Citrus County commissioners set Nov. 18 hearing on proposed 1% infrastructure sales surtax

The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners voted Nov. 4 to set a public hearing for Nov. 18 at 1:25 p.m. on an ordinance that would place a 1% discretionary infrastructure sales surtax before county voters. Commissioners framed the proposal as a way to close a growing gap in road maintenance funding while opponents warned the surtax would be regressive and demanded clearer ties to tax reductions.

Chair Rebecca Bays and county staff described the surtax as a dedicated funding source for a pavement management program that would cover preservation, rehabilitation and reconstruction of publicly owned paved roads. "In order to maintain where we're at today, we have to put roughly $45,000,000 a year just to maintain the current condition," the chair said as she explained staff’s Mott MacDonald condition assessment used to estimate the county’s backlog.

The item drew sustained debate among commissioners over whether the ballot language and ordinance should tie the surtax to a specific term and whether to include a reduction in millage. Commissioner Diana Finnegan and others urged a shorter, four‑year term so voters could see tangible results; Commissioner Jeff Kennard and supporters described a ten‑year term proposed by the steering committee as a way to finance larger projects without taking on a loan. "If we decide to do something, we should maybe say, okay it's also tied to a decrease in a transportation millage," Finnegan said, while Kennard pushed to give voters a choice by placing the referendum on the ballot now.

Public commenters spoke on both sides. Joe Hicks and other residents urged the board to be cautious about regressive effects on low‑income families, citing local income statistics and the burden of additional sales tax. Supporters including commissioners and residents argued the tax would capture visitor spending and protect the county’s road network: "It's one of the only things that comes 100% back to your county," a commissioner said of the local option sales tax.

The board approved the motion to set the public hearing, and the chair read back the item title to include "for the purpose of funding a pavement management program" and references to preservation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. The vote to set the hearing was recorded as 4 in favor and 1 opposed. The hearing on the ordinance will be publicly noticed and will include the full draft ordinance language and any accompanying fiscal analyses.

The next step is the advertised Nov. 18 public hearing, where the board is expected to receive additional community comment, review staff and consultant analyses, and consider ordinance language refinements before any ordinance reading or referendum placement on a ballot.