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Commissioners say yes to additional 1-cent gas tax
By SUZETTE PORTER
| Article published on Thursday, March 23, 2006 |
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PINELLAS COUNTY – Beginning in January of 2007, county motorists will pay an additional 1-cent per gallon tax on gasoline purchases.
The county Board of Commissioners approved the tax hike, 6-1, at its regular meeting on March 14. Commissioner Bob Stewart cast the lone no vote. The extra revenue will go to pay for a countywide traffic management system.
The 1-cent is on top of the 8 cents the county already levies on gasoline purchases. The ninth-cent tax will continue until Dec. 31, 2026. County officials expect the extra tax to generate $3.9 million a year in income.
Norman Roach spoke in opposition to the extra tax during the public hearing segment of March 14 meeting. He said the traffic system only addressed about 60 percent of the problem while the tax impacts 100 percent of motorists.
Commissioners discussed the city of St. Petersburg’s reluctance to participate. Commissioners who attended a meeting with St. Petersburg officials on March 9 said they were disappointed in what they described as a disinterested attitude on the part of St. Petersburg city officials.
According to the discussion, St. Petersburg does not believe it would benefit from giving up control of its traffic signals to the county because the city does not have problems with traffic congestion.
Stewart made a motion to delay the decision to approve the extra 1-cent tax for 30 days to allow St. Petersburg to “come on board.”
However, the consensus of county commissioners was, with or without St. Petersburg, the time had come to move forward with a plan that would help solve traffic congestion problems in the central and northern portions of the county.
Clearwater approved an agreement to participate in the countywide traffic system on March 2.
“Anybody who drives in Pinellas County knows we need to start the system,” said Commissioner Calvin Harris. “It’s time to get on board.”
Traffic congestion is the No. 1 problem facing the county, according to a recent public survey done by the county communications department.
Pete Yauch, county transportation director, said countywide Intelligent Traffic System would help reduce traffic congestion along the county’s major road corridors and arteries.
Features of the ITS include smart traffic signals that adjust to real time conditions, cameras linked to a central control facility where personnel monitor reported incidents and message signs to inform motorists of conditions ahead and recommend alternative routes.
Benefits to motorist would include savings in time and fuel, as the system should allow traffic to flow in areas where bottlenecks now are common.
The cost to the average motorist would be about $6.50 a year, based on numbers provided by AAA, Yauch said.
Currently, the first phase of adaptive traffic management along U.S. 19 is being calibrated, Yauch said, and should be operational in April. Work on a similar system by the city of Clearwater on State Road 560 was expected to be complete around the same time, he said.
The plan calls for phase one of the program to be completed by 2009, phase two by 2013 and phase three by 2018, Yauch said.
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Article published on Thursday, March 23, 2006
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