04-1476 Legislative Policy - Laserfiche WebLink

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Priorities The Florida League of Cities will support legislation that provides for a hold harmless mechanism when distributing revenues transferred from the Half-Cent Sales Tax Program to the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund for Municipalities. The Florida League of Cities will support legislation that authorizes a municipality or a group of local governments to levy a local option sales and use tax within their respective boundaries to fund capi- tal and operational expenses related to public safety, infrastructure and homeland security provided each local government reduces its revenues from prop- erty taxes by an amount equal to 50 percent of the revenues generated from the local option sales tax in the first year. Other priorities The Florida League of Cities will support legislation that eliminates the restrictions on the fee structure of the local occupational license tax and provides municipalities' appropriate authority to enforce lo- cal occupational license taxes. The Florida League of Cities will support legislation that authorizes municipalities to levy a consump- tion-based tax on liquefied and natural gas con- sumed within their boundaries and eliminates the tax inequities between in-state and out-of-state sales of natural gas. Furthermore, the Florida League of Cities will support legislation that repeals the fuel adjustment charge exemption from the public ser- vice tax. The Florida League of Cities will support legislation that proposes a constitutional amendment that would provide that all municipal-owned property is treated the same as general-purpose government- owned property with respect to ad valorem taxes. Growth Management Infrastructure Funding 200 The structure of Florida's state revenue shar- ing programs and local option revenues 4 doesn't permit municipalities sufficient rev- enue flexibility to meet local infrastructure needs and state growth management quirements. This problem is exacerbated by a tax structure that subsidizes urban sprawl and discourages development or redevel- opment in urban areas. Presently, most of the infrastructure funding mechanisms are controlled at the state and county level, re- stricting the ability of Florida's municipali- ties to properly plan for growth and to pro- vide needed infrastructure. The Florida League of Cities will support legislation, as part of a comprehensive infrastructure-funding package, that addresses one or more of the follow- lng: 200.1 Establishes a process for an individual mu- nicipality or a group of municipalities to levy a portion of the local government infrastruc- ture surtax within their )urisdictions to fund infrastructure improvements. 200.2 Increases the state funding match and en- hances the federal revolving loan program for water related infrastructure improve- ments. 200.3 Establishes a more equitable distribution methodology for the Half-Cent Sales Tax Program. 200.4 Establishes a more equitable default distri- bution methodology for the Local Option infrastructure Surtax. 200.S Grants municipalities the authority to imple- ment all or part of the local option gas tax and establishes a more equitable method of computing the default distribution for- mula for the tax. 200.6 Authorizes a municipality to levy a voter ap- proved Joca) option sales tax within its boundaries to fund general public purpose needs. Municipal Tax Structure 201 The Florida League of Cities will support leg- islation that simplifies and stabilizes Florida's state and local revenue structure so that mu- nicipa/ autonomy and flexibility are en- hanced. The Florida League of Cities will support legislation that: