TAMPA, FL -- Hillsborough voters will likely get the chance to decide if they want to pay higher taxes to fund a major overhaul of public transportation in the county.
Commissioners are now one step closer to putting a referendum on the 2010 ballot that would ask voters to pay an extra penny in sales tax. The money would go towards road projects, an expanded bus system and the creation of a local light rail system.
"I think this is absolutely the right thing to do," Commissioner Mark Sharpe said.
A 23-member transportation task force recommended the tax increase to fund a number of projects. Money for the rail system would go initially to build two lines. Those lines would link USF to downtown, and downtown to the Westshore area. That limited route led some commissioners to vote against moving forward with the plan.
"It's not a complete system that will work and have the biggest return on investment and economics in the region," Commissioner Jim Norman said.
So far, commissioners are only drafting the language of what a referendum would say. If the referendum makes it to the ballot, voters would make their decision in November 2010.
