In 2010, District 7 County Commissioner Al Higginbotham opposed a referendum for a county-wide penny transportation tax because of a lack of proposed plans.
Now, a similar tax — this time a half-cent sales tax — may be on the 2016 ballot if county commissioners approve a referendum.
Once again, Higginbotham is opposed. He expressed his concerns over the potential new tax at a Plant City Republican Women’s Club meeting Thursday, Aug. 20, at Uncle Mike’s Smokehouse and Grill.
“When was the last time you saw your dollars valued when you put it into taxes?” Higginbotham asked the audience.
The idea for the tax came from the Policy Leadership Group, a committee that spent two years polling residents about their transportation needs and wants. The group held 60 meetings and polled 30,000 Hillsborough residents through electronic surveys. Members of the committee included mayors from Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City.
If approved, the tax would fund transportation improvements in Hillsborough County. Plant City would receive a portion of those funds.
Originally, Higginbotham supported the idea for the group and supported improvements to local bus routes.
“A lot of people got on board,” Higginbotham said. “It was a community effort. It has been with the help of county administration.”
Higginbotham agreed to bring the findings of the group as far as the County Commission. The group found that if a pre-agreed, equitable split was present between Tampa, Plant City, Temple Terrace and Hillsborough County, a half-cent sales tax could be advantageous. The committee agreed that each jurisdiction would use the money how it saw fit, with Hillsborough County’s funding going toward road improvements.
Plant City Mayor Rick Lott said if the sales tax was incorporated, Plant City’s revenue would go toward improving infrastructure.
Higginbotham said if he was ever to vote in favor of a referendum, it would have to be one with defined plans.
“Let’s define it, let’s lock it down,” Higginbotham said. “If it passes, the language needs to be tight and binding.”
At this point, he isn’t sure how he could support such a tax. And after meetings held the weekend of Aug. 16 between county officials and The Leytham Group, a public relations and issue management company, county leaders are discussing the possibility of incorporating a full penny tax referendum, which Higginbotham opposes. Similar increases have happened with programs in the past, he said, and the public isn’t going to buy it.
“The public has lost trust in elected officials,” he said.
At this time, it’s unclear if the County Commission will vote for a referendum for a half-cent or 1-cent tax in September.
The next County Commission meeting will be held Sept. 2, and the next Policy Leadership Group meeting will be held Sept. 9.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.