Advisory Panel Recommends Half Cent Sales Tax to County Commission

BRADENTON – At Tuesday's Manatee County Commission meeting, members were delivered a clear and unanimous recommendation from the board's own Citizens Financial Structure Advisory Board (CSFAB): adopt an additional half cent sales tax or face soaring deficit in 2018.

The four month CSFAB mission was led by Mac Carraway, with the aim to find out what can be done with Manatee County's looming deficit. The answer was, adopt an additional half-cent sales tax or find a revenue stream that can fund public safety and transportation costs.

On April 14, 2016 CSFAB came to a unanimous conclusion to strongly recommend a voter referendum in the fall of 2016 to solve the county's budget issues.

The last time a half cent sales tax (targeting indigent health care) was raised, it failed big at the polls. At Thursday's meeting, commissioners were unable to avoid raising that issue again a few times, so they reiterated their lesson as a segue into a pledge to clearly define where the funds will go.

"We are going to have to show people exactly what it is they are going to get for their money if they are willing to do this," said Commissioner Benac.

Commissioner Benac added a friendly amendment that would include a time sensitive schedule to the cities.

DiSabatino said, "I don't think we should be tied in with the school board whatsoever." DiSabatino later said, "I don't want to jeopardize this."

Benac's amendment passed by a unanimous vote. Baugh's original motion passed by a 6-1 vote, with DiSabatino dissenting, based on not wanting to partner-up with the school board who will be asking for its own half-cent sales tax.