Studer Community Institute

Santa Rosa commissioners discuss taxes, fees for road projects

April 6, 2015
/ Louis Cooper
/ economy

Santa Rosa County Commissioners are set to discuss how to pay for $36.5 million in unfunded transportation projects when they meet this morning. Santa Rosa County has grown beyond state funding set aside for small counties. Commissioners are expected to discuss increasing the county's gas tax to cover the bill. The commission meets at 9 a.m. today at the Santa Rosa County Administrative Office Complex, located at 6495 U.S. 90, Milton (behind McDonald's). The agenda for the meeting is available at http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/agendas/04.06.15backup.PDF. The meeting is broadcast online at http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/bocc/BOCC_Calendar/#. Generally, the commission’s Monday meetings – called “committee meetings” – are used to discuss items and set the agenda for Thursday’s regular meetings where final decisions are usually made. The loss of money from the state's Small County Outreach Program is prompting the discussion about funding transportation projects. "The county averaged $1.4 million per year in SCOP funding for resurfacing of major roadway segments in five year period from 2010 through 2014," County Administrator Hunter Walker wrote in a report to the commission. "Santa Rosa County has a number of transportation related needs which are only going to grow as roadways deteriorate and traffic increases." In the coming years, those needs include: -- 13 roadway segments likely to need resurfacing for a total of $9.2 million. The most expensive of these are East Bay Boulevard, at $1.9 million; Greenwood Road, at $1.7 million, and Woodbine Road, at $1 million. -- 24 turn lane construction projects totaling $6.6 million. -- Two county roads -- Chumuckla Highway and Berryhill Road -- are likely to need additional lanes in certain areas for a total of $6.2 million. -- Seven sidewalk/paved shoulder projects totaling $14.5 million. The most expensive of those is a paved shoulder project for Munson Highway totaling $5.5 million. "Santa Rosa County has six remaining cents (per gallon) available for levy in Local Option Gas Tax revenue which can be used for transportation capacity improvements including resurfacing of major roadways," Walker wrote. "Each penny generates an estimated $638,919 annually. and if all six of the pennies were levied, over $3.7 million would be generated in the unincorporated portion of Santa Rosa County." Another potential source of funding is transportation impact fees, which were suspended during the Great Recession. If the commission reimposed those fees, they could raise $3 million a year. However, state law restricts those funds to projects that create new capacity on the roadway network. Other items on the commission's agenda today include: -- Discussion of the Florida Defense Support Task Force grant application to fund an update to the April 2003 Land Acquisition Study regarding properties adjacent to Whiting Field Naval Air Station and outlying fields. The update would reflect changes to the land development code, Air Installation Compatible Use Zones footprints, rural protection lines, prior land/easement acquisition activities and similar dynamics that have been updated since 2003. The amount of this grant has not been determined, but should be finalized by Thursday's meeting. -- The purchase of conservation easements for two parcels near Whiting Field. Such easements leave ownership and use of the property with the current owners while restricting the use of the property at its current level, prohibiting uses that might conflict with activities at the base. One easement is for a 249.57 acre parcel near Whiting's East Gate. The property is owned by T.A. Leonard, J. D. Elliot, & Ed L. Dunn. The county would pay $650,000 for the easement. The other easement is for an 80 acre parcel on the southwest side of the base. That easement would cost $200,000. -- Discussion of $20,000 allocation to the Navarre YMCA.

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Santa Rosa commissioners discuss taxes, fees for road projects

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