Advertisement

Tampa City Council mulls stormwater tax to tackle flooding

 
Tampa officials hope the stormwater work will reduce or eliminate waterlogged streets like this.
Tampa officials hope the stormwater work will reduce or eliminate waterlogged streets like this.
Published May 20, 2016

TAMPA — A $251 million plan to tackle some of the worst flooding in the city is back on the table. But it's still unclear whether the plan will win support from the City Council.

City Council members on Thursday gave only tentative approval to reviving the plan for major drainage projects across the city that would be paid for through a new annual "improvement" stormwater assessment on city property owners who already pay for stormwater service.

The proposal is similar to one that council members rejected in a 4-3 vote in November, in part because they feared it would unduly burden the city's poorest residents.

The difference this time is that Mayor Bob Buckhorn is proposing to reduce the impact on residents by tapping $20 million from the city's share of the Community Investment Tax, a voter-approved half-cent sales tax that pays for schools, roads and projects, including Raymond James Stadium.

For the owner of a medium-sized home, that would reduce the annual cost of the new stormwater tax from about $98 to $89. The proposed 30-year assessment, by contrast, would start at $45 per year this year and rise through 2021.

Council members advised the staff to move forward with plans for a public hearing Aug. 25.

"There is no guarantee I will support this proposal, but I will support hearing from the public," said council member Frank Reddick, one of those who voted against the plan last year.

The swing vote on the proposal last time was the council's newest member, Guido Maniscalco, who said Thursday that he is likely to support the plan this time.

In addition to CIT funds, Maniscalco noted that city officials have made it easier for property owners to get a mitigation credit if they have invested in ponds or ditches or other ways that reduce storm runoff from their properties.

"There is support for neighborhoods who want this," Maniscalco said. "It's a quality-of-life issue."

While using CIT money results in only modest savings for property owners, it would save the city about $36 million in lower repayments of bonds over 30 years, said Sonya Little, the city's chief financial officer.

She said the city also could pay off bonds early if other funding becomes available.

Last summer saw some of the worst flooding in years in South and West Tampa as rain fell on the city for 11 straight days. Some businesses could not open because workers and customers could not navigate flooded streets, such as Dale Mabry Highway and Henderson Boulevard.

But the city's plan to tackle the problem was criticized for making most city residents pay for flood relief even if their neighborhoods weren't prone to flooding.

Areas north of E Fowler Avenue, MacDill Air Force Base and parts of Harbour Island would not have to pay the new assessment because those communities have built stormwater infrastructure and don't burden the city's system.

Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines

Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter

We’ll deliver the latest news and information you need to know every morning.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

Churches, nonprofits and car dealerships with large surface lots were among those that complained that the new tax was unfair.

The decision to move forward Thursday means the city may still meet deadlines to get matching state grants toward the work.

The $40 million Upper Peninsula Flooding Relief project would include the installation of three box culverts to improve drainage in areas where Dale Mabry Highway intersects with Henderson Boulevard and Neptune Street and also areas farther west.

The city is seeking an $18.5 million grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for the construction phase.

Another $40 million project, known as the Cypress Street Outfall Extension, includes an $8.5 million matching grant, which the city must apply for by the end of June to qualify for funding in 2017.

That project would install major box culverts on Cass and Cypress streets to resolve flooding in areas west of the Hillsborough River and south of Columbus Drive.

Council member Harry Cohen, whose district includes flood-prone South Tampa, said it's critical that the city finally tackle this issue. It's a problem that affects businesses, he said, and even MacDill Air Force Base.

"This work has got to be done," Cohen said. "The economic base of this city is at risk if we do not start addressing some of these projects."