Does it make cents?

Saturday, December 3, 2005

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There could be additional pennies at the pump in Manatee County.

Leaders in one Bay area county are pushing for additional pennies at the pump.

Manatee County Administrator Ernie Padgett is hoping commissioners will approve a 5-cent gas tax, but filling up on support may be a challenge.

The additional funds would go toward existing road improvements and extension projects that are desperately needed.

"There needs to be more connectors that are established within the county," Padgett said. "We have some existing roads that certainly need to be improved."

However, not everyone agrees about how improvements should be funded.

"I believe that constituents throughout the county have suffered a great burden with taxes recently," county commissioner Donna Hayes said.

In order to determine the best route to take, a study by the county transportation department and project management will be presented to commissioners Tuesday. That could result in the gas tax climbing from 7 cents to 12 cents per gallon.

Most people said gas prices are already high enough and they don't want to see them go any higher. However, many of them also acknowledge the need for road improvements.

Padgett said even with an increased gas tax, it still won't be enough, but it will help the county catch up.

"We could sit back and do nothing for a while, but all of the problems are going to get worse and worse over time," Padgett said.

Some commissioners believe there are still other alternatives to a higher gas tax in the county.

"We need to look at our budget just like our taxpayers are looking at their budget and we need to start looking at moving funds," Hayes said.

There won't be an official vote at Tuesday's meeting. The presentation is for information only.

The Manatee County Chamber of Commerce along with the South Tampa Bay Area Transportation Partnership are sponsoring the "Five Cents Makes Sense" campaign in support of the gas tax.

Pinellas County has a 6 cent gas tax and Hillsborough County has a 7 cent gas tax. The state average is 14.5 cents per gallon.