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Century Not Buying 3-Cent County Gas Tax Increase
June 2, 2009
The Escambia County Area Transit system is looking to have a 3-cent gas tax imposed in the county to fund mass transit, an idea that the Town of Century is not buying into just yet.
Marilyn Wesley, director of Neighborhoods and Community Services and Ken Gordon, ECAT general manager, pitched their plan to the Century Town Council Monday night, looking for support. The council did not vote on supporting the plan; instead, they fired back with questions and concerns.
“We would lose four of our businesses in this town,” Council member Nadine McCaw said. She explained that gas is typically about a dime cheaper just north of Century in Flomaton, Ala., and that another 3-cent tax would serve to put Century’s gas stations out of business. “We would be just about killing our town here.”
Council member Henry Hawkins expressed concern about supporting an ECAT funding plan when ECAT has not provided what he considers adequate services in Century. Currently, Century has a morning and midday bus to Pensacola, and a midday and late afternoon bus from Pensacola.
“I’m going to be hard pressed to say yeah,” Hawkins said, “and we are not getting any better service.”
Hawkins said he had approached the former ECAT director with a plan that would house ECAT buses in Pensacola rather than the buses making two empty trips per day between Century and Pensacola. The savings, he said, would allow ECAT to expand service in Century and provide transit service to other communities like Byrneville and Bratt.
“We are always open to ideas,” Gordon said.
Council members also expressed concern that if ECAT faced further budget cutbacks, Century’s current bus service would be the first routes cut due to low ridership.
“The first one that’s going to go are the ones not utilized as much,” McCaw said. “The first person that is going to be again will be us.”
Wesley said the $4 million that the gas tax would be estimated to generate would “hopefully” be used to improve service in North Escambia. But for now, ECAT has ordered two smaller buses to be assigned to the Century route to replace the current full-size transit buses that are used to service the town. That route currently has less than 8,000 riders per year on the three buses per day.
The county contributes $7.6 million toward ECAT’s annual budget. A 3 cent gas tax would provide an estimated $3.1 million of that figure, and it would cost the average county citizen $15 per year, according to study the ECAT Citizen Advisory Committee.
ECAT estimates the gas tax would cost the average Escambia driver an extra $15 per year. ECAT also estimates that about two-thirds of the additional revenue would come from tourists and non-residents, not from Escambia citizens.
The Escambia Commission is expected to approve a public hearing on the gas tax for June 18 and vote on the proposal at that night’s commission meeting.
Pictured: Marilyn Wesley, director of Neighborhoods and Community Services, addresses the Century Town Council Monday in favor of a 3-cent gas tax increase in Escambia County to fund ECAT. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
10 Responses to “Century Not Buying 3-Cent County Gas Tax Increase”
Mr. White if you pass a tax, use it to fix our sorry roads so we can get over them without having mirrors taken off or front ends out of alignment because of pot holes. You have failed the northend in the road fixing department. As for the bus, let the riders pay. If you are for the northend at least try to do something about the roads. Patching pig trails doesn’t get it done.
I will not support the gas tax increase. So to the poster who said they don’t have commissioner for the north end you are wrong. I went to bat to keep the courthouse open so get your facts straight. I work very hard everyday for my district which includes the north end and guess what I live there too.
I find it hard to understand that many months ago when the BOCC first mentioned the gas tax to support ECAT said that the route from Century to Pensacola was a full route nearly standing room only, and yet now they say there is “low ridership”??
Bad idea, I agree with justme and the others on here.
Isn’t ECAT a private company? Then it should go under like any other failing business. If it is Government run then the person in charge should be held in account for bad book keeping. You don’t throw good money after bad.
I’ve never seen a bus run up this end. Do they really run?
I buy all my gas in alabama, Flomaton, Atmore or Brewton, If I every get to where I can I’m moving to Alabama.
It would be nice if we had someone on this end of the county to help us, we don’t have a county commissioner up here
Seems like just another step toward us becoming “one” with Pensacola and the county, etc. We can holler and complain and call and write, but they will do as THEY want to do. They are already trying to “kill-off” our town and area. Now they want to suck the final dollars and cents lifeblood from us in taxes. I love it here. I was born and raised all my 50+ years in Century and Byrneville, but I am getting SO sick of this county and Pensacola trying to force themselves on us and take away everything that we hold dear. Let the Transit Co. pay for ITSELF, or close up shop! Or maybe they can get a government bailout like the banks and auto companies. And to Fishhook240, I agree. I’m about to decide to move to Alabama, too! Can it be any worse than where we are heading now???
Just another TAX no wonder people are moving to Santa Rosa or Alabama to excape the high cost of living in Escambia County. I am thinking of moving to Alabama myself. I think as gas prices keep going up and costing every resident more and more money the last thing and county Government would want to do is raise taxes. If the bus service can’t pay for itself then it needs to scale down and only run the routes that make money. The people that ride the buses should pay for it not the residents that are themselves paying more for gas to go to the stores or work. Call or write your elected county commisioner and say no to raiseing taxes to fund a sinking ship. As I said: if it can’t pay for itself then it must scale down or go out of business I can’t afford to pay out of my pocket for something that I don’t even use. I’m trying to keep myself afloat. No Government Bailout here
make the ones who ride the bus pay for the gas not the people who doesnt
Bob — the gas tax is up to the commission. It will not go to the voters.
Wake up people in the North end, especially the Town of Century. Just another way to kill businesses and kill the town of Century…everything has been lining up since the closing of the hospital, police department, and schools. Are we going to stand by and let them take this town. By the way is this gas tax something that should be voted on, or can they just impose it at will.