Five hundred ways to keep moving

It’s Wednesday, and there’s good news.

We’ve got a ballgame.

Participation for the local option sales tax survey topped 500 when it closed out at midnight Tuesday. That combines those who participated online with folks who showed up at the town hall meetings in person and filled out the questionnaire.

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Five hundred. I like it.

No one really had a specific participation goal in mind when this started. Citrus County has 115,000 registered voters. Would we need 1,000 to make the survey legitimate? Two thousand? Two hundred?

Five hundred suggests strong interest. Five hundred cannot be ignored.

The campaign I’ve dubbed One for All would place a referendum on the 2026 ballot to raise the sales tax from 6% to 7%, bringing in about $25 million a year. Bonding over 10 years, it’s hundreds of millions of dollars for worthwhile projects that citizens want.

The Chamber of Commerce, led by Don Taylor, conducted town hall meetings, which were sparsely attended, and the online survey. The chamber has a FAQ page, which is helpful and will only get better.

County commissioners will hear the report in August, then decide whether to place the measure on the 2026 ballot.

What happens between now and then? I have some ideas:

— First, we need the raw data asap, like in the next week. Just a simple breakdown of those who said they’d consider a referendum, those who said no way, and where they’d want the money spent if we had the additional sales tax.

Just because the survey is finished doesn’t mean we shut down public opinion. If anything, it’s time to ramp it up even more. Releasing the responses will give us an idea of what the participants prefer, and allow other citizens the chance to weigh in.

We can’t really continue the conversation until we have that info. I’m confident it’ll be available very soon.

— Next, the Steering Committee meetings should be open to the public. Now, I know this will cause angst with some people. I totally get it. This isn’t the planning commission. It’s a group of citizens who came together for a community cause. I’m sure public meetings, where annoying reporters are writing down their comments, is not what they signed up for.

Here’s the thing. Public confidence in the process ensures its success. None of this should occur behind closed doors. The steering committee, which includes representatives of each commissioner, should deliberate the sales tax referendum in public. I’m hoping this group comes to the County Commission with some type of recommendation, even if it’s broad.

We want citizens along for every mile of this ride. They won’t buy into a process they’re left out of.

— Finally, in my perfect world, the steering committee is handing recommendations to the County Commission on a platter: This is what citizens want. This is what they’ll support. This is how much money we should raise. That kind of thing.

I’m rather pushy about it. The referendum idea has to come from citizens to commissioners, not the other way around. That means we can’t be vague or leave the details up to the politicians. 

For example, if the survey indicated an interest in a sales tax to pay for roads, what specifically does that mean? Road widening, as in C.R. 491? Or repair/resurfacing to bring all our current roads up to good condition? Big difference, and likely a big difference in voter support. That stuff should be spelled out before it goes to commissioners.

We’re still light years away from a referendum, but closer than yesterday. Remember, this is all brand new to everyone involved. We’re trying a citizen-fueled tax referendum for the first time ever.

One for All has wings. I’m enthusiastic to see where it flies.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, friends.

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