Although the one-cent sales tax referendum for light rail went down to a big defeat in Hillsborough in November of 2010, the city of Tampa's population supported the measure, flawed as it was.
At the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Organization's monthly meeting in Tampa Tuesday morning, the prospects of a future ballot measure in the county were discussed, along with the possibility of asking the Legislature to allow cities, and not just counties, to conduct tax referendums.
The discussion followed presentation of a focus group report about the failed ballot measure by Beth Alden from the MPO and a consultant, Ben Kelly.
Meanwhile, officials in Pinellas County may put together a referendum of their own on a light-rail line that could run from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe said any future effort needed to be a simple plan that would be vetted fully by the public before being put on a ballot. "If it's real broad, it's going to be confusing, and I don't think it will be successful," he warned.
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2012.