WCOM NEWS

6-11-04

Miramar growth pumps up gas revenue for city

MIRAMAR--Miramar's population growth continues to bring more money into city coffers by way of Broward County's Local Option Gas Tax.

City officials have approved a resolution amending four interlocal option gas tax agreements that would mean up to $1.5 million for fiscal year 2004, said Assistant City Manager Robert Bell.

Maureen Shields, program manager for the Office of Budget Services for Broward County, said the approved city amendment is an annual adjustment based on all city populations.

"When cities annex properties, their population increases, so these amendments account for different distributions from year to year," Shields said.

Bell cited the current official Miramar population tally as 95,921, up from 87,537 the previous year. Last year's adjustment of the local option gas tax amounted to $1.4 million.

Regulated by state statutes, local option gas tax revenue is placed into Miramar's Street Maintenance Fund, he said.

The amendments refer to the following interlocal agreements between Broward government and the municipalities to distribute 10 cents of local option gas tax per gallon sold.

These include:

The original local option gas tax adopted in 1983, which provides cities with 37.5 percent of the proceeds of 6 cents of the gas tax.

An additional local option gas tax adopted in 1993, providing cities with 37.5 percent of 3 cents of the gas tax.

A transit gas tax adopted in 2000, which provides cities with 26 percent of the proceeds of a 1-cent gas tax.

And a fourth Interlocal Agreement, included in the amendments, called the "homeless" gas tax. This tax provides for an additional 1-cent Local Option Gas Tax on motor fuel. The amendment extends the term of this agreement from five to 25 years. All money collected from this tax goes to the county.

According to Bell, local option gas tax revenue is expected to increase for fiscal year 2005, but actual figures are still pending information from the state.

(source) Sun Sentinel (Laura Burdick-Sherman) 6-11-04