PLANT CITY, Fla. — Plant City is already preparing for the November election and will be holding a public hearing Monday night to decide what they would do with the proceeds of a half-percent Community Investment Tax, should it be approved by Hillsborough County voters once again.

City Manager Bill McDaniel says their team worked with each department to compile a list of projects they feel need attention over the next 15 years. The proposed projects total just under $80 million.

McDaniel says following Monday night’s public hearing, city commissioners are poised to pass a resolution that will serve as a guide as to where the Community Investment tax proceeds should go.

Residents are welcome to speak to city commissioners about their thoughts on the proposed projects during the hearing which is set for June 24 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall located at 302 West Reynolds Street in Plant City.

The half-cent per dollar sales tax, which is known as the Community Investment Tax, was passed by Hillsborough County voters in 1996. The tax was passed for a 30-year period and will expire on November 30, 2026.

Proposed list of CIT projects:

• $18,775,841 — Parks & Recreation improvements
• $15 million — Community Center
• $15 million — Corridor congestion relief
• $10 million — Multi-use trials
• $5 million — Intersection safety & mobility
• $5 million — Law enforcement facilities, equipment & upgrades
• $5 million — Fire Station #4 upgrades & equipment
• $5 million — Fire Station #5 upgrades & equipment

Following a debate amongst Hillsborough County Commissioners, they ultimately voted to include a referendum for extending the Community Investment Tax on the November ballot. This time around, the extension would be for a 15-year period and run from Dec. 1, 2026 to the end of 2041.

To date, the Hillsborough County School board receives 25% annually, the Tampa Sports Authority receives $9 million for stadium debt service, and the remaining is distributed between Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, and Plant City.

In Plant City, previous tax proceeds have been used to build a new city hall, make public safety upgrades, and multiple road improvements.

“Roughly $80 million over 15 years is a lot of money but its also talking about making a tremendous difference over the next decade and a half in our community,” McDaniel said.

While the proposed project categories have been outlined, McDaniels says the details on which roads or recreation facilities would get the funding haven’t been mapped out yet. The city is considering building a community center, but whether it would replace the current west side location or be an additional community center hasn’t been decided.

Hillsborough County says since the tax went into effect in 1996, it has provided roughly $2.3 billion to completely or partially fund 750 capital improvement projects across the county. 

The Community Investment Tax is solely a capital program and does not pay for employee salaries.