be available on a pay-per-use basis for private drivers at a cost critics argue most wouldn’t pay. During public comment that extended well past midnight, those residents argued the toll lanes would benefit the wealthy at the cost of the poor.

The other sticking point for critics involved claims that toll lanes and highway expansions don’t reduce traffic congestions.

“This is like a monster with about 9,000 heads,” said Tampa resident Adam Metz.

Another anti-TBX speaker referenced a transit study she said suggested toll lanes represent a regressive tax because low-income residents can’t afford it and bus service in their areas may not meet their needs.

“This project is morally flawed on several levels,” said Beverly Ward of Tampa.

Critics used words like “boondoggle,” “chrony capitalism” and even “hornswoggle” to describe the plan.

Despite an apparent defeat, their pleas and warnings did not fall on deaf ears. In what became a confusing mess of motions and amendments, MPO board members took steps to mitigate concerns.

Hillsborough County Commissioners Kevin Beckner and Sandra Murman, who both sit on the MPO board, proposed items that were approved to include transparency and oversight to the Florida Department of Transportation as it moves forward with TBX.

Those items include things like a citizen impact study that would look at how neighborhoods are affected. Some 100 homes and 30 businesses are expected to fall victim to the wrecking ball to make way for TBX transportation improvements. They also would require a series of status updates and citizen input to ensure concerns are being addressed.

Despite his amendment passing the board, Beckner voted against including TBX in the board’s long-range plan along with Tampa City Council members Lisa Montelione and Guido Maniscalco, and board chair and County Commissioner Les Miller.

Despite an outpouring of critics that included several young children, supporters for the TBX plan included powerful business leaders and groups. Rick Homans, CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership who launched the TBXyes campaign, floated one of the most prominent praises of the project: that it includes a footprint for premium transit and represents traffic congestion relief that can more easily and quickly be obtained.

Bob Rohrlack, head of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, echoed similar praise for the plan.

“A no-vote is telling the Tampa International Airport [a major economic driver] we’re not going to make it easy for people to get to you,” Rohrlack said. “By voting yes, the conversation continues.”

Miller, the MPO chair, had moved to exclude three sections of Tampa from the TBX plan in areas where there was the most controversy — Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights and V.M. Ybor — but his motion failed.

Montelione encouraged critics of TBX to continue fighting, saying even though the vote would likely pass, and it did, their voices were not silenced.

With the early morning vote, the Florida Department of Transportation can now move forward with plans to proceed with its plan as the vote was needed for a majority of the funding tied to TBX.

 

 

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on TBX accountability:

 

So, about those Tampa Bay Express accountability measures …

 

Friday, June 24, 2016 1:45pm

 

TAMPA — Hillsborough leaders made a big show early Thursday morning of adding accountability measures before approving a $6 billion road project known as Tampa Bay Express.

 

Assistant County Attorney Cameron Clark told the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization during its marathon 8½ hour meeting earlier this week that the board has no legal authority to hold the Florida Department of Transportation to an agreement.

“DOT is not answerable to the board directly,” Clark told the board around 1:30 a.m Thursday. “If they miss something, there’s not like there is a penalty for it.”

Two MPO members, Hillsborough County Commissioners Sandy Murman and Kevin Beckner, both sought to add extra conditions to the board’s approval of TBX, which easily passed the board 12-4.

Murman’s amendment called for increased communication between the MPO and DOT, including quarterly updates. Beckner took that a step further by moving to require that the state present reports on the human impact of the project, mitigation plans for the affected neighborhoods, options for premium transit in the area, and any updates on a federal inquiry into whether the project violates civil rights laws.

“We need to stand with the public and make sure FDOT is accountable to us,” Beckner said.

Both amendments passed unanimously.

But while DOT district secretary Paul Steinman agreed to those stipulations at Thursday’s meeting, there was concern over what ability the MPO has to ensure the department keeps its word.

“I know DOT only answers to the governor,” Murman said Thursday morning. “Can we hold them (to an agreement)? How much power can we have over them?”

The answer: not much.

“You’re basically saying these are the things you’re going to request going forward,” Clark said. “If some condition was violated, it’s not like the approved funding source goes away.”

But the MPO does have some recourse, Clark said. In order for DOT to proceed with a project, it has to be in the MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program, which the board votes to approve annually, as it did Thursday morning.

While this vote normally takes place on an annual basis, Clark said there’s nothing to prevent the board from amending the list of priorities at any time throughout the year.

“If you determine those conditions are not satisfied, you can always come back and you can remove previously approved funds,” Clark said. “You are always free to do that.”

 

 

 

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Times article on MPO meeting:

 

TRANSPORTATION

In wee hours, Hillsborough leaders approve Tampa Bay Express, keep it in long-term plan

By CAITLIN JOHNSON Times Staff Writer

 

Published: June 23, 2016

Updated: June 23, 2016 at 08:53 AM

 

TAMPA — It was one step forward for Tampa Bay Express, one giant step backward for the opposition.

The Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization voted 12 to 4 shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday morning to keep the controversial $6 billion road project known as TBX on track and in its long-term funding plans.

But what was an incremental step for TBX was a big setback for the critics, who oppose the plan to add 90 miles of tolled express lanes to the interstate system linking five counties and viewed the meeting as their chance to stop the project from moving forward.

Despite mounting opposition from Central Tampa neighborhoods and groups like 1,000 Friends of Florida, the vote to approve the project did not come as a surprise. Only two of 16 members — Tampa City Councilman Guido Maniscalco and Hillsborough County Commissioner and MPO Chairman Les Miller — had publicly stated their intent to vote against the project before Wednesday’s public hearing.

County Commissioner Kevin Beckner and Tampa City Councilwoman Lisa Montelione were the other two dissenting votes.

“The work that all of you put in for your community has been unprecedented, at least in my experience,” Montelione told the weary crowd. “You can’t be discouraged. You can’t let this give you the opportunity to throw your hands up and say, ‘That’s it. I’m done. I’m tired. We lost. I’m over it.’”

Miller attempted to block the most controversial aspects of the plan from proceeding — the downtown interchange, Interstate 275 from downtown north to Bearss Avenue, and Interstate 4 east to Plant City — but that motion was voted down 5-11. Planning Commissioner Trent Green was the fifth vote.

“We’ve got to realize that the people that’s going to be effected the most don’t want this,” Miller said.

While the vote to approve the long-range plan in its current form easily passed the board, Hillsborough County Commissioners Sandy Murman and Beckner both sought to add extra oversight and accountability measures to the project.

Murman’s amendment called for increased communication between the MPO and FDOT, including quarterly updates. Beckner took that a step further by requiring FDOT to present reports on the human impact of the project, mitigation plans for the affected neighborhoods, options for premium transit in the area, and any updates on a federal inquiry into whether the project violates civil rights laws.

Both amendments passed unanimously.

Plant City Commissioner Nate Kilton commended the audience on their passion for their communities, but said TBX needed to move forward as “one cohesive package” if it was going to be successful.

“I have significant concerns about taking out these sections of the road,” Kilton said. “One of the biggest problems is the bottleneck we have at I-4 and I-275. If we’re not going to correct that, then why even bother with this, to be perfectly honest?

TBX received strong support from the business community, many of whom attended the eight-hour meeting to advocate for the project which will expand I-275, I-4 and Interstate 75 from Pinellas Park through Westshore and downtown Tampa, north to Pasco County, east to Polk County and south to Manatee County.

Though a majority of the board voted in support of TBX, many of them were noticeably silent during the meeting, speaking only to cast their votes.

Tampa City Councilman Harry Cohen voted to keep TBX on the board’s long-range plan, but was not without his reservations.

“I want you to know categorically that I am very skeptical of the toll lane concept,” Cohen said. “And I am going to be asking the question of every person that is running for governor in the next cycle, ‘What is your position on toll lanes?’ This conversation is not over.”

Hundreds of people flooded Hillsborough County Center and spent hours urging the MPO’s board to either approve or reject the massive road project.

Opponents waved signs and wore buttons imploring the MPO to remove TBX from the plan, which would effectively kill the project.

They arrived hours before the meeting, eager to make their voices heard. And when they filled every seat in the board room, they were directed to overflow seating downstairs where there still weren’t enough chairs to accommodate everyone. An estimated 500 people turned out for the meeting.

“We can do better,” Michelle Cookson, a member of the Stop TBX Coalition, told the MPO. “We’re at a critical crossroad, and we can turn toward prosperity and economic stability and 21st century growth. Or we can stay stuck in the past.”

Though speakers opposed to the project outnumbered those in favor by a 2:1 ratio, many in the audience supported TBX. They flashed “TBXyes” stickers, wore green T-shirts, and told the board TBX will provide much-needed relief for an overburdened interstate system.

“Our transportation needs are great,” said Don Skelton, former secretary for Florida Department of Transportation’s district office. “This is an investment in transportation, which is an investment in economic growth.

“If we can’t move people and goods, we’re going to strangle ourselves economically.”

The distinction between opponents and supporters was stark.

Some of the challengers sported T-shirts and pajama pants, while many of the champions stood in suits and ties. They varied not just in dress, but in occupation: students, entrepreneurs and teachers spoke out against the project while executives, engineers and former FDOT secretaries advocated for its continuation.

“These are people who are paid to be here for this project because this project benefits their employers,” Seminole Heights resident and business owner Nikki Rice said to the board. “It is time now to consider your constituents.”

They introduced themselves as either residents of a neighborhood or members of the business community. When they stated their address for the record, the geographical divide was clear: the opposition hailed mostly from Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights and other urban neighborhoods while the supporters listed addresses in Wesley Chapel, New Tampa and Pinellas County.

And when the final vote was announced, they either resolved to continue their fight or breathed a sigh of relief.

“We have engaged and energized many hundreds of citizens to be involved in our most critical issue: transportation,” Cookson said following the vote. “We have brought the focus back to where it ought to be. We need transit, many systems that are connected and move more people and goods in less space.”

About 185 people signed up to address the board. Not all of those individuals spoke, but public comment lasted seven hours. The board then deliberated for an hour and voted shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday to approve the long-range plan.

This is the fourth time in three months that a public transportation hearing drew large, passionate crowds and stretched late into the night. In April and then again in June, Hillsborough County Commissioners heard from hundreds of people about whether to put a half-cent sales tax for transportation on the November ballot.

Commissioners rejected the referendum both times.

When it is completed decades from now, TBX will add managed toll lanes to 90 miles of previously free roads.

But these won’t just be typical toll lanes. Unlike the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, which charges a flat rate, the cost of using TBX’s express toll lanes will fluctuate based on demand. When traffic in the main lanes is at its worst, it could cost a driver $2 to travel a single mile in the express lane — or $15 to travel the 7½ miles from Bearss Avenue to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The project also includes a new northbound span of the Howard Frankland Bridge and will revamp the downtown and Westshore interchanges.

But the project needs the approval of the Hillsborough MPO, a group comprised of elected officials and representatives from public entities that evaluates transportation and development.

“FDOT is committed to working with the community on transportation solutions for our region,” FDOT district spokeswoman Kris Carson said. “We will continue the public outreach as we plan and prepare for TBX.”

Thursday morning’s vote allows the project to move forward, but it in no way finalizes it or prevents officials from opposing it in the future. The MPO must approve its Transportation Improvement Program every year, so funding for TBX phases such as the downtown interchange expansion could be nixed in the future.

Because of that, supporters like Michael Peterson with the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors said this allowed the MPO “to hedge your bets tonight.”

“Voting yes for TBX only allows less than $500,000 for voluntary purchases (in the next year) and you get another year to work out the problems,” Peterson said.

FDOT has told local officials that if they remove TBX from Hillsborough’s long-range plan, then the billions the state will allocate for the project in future years would go elsewhere — but not to other road improvements or transit projects here in the bay area. Instead, the money would be used to add toll lanes to highways in other parts of Florida.

That’s not a threat, state officials have said repeatedly, just the reality. Regardless, the fear of losing out on that funding motivated many of those who came out to support TBX.

“If we reject TBX our tax dollars will be spent by somewhere else, somewhere else in Florida,” Ken Roberts said.

But while many at the MPO hearing viewed the project as an “all-or-nothing,” siding with either TBXyes or Stop TBX, Tampa resident Taylor Ralph said he represented a new constituency: the “TBX Maybe” folks.

Taylor encouraged the board not to let FDOT dictate what projects move forward, but instead to ask that TBX be split into its individual components. He suggested the MPO put the development of the toll lanes on hold while other options are studied.

Meanwhile, he said the MPO and FDOT should move forward with critical improvements, such as rebuilding the northbound span of the Howard Frankland.

“We’ve been told we either accept all of the TBX plan, including the tolled and express lanes, or we don’t get anything,” Ralph said. “They’re playing a game with our tax dollars.

“We call the shots … we develop the priorities.”

Contact Caitlin Johnston at cjohnston@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3401. Follow @cljohnst

 

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on transportation:

 

Hillsborough commissioners reject latest transportation tax plan

 

Thursday, June 9, 2016 10:36pm

 

TAMPA — Six years ago, Hillsborough County voters rejected a referendum to raise the sales tax by a full penny for 30 years to pay for transportation projects.

This time, it won’t even get that far.

For the second time in seven weeks, county commissioners on Thursday rejected a half-cent sales tax hike of 20 years on a 4-3 vote. Now it’s increasingly likely that after three years of meetings, studies and debate, commissioners won’t have a proposal to take to voters in November and they may walk away from the transportation conversation without a long-term solution.

Lines broke the same as they did in April: Commissioners Kevin Beckner, Ken Hagan and Les Miller voted for it; Victor Crist, Al Higginbotham, Sandy Murman and Stacy White voted no.

“I cannot in good conscious increase the tax burden on hardworking citizens by a margin of more than 7 percent,” White said. The tax would’ve increased the sales tax from 7 cents on a dollar to 7.5 cents.

Commissioners then voted 4-3 to study an alternative proposal from Murman to divert future growth in sales and property taxes to transportation. The breakdown of the vote was the same.

Murman said her plan would give the county a base to pay for road work and other projects while the county conducts a larger transit study that includes whether to buy CSX rail lines for a commuter line.

“Why would we preclude that option when in 2, 3, 4 years we’re going to be back here thinking, ‘How can we go back to the voters one more time?” Murman said. “They’re going to say, ‘No, we gave you that shot.’ “

Commissioners initially came to Thursday’s meeting planning to consider a 15-year tax. But Hagan said that was a “watered-down” and “symbolic” solution and instead made a motion to bring back the 20-year tax that commissioners previously rejected. He implored his colleagues to let the voters decide.

“Why would we deprive the public of that right?” he asked.

But none of the previous no voters were swayed.

The public hearing Thursday lasted well into the evening as 69 speakers signed up to weigh in on whether the county should raise the sales tax by a half cent.

Young professionals and business leaders turned out in large numbers to push commissioners toward a resolution that would reinvent Hillsborough’s transportation system to lessen gridlock and repair crumbling roads. Many advocated for a sales tax of at least 20 years, insisting that a long-term funding was needed for a transformative plan and to attract federal grants. They wore buttons that said “Yes! to 20,” a campaign pitch from the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Jeff Lucas of Tampa said he moved here from Atlanta where he spent hours of his day stuck in traffic and predicted Hillsborough would head that way as it’s population boomed.

“I’ve seen our future and I can paint the picture for you and it’s not pretty,” said Lucas, who added that many tourists will be paying the tax as well.

A half-cent sales tax would raise $117.5 million a year, the county estimates.

But the advocates were matched almost equally by opponents of any tax hike, many from the suburbs and rural parts of the county who questioned the county’s plan and didn’t want to pay for transit in Tampa they won’t use.

Others said commissioners hadn’t demonstrated a willingness to support transportation in the past and were now looking to taxpayers for an easy fix.

One speaker, Yvette Maldonado, sarcastically suggested that commissioners may discover the will to pave roads if they were named after baseball stadiums.

“Wow,” she said, “I think I found the solution folks.”

The hearing, though in a different location, was nearly identical to one on April 27, when more than 60 people offered diverging opinions on how best to pay for much-needed road work and much-desired transit projects here.

That meeting ended after commissioners rejected 4-3 proposals to raise the sales tax from 7 percent to 7.5 percent for periods of 20 and 30 years. In May, though, they voted 5-2 to instead consider a 15-year tax.

“What part of no don’t you people understand?” said Kathy Brown, wearing a sticker with “Tax” crossed out.

Since then, commissioners have met repeatedly in a desperate attempt to find common ground and pass some kind of solution. Instead, divisions only deepened.

The last-minute proposal first introduced Wednesday by Murman further muddied the waters. Assuming 5 percent growth in county taxes each year, Murman insisted her proposal could replace the sales tax.

Despite the decision, commissioners won’t leave its three-year transportation initiative completely empty-handed.

The commission already set a policy that half of all future growth in property tax revenue for the next three years and one-third after that will go toward transportation. They also passed new mobility fees that eventually could bring in $35 million a year from developers.

Still, with an estimated $9 billion in current and future transportation needs, the policies already passed likely won’t be enough. There’s consensus on the board that the county’s transportation network is a problem that will burden future boards, economic recruitment efforts and overall quality of life for citizens. But a solution remains elusive.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said the county’s lack of action is handcuffs the cities, which cannot raise sales taxes on their own. Each city and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority would have received a piece of the sales tax surcharge.

“Unfortunately, the commission’s majority continues to lack the courage to let voters decide the way we move forward,” Buckhorn said. “Any plan that does not incorporate the needs of the three cities is not a plan and is merely a failed effort by politicians more concerned about the next election rather than the next generation.”

 

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on transportation:

 

On eve of Hillsborough transportation vote, deep divisions and new plan surface

 

Thursday, June 9, 2016 8:10am

 

TAMPA — On the eve of another transportation vote, Hillsborough County commissioners made this much clear on Wednesday: They are as divided as ever on how to pay for transportation needs, and the issue will not be resolved anytime soon.

Supporters of a half-cent sales tax hike hoped that Wednesday’s commission workshop would eliminate any lingering doubt that a tax increase for 15 or more years is still the best way to pay for road work and transit projects.

That didn’t happen. Instead, when today’s public hearing and vote starts at 6 p.m., the commissioners will enter the room without a consensus.

Adding to the confusion was another last-minute alternative proposal from Commissioner Sandy Murman to pay for existing and future transportation needs entirely with growth in the county’s sales and property tax revenues. It’s the second time in seven months that she has dropped a new plan just hours before a big vote.

Some commissioners wondered aloud whether they needed more time to consider Murman’s latest proposal and delay today’s scheduled hearing.

That didn’t sit well with Commissioner Ken Hagan.

“This proposal strikes me as nothing but a shell game,” he said.

The lack of consensus means commissioners could — for the second time in two months — leave a public hearing to raise the sales tax without the four votes needed to send it to a referendum, to let voters decide in November. The first time was on April 27, when the commission rejected 20- and 30-year half-cent sales tax plans by a vote of 4-3.

The commission is sharply divided into two camps: those who back a sales tax hike to pay for transportation and those who think it can be paid for with growth in the tax base.

The former had their case bolstered Wednesday by county staff and consultants, who said property tax revenues are unreliable for major transportation projects because they dip and dive with the economy and will be viewed unfavorably for federal grants.

Murman doubted that. Her goal, she said, was to get two transportation trust funds off the ground: one for unincorporated Hillsborough and one countywide. Then they could go back to voters in a few years after the county has finished a planned transit study and a review of whether to buy CSX lines for conversion into a commuter rail system.

“Get the funding stream moving forward and then we can really go big when this study is done,” she said.

Commissioner Les Miller, though, warned that dedicating future growth to one priority will cannibalize the rest of the budget and other services at a time when the county’s population is on the rise.

“That’s a major, major problem,” he said.

City of Tampa officials added that if the county goes down that road, it will be leaving the three cities — Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City — out to dry. All three jurisdictions, plus the Hills­borough Area Regional Transit Authority, would automatically receive a portion of any new sales tax revenue.

But there’s no guarantee they would get anything under proposals tied to growth.

 

 

 

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Business Journal article:

 

Sandy Murman surveys constituents on how they want to fund transportation

Jun 3, 2016, 4:14pm EDT

 

Commissioner Sandra Murman has emailed a transportation survey to her constituents in an effort to find out how they want to pay for repairs and improvements.

The survey comes in the wake of continued disagreement over how to to fund Hillsborough County’s current and future transportation needs. In a 4-3 vote last April, Hillsborough County Commissioners decided not to place the Go Hillsborough half-cent sales tax referendum on the November ballot, taking a significant step backward in getting a unified plan on transportation.

Murman’s short survey asks participants to rank different sources of revenue on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the most preferable source and 5 the least.

“In terms of what you would most prefer to utilize for transportation repairs and improvements, including transit and improved bus service …”

  1. Pay a 15-year ½ cent sales tax
  2. Pay a 10-year ½ cent sales tax
  3. Pay a 5-year ½ cent sales tax
  4. Pay a 15-year ½ cent sale tax
  5. Pay a 10-year ¼ cent sales tax
  6. Pay a 5-year ½ cent sales tax
  7. Utilize 5-cent per gallon tax option

The first three would generate $117 million in revenue per year, and the next three provide $58.5 million a year while the gas tax would raise $18 million per year.

The survey also asks participants to answer yes or no on whether they would support re-prioritizing the county budget to put more revenue toward transportation.

They are also asked if they support having a dedicated source of revenue for transportation that does not involving raising taxes, like a “transportation increment tax fund and if they support merging the two bus systems — Hillsborough Area Regional Transit and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.”

Murman is seeking to get all responses by June 7.

Under the defeated Go Hillsborough initiative, the bulk of money generated in the first 10 years would have gone to Hillsborough County, which would have received $649 million or 55 percent. The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority would have gotten $294 million or 25 percent of the funds for the bus system that it operates.

The city of Tampa, which was looking to extend its historic streetcar and build a rail system between downtown andTampa International Airport, would have received 17 percent or $198 million. Plant City would gotten two percent or $20 million while Temple Terrace would have gotten 1 percent or $14 million.

Sales tax plans to fund transportation have proved unpopular in the past. In November 2014, the Greenlight Pinellas penny sales tax initiative was defeated. And in 2010, a referendum to fund a rail-focused transit system also failed.

 

Frances McMorris

Reporter

Tampa Bay Business Journal

 

 

 

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on transportation:

 

Hillsborough administrator says sales tax ‘the only way’ to pay for transportation needs

 

Thursday, June 2, 2016 8:04pm

 

TAMPA — There was no indication Thursday that Hillsborough County commissioners are any closer to a consensus on how to pay for much-needed road work and transit projects.

But one thing was clear: If commissioners settle on anything other than a sales tax hike, it will be over the objections of County Administrator Mike Merrill.

A week before commissioners will once again consider sending voters a referendum to raise the sales tax by a half cent for transportation, an insistent and exasperated Merrill took aim at critics of the county’s plan and at alternative proposals he said won’t do the job.

At one point, Commissioner Sandy Murman told Merrill she’s heard concerns that the county’s plan is a list of projects that don’t factor in future technological advancements or upcoming transit studies.

“That’s what I’m hearing now is vision, connectivity, where’s the transit?” she said.

Merrill replied: “For someone to say that they don’t know there’s a plan and there isn’t specificity means that they haven’t been paying attention.

“We’ve made specific connections between points of job centers and communities in that plan. We’ve identified specific fixed guideways. We priced it out. It’s expensive.”

He added: “It takes time to build. That’s why the sales tax turns out to be the only way to pay for it if that’s what we want.”

Merrill took issue with one new idea gaining traction among some commissioners and the anti-tax community: Creating a tax-increment finance district, or TIF, throughout the county.

In a traditional TIF, a locality will incentivize development in certain zones and then capture the growth in revenue to further improve that district. But under this proposal, the entire county would be a TIF district and all growth in revenue would be pledged to transportation.

The county couldn’t use that money to pay for other services and needs as the population grew. And if revenues plummet, as they did during the recession, then there goes the money needed for roads and buses.

That’s problematic, Merrill said, and look no further than Pasco County. In 2011, Pasco instituted a TIF as part of a means to pay for transportation expenses. But in recent years the county has had to raise the property tax rate to plug its other budget holes, he said.

“I’m sure somebody told them five years ago that it was a good idea to pay for transportation with a TIF,” Merrill said. “We can make that choice, but I think it’s our responsibility to let you know what the consequences are. It’s mortgaging our future.”

Pasco County Assistant Administrator Heather Grimes said the county “has continued to experience steady, strong growth over the past few years” since the TIF was enacted, and they expect an additional $2.5 million for transportation in 2017.

Further, she said, the rise in property taxes were to increase the pay of Pasco County Sheriff’s Office deputies “that have been leaving to work in Hillsborough County or the city of Tampa.”

Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White continued to advocate for a TIF as a way to funnel money to transportation without raising taxes. He said he believes it could raise $1 billion in 10 years, roughly the same as a sales tax.

“I think we should be prepared to have both options on the table June 9,” White said.

Merrill said he will bring details and an outside expert to lay out the merits of the proposal, but he will still oppose it.

“I wish there were a different way to do this,” Merrill said. “I’d love to have the last three years of my life back if I could’ve told you three years ago that there’s a better way to do this.”

Before making a decision next week, commissioners said they want more details on what specific projects would be eliminated if the duration of the sales tax surcharge was cut to 20, 15, 10 or even five years. A presentation from staffers demonstrated that anything less than a 15-year tax would remove transit entirely from the list of transportation projects.

Murman also wanted to hear similar breakdowns from the city of Tampa and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority and what they would do with their share of the taxes under all of those scenarios.

But Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who supported a sales tax hike of 20 and 30 years, said: “It’s not the plan that’s preventing us from moving forward. To be honest, I think it’s building political will.”

Contact Steve Contorno at scontorno@tampabay.com. Follow @scontorno.

 

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on transportation tax:

 

If Hillsborough transportation tax drops to 10 years, it could lose its biggest supporter

 

Friday, May 27, 2016 11:42am

 

TAMPA — Getting to four votes on a sales tax hike to fund transportation in Hillsborough County has proven difficult (to say the least), and commissioners in favor of that option continue to tinker with the duration of the surcharge in the hopes of reaching a majority.

Three commissioners who voted against half-cent sales tax increases of 20 and 30 years last month — Sandy Murman, Victor Crist and Al Higginbotham — are lukewarm, or at best undecided, about the latest iteration: Asking voters to approve a 15-year tax in a November referendum. (Commissioner Stacy White, the fourth commissioner to vote no on April 27, opposes any sales tax increase at this time.)

 

Murman told the Tampa Bay Times that 15 years was still too long for her and instead floated a 10-year proposal. Her logic being that commissioners approved a 10-year, $905 million list of transportation projects last month, so the tax should match that duration.

 

“I don’t know how we can consider more than 10 years,” Murman said.

Commissioners will hold a public hearing June 9 on the 15-year plan, the 10-year plan or really any transportation tax plan they come up with, and then vote. If a new tax is approved, it will be put on the November ballot so that residents can have their say.

But a 10-year proposal would lose the support of one of the most vocal and consistent advocates of a transportation sales tax: Commissioner Ken Hagan.

“I would support five before I supported 10,” he told the Times.

 

A 10-year tax would mean the elimination of almost all transit projects like new buses, extending downtown Tampa’s street car and establishing a ferry to connect south county to MacDill Air Force Base, according to a presentation by county staff. Those transit projects rely on federal grants that require a long-term funding source to secure.

With a 10-year tax, the county can fix potholes, provide some congestion relief and improve safety at some intersections and sidewalks, staff wrote. Commissioners will see the presentation, which looks at what a surtax of five, 10, 15, 20, and 30 years could accomplish, at Thursday’s meeting.

At 5 years, the county could address some of its road maintenance backlog.

But at least with a 5-year proposal, Hagan said, commissioners could pay for maintenance projects while waiting for the results of several in-depth transit studies on the horizon, including the conversion of CSX lines into commercial rail. Then, the county can go back to voters at the next presidential election in four years to ask for a more long-term tax with a greater understanding of the county’s needs and the possibilities for addressing them.

Not that Hagan’s enthusiastic about a 5-year proposal, either. He still sees the need for a long-term funding solution to pay for the county’s many transportation needs and to keep up with the future needs that will come with projected growth in Tampa and the rest of Hillsborough (and, technically, the 20- and 30-year tax hikes are still on the table).

 

Settling for something shorter, Hagan said, is just kicking the question to a future board while the maintenance backlog gets bigger and bigger. And, he added, it’s not as though the tax’s opponents will go away.

That echoes the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, which on Thursday implored commissioners to reconsider a tax of at least 20 years.

“Rather than allowing residents to vote on an option of at least 20 years, the Board of County Commissioners is now considering a 15-year option,” the chamber said in its statement. “This is an insufficient response to our community’s transportation needs and we urge our County Commissioners to revisit their prior actions and support the option of a half-cent sales tax for a duration of at least 20 years.

“Voters should have the right to make the decision on the funding of our future transportation options and our elected officials have the responsibility of giving them a viable solution.”

Hagan said he doesn’t see how a 10-year tax solves the county’s transportation problems.

“We need a transformative transportation plan,” Hagan said. “And in order for that to occur, transit and multi module options must be an element of our plan.”

 

 
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