Different organizations around Broward County are working towards addressing our transportation difficulties. Year after year, traffic problems grow worse, gas prices increase, and it takes longer to get to where you want to go. Last year gas prices were just over $2/gallon. Right now they are about $3. It is expect before long they will be at $4/gallon, with no end in sight. This impacts our ability to earn a living, and hurts our quality of life.
At the same time the Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization and others have worked together to come up with answers to solve our situation. The problem with these answers is that the designed transportation improvements and transit options are unfunded, and cannot be built without these needed funds. This unfunded amount is over $10 Billion. Without the necessary money to pay for these plans, Broward County will continue to suffer from its transportation woes.
That is why many groups are proposing to implement a 1 cent sales tax increase to fund transportation and transit needs. This money, about $260 million/year locally, will go towards new mass transit lines throughout the county, including light rail. It will pay for such items as new roads, bike lanes, greenways, and Community Shuttle Buses. If electrical lines are along roads, it may even pay for the burial of those lines.
By having a dedicated source of revenue, it will also qualify us for matching federal and state funds to help pay for a great part of the costs. Something we cannot draw upon, though numerous communities throughout the U.S. can, because they have met the challenge and provided this dedicated source. This funding is so badly needed that there remains no other reasonable alternative to help meet our transportation shortfall.
However, to impose such a increase requires two steps. The first requires the Broward County Commissioners to vote to give you the right to decide this for yourself by referendum. Then you the voters must approve it this November.
If you are interested in helping address our transportation and transit shortfall, please contact your County Commissioner, and express yourself. Ask them to give you the right to vote on such an important issue. Each Commissioner's phone number starts with: 954-357-700_. The last digit is their District, 1 through 9. You may also wish to e-mail them. To obtain their e-mail address check with: www.broward.org.
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