Will Hillsborough’s half-cent tax survive politics to get on the ballot?

To say the Community Investment Tax helped build Hillsborough County is not an exaggeration.

Raymond James Stadium — home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and venue for the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé — owes its existence to the half-penny sales tax voters passed in 1996. Since then, the tax has funded hundreds of projects to the tune of more than $2.6 billion, including fire stations, police facilities, libraries, roads, intersections and sidewalks.

With that tax soon to sunset, Hillsborough commissioners have been working on a renewed version to put to voters on the November ballot in hopes of keeping those funds flowing.

But commissioners are not in lockstep on the details.

Points of contention: Should the tax last another 30 years, a whittled-down 10 or somewhere in between? And how much should schools get — if anything at all?

Commissioners — expected to vote Wednesday on these matters critical to moving the tax forward — do agree on one thing: None of them wants to lose for the future what this tax did in the past.

“If you think we have infrastructure challenges now,” said Commissioner Harry Cohen, “imagine what it would be like for the next generation if we lost this dedicated funding source.”

How long should the tax last?

Commissioners differ on duration.

Cohen and Commissioner Pat Kemp prefer a longer period for the tax, with Kemp saying at a meeting she would support the full 30 years. Gwen Myers has said she favors 20 and Chairperson Ken Hagan 10, 15 or 20.

Commissioner Josh Wostal called anything beyond 10 years a “nonstarter” and vowed to work aggressively in the community against a proposal he didn’t agree with.

Wostal’s argument: The original tax started when he was 12, and now, at 40, it’s the first time he gets to have a say on it.

“My son is 8 years old and (with) a 10-year tax, his first time voting at 18, he will be able to voice whether or not he wants to tax himself for this,” he said.

An argument for making the tax’s duration longer rather than shorter: It would mean a longer revenue stream to pay for more and bigger projects.

Kemp told the Tampa Bay Times she would be willing to entertain fewer years “in the spirit of compromise” — though not the shortest time period, she said.

Commissioners Michael Owen and Donna Cameron Cepeda did not return calls for comment.

Yay or nay on schools?

Since voters said yes to the sales tax nearly three decades ago, local schools have received 25% of the revenues.

But it’s pretty clear from recent commission discussions that won’t happen in this next version. Whether schools continue to benefit ― and if so, at what lesser percentage — has been the debate.

Meanwhile, the school district is planning its own referendum on the same ballot. Theirs would ask voters for a property tax increase that can fund teacher, administrator and staff pay. The prospect of two referendums for voters to consider has been described by commissioners as less than ideal.

Supporters of that school referendum say their tax would only pay operational costs, including pay raises for teachers to keep up with nearby districts that already have such a tax. It can’t pay for school buildings they say are also badly needed and that the sales tax has long funded.

“The two taxes are completely different — you can’t compare one with the other,” said School Board member Lynn Gray. And getting cut out of the sales tax, she said, “would damage us severely.”

At a March commission meeting at which school superintendent Van Ayres made his pitch to stay included, Commissioner Owen was blunt:

“What I would like is I would like you guys not to put a millage increase on the ballot,” he told Ayres. Owen said that would influence him to keep schools in as part of the Community Investment Tax.

There have been no signs of that happening. The School Board votes on its property tax referendum Tuesday, the day before Hillsborough takes up its sales tax. Commissioners will no doubt be paying close attention.

During public comment at a commission meeting earlier this year, some spoke out against axing schools.

“Remember that communities that are not invested in schools today more than likely will be building new jails tomorrow,” said former state Rep. Ed Narain. Activist Joe Robinson advised commissioners against “disrespect” for the county’s thousands of teachers who are also voters.

“Keep playing with these teachers and you’re playing with fire,” he said.

Then there’s sports facilities. While the original tax was sold on building a new stadium for the Bucs, the current commission appears largely in agreement that sports facilities won’t be in the next referendum. Tax or no tax, the county is contractually obligated to maintain Raymond James Stadium to NFL standards.

Asked for his prediction on what would happen Wednesday, Wostal — one of four Republicans on the board with three Democrats — said this:

“I think that you’ll see what you’ve seen as a pattern: It will be three Democrats and one Republican voting against the three Republicans, more than likely,” he said. Republican Hagan has sometimes been the swing vote on the board.

“Oftentimes, it’s no secret I don’t think, there’s three commissioners that vote extremely conservatively and three who do not,” said Kemp. “And there’s one commissioner, Commissioner Hagan, in between.”

The referendum can go to the voters by a simple majority vote of the board — four votes — with no supermajority required.

Even if the board is unable to reach a meeting of the minds to get the tax on the November ballot, all may not be lost for its supporters. Since the current tax doesn’t expire until late 2026, there will be time to try again.