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Pensacola Council Backs Gas Tax For ECAT; Barry Talks Vote To Rescind
February 26, 2013
The Pensacola City Council has voted, in spirit, to send the proceeds of a four-cent gas tax increase to the Escambia County Area Transit system.
There had been unofficial word from Mayor Ashton Hayward’s office, announced County Commissioner Gene Valentino at a county meeting, that Pensacola might instead use the additional gas tax funds as incentives for Project Stallion, — ST Aerospace with 500 jobs that is considering a location at the Pensacola International Airport. Pensacola is expected to collected over $700,000 annually from the gas tax.
Monday’s vote by the city council is not binding. Instead, they must vote in an official meeting to approve a written agreement with the county to turn over the four cent tax collected within the city limits to the county. The tax won’t go into effect in the city or the county until 2014.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in Molino Monday night, Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said he would vote to rescind the gas tax altogether, but after the city council’s vote Monday he considered unlikely that two additional commissioners (for a majority) would vote to rescind the tax.
“We are disproportionately burdened by the tax in District 5,” Barry said, citing the limited number of ECAT routes serving much of the district. The Escambia County Commission approved the tax increase the day before Barry took office.
The Town of Century has also refused to agree to remit their portion of the tax to the county, claiming it would potentially force the three gas stations in Century to close as drivers cross the state line and purchase cheaper gas in Flomaton.
Century asked the Escambia County State Legislative Delegation to support a bill exempting Century from the tax, but that idea failed because Florida law won’t allow the exemption. Century is now considered a push for a constitutional amendment to nix the tax in Century.
Pictured top: Pensacola City Council President P.C. Wu at Monday’s meeting of the council. Pictured inset: Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry addresses the ECAT gas tax during a town hall meeting in Molino Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
19 Responses to “Pensacola Council Backs Gas Tax For ECAT; Barry Talks Vote To Rescind”
Well, there is going to be another chance to walk back this immoral and unethical tax. I will soon be proposing a plan to scale back the ECAT substantially and drop the Gas Tax by at least 2 cents a gallon. It’s not perfect, but when was the last time you got a chance to roll back ANY tax?
The “Pensacola City Council” should not have any voice about anything outside
the city limits!!. We in the Fifth District, and the other County Residents have to
Purchase a “TAG”, “Insuranse”, “Drivers License” ,”Automobile”,”GAS” and pass
a “TEST” to be able to take care of our business. “WE” should not have to pay
anything extra for free rides for ANYONE. If you don’t work , you don’t eat!!
If the City of Pensacola wants busses let the City pay for them. We live in the County because WE don’t want any City RULES!!!!!
Thanks.
I think it is time for everyone to send emails to the County Commissioners and tell them exactly how you feel. If you don’t let them know what you want, they will do as they please…they may anyway but at least let them know someone is watching them!
I had said already that there has got to be a end to all the freebies provided by the taxpayers. I’m SICK of all the taxing. Just because they tax us it will not fix the spending problem. Because they can’t spend reasonably we have to pay more to make up for stupidity. I have already stopped buying gas in Escambia Fl. I go to Santa Rosa or to Atmore to get gas. I spend my dollars in Santa Rosa to take it out of Escambia County. Where I can control my money I do. Let stupidity and lazy starve. Let Escambia County pay the extra tax on gas I’m not if any way I can help it.
SEL,very well said. Capitialism not Socialism. It has never worked anywhere at anytime in history.
It’s obvious ecat is not going away and apparently not going to raise fares enough to pay for itself.
So let people paying property taxes pay for it?
Or a gas tax that everyone, including visitors, pays?
And it sounds pretty stupid to drive 15-20 miles round trip to save 80 cents on 20 gallons.
I am tired of gov. that have decided that I need to help pay for E-CAT. My pay check just went down thanks to the federal gov. I can’t get free stuff,because we(spouse) don’t have kids. We work everyday and E-Cat still doesn’t go in my area. Maybe the county com. needs to stop thinking and do some hard WORK FOR ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On the other hand, educated fools may be more dangerous than uneducated fools.
They are more limited in what harm they can do.
On the third hand (three hands?), an education which reduces foolishness would be a good thing.
David for good things
and educated citizens
Look Ben, we get that we live in a “society” that pays for public services, but just where does it end? We lived without this additional 4 cents tax before and we were not libertarians then. What’s next? Paying additional taxes for Saenger Theater tickets so that we can enrich the less fortunate? How about some extra tax to fund cruise tickets for the less fortunate? After all, a rested individual will be more productive when they return. It can just go on and on, but guess what Ben? My paycheck is not going on and on. Are you rich? Then good for you. I can’t take anymore subsidizing. I care about people too. My family are people too.
Barry is just posturing for his district. There is no way the other commissioners will support eliminating the tax.
While the concept of paying taxes only for what you use sounds good, it doesn’t work in practice.
There are certain things that need public support. I don’t have anybody in my famlily using public schools, but I pay for the school system when I pay property taxes. It is in everybody’s interest to have less ignorant fools running around on the loose.
Public transportation is similar. We subsidize that so that the less fortunate can participate in society. It helps them get to work instead of hanging around all day selling weed. It helps them get to the grocery store instead of breaking into your house to do their shopping. I will gladly pay four cents per gallon just to keep them on the bus all day.
“john,” I would much rather have Grover than Wilson “Let Them Eat Cake” Robertson here in District 1!
To SEL:
AMEN ! ! !
Steve Berry said last night that he represents the people of Dist 5 not the County.(they all supposed to answer to the people)its time the people stand up and let the Leaders and the rest of the County that the people pay there pay checks not the County.so start listening and doing for the people for a change and not you and yours..
I am sick to death of MY tax dollars funding something that I don’t use! I’m working my butt off to make it better for other people from the Federal level down to the County level and I’m tired of it! In 1981 I put myself through nursing school while working full time at Sacred Heart Hospital starting at age 21. I was refused assistance and I had no help from my parents. I had four brothers that also put themselves through school. my parents couldn’t afford to help us. I had my own apartment and maintained a used car that had over 100,000 miles on it. I was smart enough to not get pregnant and have that burden while I was getting my education. I DID NOT work that hard to make other peoples life better! I did it to make MINE better! This idea of “spreading the prosperity” stinks! Your quality of life should be proportionate to how hard you worked to earn it!
Jane Annexing you to Alabama would probably not work in your favor seeing how Alabama has a state income tax which is considerably more then the 4 cent a gallon tax but I do agree with you that Century should not pay if the buses do not run out there.
wish I had a country commish like mr barry…but I am stuck with GR 3…
hopefully after the next election. he can concentrate on real estate…FULL TIME
jus charge the ecat customers five dollars fee. y should we pay out more jus for them to go to work. what about us around town. we need an ecat bus too. to save us gas money give usa bus driver in our town
More taxes on an already overburdened economy. Not a good idea. If you spend more on gas you buy less which impacts the local businesses. Guess we can start driving to Alabama for gas or ask Alabama to annex us into Alabama!