County solicits public input on penny tax

For more than three decades, local governments have relied on a sales tax to fund major projects. Next year, the county will ask voters for another long-term endorsement of the program.

By David Conway
| 6:00 a.m. September 1, 2021

The two-story, 24,920-square-foot Gulf Gate Library opened in 2015. Funding was aided by the county's 1-cent surtax.

Sarasota
News

There’s still more than two years left before Sarasota County’s one-cent sales tax is set to expire, but already, officials are launching a campaign to extend the voter-authorized levy for another 15 years.

In place since 1989, the county’s 1% sales surtax generates revenue for the county, Sarasota County Schools and Sarasota’s four municipalities. Local government bodies are restricted to using the money for infrastructure projects. Following its creation via referendum, the electorate extended the sales tax in 1997 and 2007.

At a budget workshop Friday, Deputy County Administrator Steve Botelho provided an update on the work staff is doing to prepare for another referendum on extending the tax in 2022. The county has convened an advisory task force to discuss the fourth iteration of the penny tax, called Surtax IV, and launched a website outlining the history of the tax.

The task force will host a series of community workshops in September and October to gather public input on potential future penny tax projects if voters approve an extension through 2039. On its website, the county highlights Siesta Key Beach facility renovations, the replacement of Gulf Gate Library and various transportation infrastructure projects among the undertakings funded with money from the penny tax.

County commissioners spoke positively about the planned public engagement efforts associated with the penny tax proposal. Commissioners expressed their support for the extension, calling the tax a crucial source of revenue. Initial county projections indicate an extension would generate $1.96 billion between 2024 and 2039, including $861 million for the county, $490 million for the school district and $186 million for the city of Sarasota.

“This community needs the Surtax IV passed,” Commissioner Al Maio said.

The school district and the city of Sarasota also have a series of workshops scheduled for September and October to gather community input on future penny tax projects. Botelho said the task force would present a report on the information it gathers to the County Commission in January, and staff will produce a list of potential projects for consideration. The county is tentatively scheduled to vote on an ordinance in March that would authorize a referendum on the extension for the November ballot.