Pasco commissioners back staff work on parks municipal taxing unit, public-safety funding options

Pasco County commissioners on March 11 directed county staff to prepare ordinance language and a strategic funding package to create or expand a municipal services taxing unit (MSTU) for parks — an action meant to isolate park operations and maintenance funding and make long-term park spending more transparent. County budget staff also briefed commissioners on related long-term capital needs for public safety and possible funding tools including impact fees and voter-approved bonds.

The matter took up the bulk of a lengthy budget briefing led by Amy Farrell, Pasco County budget director, who told the board an MSTU must be established by ordinance and fit the county’s TRIM timeline so any changes must be finalized by May to appear on tax notices by July 1. Farrell called the MSTU “noncompetitive funding” that can provide a one-to-one line between a millage and a program, and said creation requires five votes while maintenance typically requires four. "If we have a current ordinance that we'd like to revise, the target date to do that would be by May so we can make sure that we can include it in this year's TRIM process," Farrell said.

Why it matters: Commissioners said parks are underfunded for routine maintenance and for newly…