08:50 PM EST Share City Council voted 14-5 on May 25 to approve a 6-cent per gallon increase in Duval County for $1 billion in transportation projects.
After the Jacksonville City Council passed Mayor Lenny Curry’s proposed increase to Duval County’s local option gas tax May 25, he acknowledged to reporters gathered in the City Hall rotunda that no tax hike is popular with voters.
“Today’s a historic day for our ability to invest in much-needed infrastructure in our city,” Curry said.
“We’ve neglected this stuff for years and we need a source of revenue.”
The Council voted 14-5 to approve Ordinance 2021-223 that will double the gas tax from 6 cents per gallon to 12 cents, starting Jan. 1, to complete nearly $1 billion in road, drainage and other infrastructure needs.
The winding journey for a proposed doubling of Jacksonville s local gas tax is nearing the end of its trip through City Council and headed toward likely passage with support from at least 11 council members, based on their public comments through Tuesday.
Council will meet Wednesday for a special meeting devoted to the gas tax legislation and a final vote by the 19-member body.
Ten council members have taken public stances in solid support for the tax increase while five council members have made stands against it. That meant at least one of the four other council members would need to vote yes for it to achieve the minimum 11 votes for it to win approval.
Editorial: Gas tax increase is a good investment in Jacksonville
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The City Council is expected to take a final vote Wednesday on whether to double the local option gas tax from six cents to 12 cents.
Raising the tax would generate about $1 billion over 30 years to pay for badly needed transportation infrastructure projects like roads, bus stops, sidewalks, drainage, bridges and other improvements. And it would free up money in the city budget to phase out our failing septic tanks, which are an increasing threat to the St. Johns River.
Mayor Lenny Curry’s proposal has received some resistance from taxpayers who don’t want their taxes raised, even though a 12-cent gas tax would cost the average driver less than $100 a year.
Instead of 25, 30 people can now ride on a JTA bus at the same time.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority made the original seating limits in March 2020 as COVID-19 began to impact the area. It was part of local lockdowns and restrictions implemented by the JTA and most government agencies.
The change in passenger number begins what the authority called a phased approach in returning to full capacity as vaccination rates increase and the number of coronavirus cases decrease. Full capacity could return this summer, the authority said.
Riders and employees must still wear a face covering inside JTA facilities and aboard buses, the Skyway and other transportation services through at least Sept. 13.