Coral Springs OKs third amendment to Broward surtax agreement and moves forward on four bus shelters

The Coral Springs City Commission on June 18 unanimously approved a third amendment to Broward County's transportation surtax interlocal agreement and authorized construction money for four bus shelters identified in the city's plan.

The amendment changes how surtax dollars are allocated to participating municipalities and adds a formula-based guarantee for a minimum annual allocation; the commission also approved an interlocal agreement amendment to pay for the construction phase of four bus shelters on University Drive, Royal Palm Boulevard and near 40th Street.

Why it matters: commissioners said the surtax changes could affect how quickly municipal projects move from planning to construction and how funds are banked and spent over time. Commissioner Simmons raised detailed procedural and equity concerns during an extended discussion, pressing staff about how the new formula was chosen, how funds will be held and whether the change conflicts with state law and a county ordinance that assigns certain ranking duties to the MPO.

Community Development Director Tina Joo said the third amendment aims to move more municipal projects through the system by providing guaranteed, periodic allocations to cities. Joo told the commission that Broward County approved the amendment the prior week and that BCCMA (the Broward County City Managers Association) and participating municipalities had reviewed the changes. For the bus-shelter project, Joo said the construction phase is funded with surtax dollars and identified four stops included in the agreement.

Commissioner Simmons said the agreement improves on the prior (second) amendment but voiced continuing concerns about how the county has handled surtax receipts and interest during banked periods, and about whether the amendment removes or reduces the Metropolitan Planning Organization's established role. "There are a number of issues with this third amendment," Simmons said, adding that cities had previously discovered the earlier formulas did not produce expected results in practice. City Attorney Hearn told commissioners they could approve the amendment and make that approval contingent on staff's confirming the amendment does not violate state statute. The commission approved the item with that proviso on the record.

On the bus shelters, the commission authorized the city's execution of a first-amendment interlocal agreement with Broward County for the construction phase; the item was presented as the second phase of a surtax-funded program and carried unanimously.

Actions and next steps: the commission voted to approve the third amendment (motion carried unanimously) and to authorize the construction interlocal agreement for the four bus shelters (motion carried unanimously). Staff said cities may request that the county roll or aggregate their programmed allocations across fiscal years if a local project is not yet construction-ready; the county will retain funds and interest until projects are ready to be executed, Joo said. City staff also said they will continue to work with county partners and the city's lobbyists to advocate for Coral Springs' interests.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to return with any legal clarifications if the city attorney or staff find the amendment inconsistent with state law or the county's ordinances. In the meantime, the city will proceed with the bus shelter construction agreement and monitor the surtax program implementation.