Jacksonville’s City Council could vote next month on a $930 million public works plan that depends on doubling the local gas tax to 12 cents per gallon and extending its lifetime.
“The rubber hits the road on [May] the 12th,” Council President Tommy Hazouri said during a workshop where he announced plans for members to meet April 29 and May 12 to as a “committee of the whole” that would evaluate the project list.
The meetings would also be used to vote on separate legislation Hazouri championed Wednesday that allots $100 million – half this year and half next – for utilities work needed to phase out septic tanks in several neighborhoods.
“This is a strong commitment, long past due, 50 years past,” Hazouri said of the septic tank funding that backers describe as fulfilling a pledge made when voters approved Jacksonville consolidating its government across Duval County in 1967.
Paying for septic tank phase-out hinges on the availability of city funds that wouldn’t be needed for roadwork if the cost of road projects were shifted to higher gas tax revenues.
Read the full story at Jacksonville.com.
