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PBC Co. commission meets on sales tax increase

Posted at 6:20 AM, May 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-03 07:01:11-04

Palm Beach County Commission is meeting Tuesday to speak on a sales tax plan commissioners have been working on.

If approved by voters in November, it would raise the sales tax by 1 percent.

RELATED: Palm Beach Co. Commission recommends raising sales tax

The tax would go into effect Jan. 1, 2017 and would last 10 years. Commissioners anticipate it will raise $2.7 billion for infrastructure projects.

Additionally, the plan sets aside $40 million for economic development incentives and $121 million for construction projects at cultural institutions such as museums, theaters and the zoo.

Some commissioners have taken issue with the money for cultural projects, citing problems with how projects are selected.

 

The Palm Beach Post reports on Friday the county manager issued guidelines requiring cultural institutions to apply to the county for sales tax money.

Prior to the decision, the cultural council decided who should get the money.

The meeting Tuesday starts at 9:30 a.m. and will be held inside the county commission chambers. So far the school board and more than a dozen municipalities have signed on to the proposal.

Voters will head to the polls Nov. 8 to decide if they agree with the plan too.