Hillsborough County commissioners have set up another key checkpoint for the proposed Tampa Bay Rays stadium, after a tense back-and-forth Tuesday over when the public should get its say on using county sales tax money for the project.
At a land-use meeting, County Commission Chairperson Ken Hagan pushed to reschedule the required hearing on whether the ballpark can be included in the county’s Community Investment Tax spending list. That half-cent sales tax helps pay for roads and sewer changes, and the stadium would depend on it in part. After the public hearing, commissioners would still have to vote to add the project to the list.
The move reversed an action taken last week by Commissioner Joshua Wostal, who had scheduled the hearing for an evening meeting in an unincorporated part of the county. Wostal said he wanted the timing and location to make attendance easier for residents.
“This should be nonpolitical. This should be about supporting the residents,” Wostal said Tuesday.
County Attorney Julia Mandell told commissioners that most of them were not available before November. The first date when the board could meet would be after Nov. 5, two days after the midterm election. Hagan said that was why he wanted the hearing posted for Nov. 10 during a regular County Commission meeting, adding that the board has tried to take up major matters before its membership changes.
“Yes, it’s after the election, but it’s with the current board,” Hagan said. “We’re not preventing the public from speaking.”
The hearing has to happen before the county can move to the next phase for the ballpark, including the bond validation process that would help pay for the stadium. That process asks a court to decide whether the stadium is a valid use for the bonds. If the court signs off, the county can’t be legally challenged for using the bonded money.
Mandell said the commission also has to approve a resolution sending the matter to court, but that item has not been placed on an agenda yet because the sales tax hearing must come first. Hagan said that leaves “somewhat of a sense of urgency” around the project’s next steps.
His motion passed 5-2, with Wostal and Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda voting no.
Before the vote, Wostal said he had not understood why the bond issue needed to move so quickly. He also asked Mandell to explain the urgency to the board.
“This is just another attempt to squash and silence even their one and only opportunity to actually have public hearing on the most impactful item in the history of the county,” Wostal said.
Mandell replied that once the board approved the first agreement in August, the county took on the obligation to clear the next steps for the ballpark.
“The urgency is, is that we are moving this forward as we indicated that we would,” Mandell said.
Those next steps include the sales tax hearing, a possible change to the tourist development tax spending plan that is first set for consideration Wednesday, and the court ruling. The resolution needed to seek the court’s opinion still has not been scheduled.
Wostal remained unconvinced, saying Mandell had not fully explained why last week’s scheduling move had to be undone.
“I cannot believe for a second that we can’t find an opening in our schedules as their duly elected officials to accommodate them to have this one public hearing,” Wostal said. “And the fact that you came down here, without one real justification, just makes me feel like you should start drawing up your resignation letter.”
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