Volusia likely to get mail-in sales tax vote this spring

After hearing results of a survey that suggested a half-cent sales tax for road and water quality infrastructure would survive a public vote, the majority of Volusia County’s mayors voted Monday to get the question out to residents as soon as possible — hopefully by early June — as part of a special election by mail expected to cost $490,000.

That timeline isn’t set in stone. The Volusia County Council has the final say during its meeting Thursday. And, in an uncertainty that makes county management "nervous," a spring election also depends on how quickly a state agency can complete an audit of the county that’s now required before any tax initiative can appear on a ballot.

If all goes according to plan, the fate of the sales tax and whether city and counties receive an additional $45 million a year over a 20-year period to address lingering road, water quality and flood problems could be determined before school lets out for the summer.

[Read: Volusia County looks to act on sales tax vote this year]

Top elected officials with the county and its 16 cities have been planning for this sales tax for more than a year, and the decision to move quickly was bolstered by the results of a public survey conducted by Clearview Research, a firm hired by the private sector to help plan for the proposed sales tax. The survey interviewed 400 registered voters between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15. Fifty-nine percent said they would support a sales tax. That was a better outcome than a similar survey conducted a year earlier, which predicted a narrow passage rate of 52 percent.

Clearview Research recommended a mail-in ballot with the belief that it would receive better turnout than opening up precincts and be cheaper to taxpayers, which would increase the likelihood of it passing. Using voting precincts could cost up to $548,000.

Holly Hill Mayor Chris Via pushed to delay the vote until 2020, concerned the price tag of a special election would turn off some voters. He was the only mayor to voice that opinion. School Board officials, who secured passage of a sales tax vote for school infrastructure in 2014 and 2001, also urged cities and the county to move quickly.

"We can’t keep kicking this can down the road," said School Board Chairman Carl Persis, who called the road issues a "quality of life" problem that also impacts Volusia County's schools, its students and teachers.

He talked about how surprised school officials were that their half-cent sales tax for new schools, security and technology was approved and later extended. He's confident that the cities and the county will have a similar story to tell by the summer.

This sales tax, he said, is the only way to bring in enough money to fix road problems that will only get worse with time.

The majority of mayors agreed with Persis to aim for a spring election after cities and the county identify priorities during workshops set to occur in the coming months.

"I think we can make it pass," said Deltona's new Mayor Heidi Herzberg. "If we don’t do this, where is the money going to come from? We need to work together to do this as soon as possible for the sake of the residents of this county."

DeLand Mayor Bob Apgar said that while other revenue sources for roads have limitations on how it can be used, the sales tax will "give each city the option of directing those funds where the citizens want to see them directed."

An oversight committee will also be appointed to ensure the money goes where it's supposed to.

A sales tax question was supposed to go before voters last November, but it was delayed at the last minute when city officials told the County Council to raise its impact fees first. The council voted in October to raise impact fees paid by developers for the first time since 2003 by more than 100 percent in some categories.  

[Read: Volusia mayors: Postpone half-cent sales tax vote]

[Read: Volusia County’s sales tax talks return]

While that is expected to bring in an additional $7 million per year for road improvements near new growth, officials on all sides agree more money is needed. With gas tax revenues failing to keep up with population growth and rising construction costs, the county and cities have been talking for years about a sales tax boost for roads and other infrastructure needs. They identified $1.4 billion in needs last year.

But before the question can go out to voters by June, the county must act quickly Thursday. A new law requires the state’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to conduct an audit before any new sales taxes are created. Results of the audit must be published on the county’s website for 60 days before the referendum.

Interim County Manager George Recktenwald said he was told that it could take OPPAGA 30 days to complete the audit once the ballot referendum is approved.

There's no guarantee it will happen that fast.

"Does it makes me nervous?" he said. "Yes."