County Commissioner Bob English’s request for backing for legislation to allow an alcohol tax on the local ballot has little chance of passage, Polk legislators said Thursday.
The issue came up during a joint meeting of the County Commission and the Polk legislative delegation in preparation for the 2011 legislative session.
English argued the 1 percent tax on alcohol sales, which would raise about $2.1 million per year, would support the operation of a drug and alcohol abuse treatment center in Bartow.
That center’s treatment of some of the thousands of Polk residents with drug and alcohol problems would reduce social ills, ranging from crime to homelessness, that cost the county $744 million per year to deal with, he said.
The tax would not take effect until it was authorized by legislators and the majority of Polk voters approved it in a countywide referendum.
Although the alcohol tax proposal generated the most discussion Thursday, it was not the only issue on the County Commission’s legislative agenda.
Continue reading “Alcohol Tax Vote Plan Faces Rough Road” »
