At the end of a recent Tampa Tribune article on the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority there was an interesting comment.
First, some background.
The Authority was the product of the Tampa Bay Partnership working with former State Senator Jim Sebesta and State Representative Bill Galvano. It brings a number of counties and cities together to work toward a more unified vision of transit and transportation in the Bay Area.
I love the idea.
This year, the Legislature passed the bill to create the Authority and included a measly $1 million – that’s less than 1/7000th of the state’s budget – for the initial startup costs (staffing, office space, furniture and equipment, etc).
Governor Crist vetoed the funding because it came from the wrong pool of money.
So what are they to do?
Beg for help from the DOT and community — sure sure. The DOT can help provide some minimal staff support, arranging meetings and doing some preliminary planning. And perhaps local companies could provide some pro-bono legal advice and free office space. Not bad things considering the overall goal.
Still, they are going to need more help than donations can provide, if they are to do their jobs right. They can ask Governor Crist for some funding, to be approved by the Legislative Budget Commission, from another pool of money. But that may not be enough or even successful.
So, where do they turn? Where did other local authorities get their start up costs?
Wait for it…
Wait for it…
If Galvano doesn’t succeed, he said, he will turn to local governments in areas covered by the authority – Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties – and ask them to pitch in.
So, the same local governments that, because of property tax cuts, are laying off staff, reducing funding to community groups, putting off plans to build new rec centers or parks, stretching their pothole and code enforcement budgets are then going to find a little cash for a project that isn’t even theirs?
The real question will be how fast can they tell him where to stick TBARTA?
[Cross posted from State of Sunshine]
John
2 years ago
Wrong.
Last time I checked this is the Tampa Bay Regional Transit Authority. Was it created in the legislature? Yes — in order to superscede the red tape of local MPO’s and county commissions that have been doing a separate-but-equal transit planning system for years and getting the region nowhere.
Is money tight locally now? Sure. But was the money supposed to come from the state to begin with and continiously fund the authority? No, that’s the regions job. Speaking of which – Pinellas just re-approved “Penny for Pinellas” and Hillsborough just divided up half a billion dollars in transit money and you mean to tell me there wasn’t a dime in the coffers of either fund to be spent on a broader, farther reaching transit authority that goes beyond the respective counties jurisdictions? Hard to believe, and a stark reminder how ass-backwards and loner-orientated the local governments tend to be.
Funding should come from the local companies and governments, and cynicism ain’t gonna’ get the job done.
Jim Johnson
2 years ago
John, the project was not created by, sought by, or desired by any of the local governments. It was the pet project of the Tampa Bay Partnership and a few legislators.
Thus, the project is NOT theirs.
So, yes, I will say there is no desire on the part of local governments to fund TBARTA. Oh, they may find money to appease the legislature, but they will do it while gritting there teeth and holding their nose.
…
Note: I think the TBARTA project is a good idea, but if the Legislature is forcing tax cuts – it seems rather hypocritical for it force paying for this project at the same time.
And to even suggest that the private sector provide funding is downright absurd. Businesses pay taxes for things like this.
Finally, local governments are “ass-backwards” because they only care about the people within their jurisdiction. They are elected on a local level to think only about their local level. The state exists for broader issues — and they have plenty of cash.
Let them fund it.
WP
2 years ago
Finally, local governments are “ass-backwards” because they only care about the people within their jurisdiction.the developers who fund their campaigns They are elected purchased on a local level to think only about their local level. pet projects.
Fixed it for ya.
I’ll caveat this with the fact that people still won’t turn out to the polls in the numbers required to vote them out. So, collectively, we’re all getting the government we deserve.
WP
2 years ago
doh! html slashing didn’t take. WordPress needs a preview function for the comments.
OK remove people within their jurisdiction, elected, and their local level and replace accordingly with the bolded items.