During the March 6, 2024, Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting:
The Board presented a commendation to Marsha Passmore and Alex Sink for their induction into the Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame. Since the 1970s, Ms. Passmore has dedicated her life to service, most notably working with the Business & Professional Women’s Club and serving on the Plant City Commission. Ms. Sink served four years as the second Chief Financial Officer for the State of Florida and has made tremendous strides for her community and state through her work with numerous organizations.
The Board approved the purchase of the Windemere Utility Company private water and wastewater utility system for $2.5 million. The acquisition will allow the County to start the transition of the current Windemere customers to County water and wastewater services. Over a five-year period, as improvements are made to the Windemere system, customers will see increased reliability, and improved water quality.
Commissioners directed County staff to draft an ordinance to place a renewal of the existing half-percent Community Investment Tax (CIT) on the November 2024 ballot. Since 1996, the CIT has been shared with municipalities and Hillsborough County Public Schools to finance infrastructure, jails, police and Sheriff's equipment, fire stations, emergency vehicles, school construction, a community stadium, transportation and stormwater improvements, parks, libraries, and other public facilities.
The Board will discuss specifics of the ordinance, including which entities will receive funding from the proposed tax, at its April 3 meeting.
A majority of commissioners voted to hold a public hearing on April 3 to reduce the Supervisor of Elections budget by $200,000 and reallocate the funding to public safety projects. Commissioners who voted for the budget amendment say a decrease in active voters in the County has resulted in less postage and packaging costs.
The Board received a report regarding possible areas for expansion of the Urban Service Area. To keep up with the county’s exponential growth, staff has identified 49,908 acres for potential development.
Staff will move forward with plans to expand the existing Urban Service Area in Balm and Wimauma and then continue to study options for new expansion and funding options in areas near the I-4 corridor and Little Manatee South.
The next BOCC regular meeting is at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 3, 2024. You can watch the meeting live on YouTube on the Hillsborough County Meetings channel.
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