A proposed 5-cents-a-gallon increase in the gas tax for Lake County failed to win the supermajority it needed on the Lake County Commission Tuesday.
The tax would have raised millions for road resurfacing, work that is partly funded now through the general fund.
Commissioners Anthony Sabatini and Leslie Campione voted against increasing the local gas tax from 7 to 12 cents a gallon. And the measure, which needed four votes, failed by a vote of three to two.
Campione argued for a referendum instead.
"I think that we could sell it to the residents of Lake County to support this in a referendum," she said. "And so I would go that route. I would ask the voters to support this if this if this is what they want us to do in order to resurface roads and make it really clear this is not going to build new roads."
Several business leaders spoke in support of the proposed gas tax increase. And other county commissioners argued it would be "a user fee." They said it would share the cost of road maintenance with nonresidents and free up other funds for needed road construction.
Through the gas tax, Commissioner Kirby Smith said, non-residents would cover a portion of the costs.
"There's no other way to do this other than putting it solely, 100%, on the back of Lake County citizens -- other than this fee," he said.
Volusia, Osceola, Polk and Marion counties already have maxed out their local gas tax. And the Seminole County Commission voted last month to add the additional 5 cents.
