GIS Website for Infrastructure Sales Tax

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The great recession beginning in 2007 led to successive years of budget cutbacks, including deferral of capital maintenance which led to hundreds of important infrastructure projects being placed on hold or terminated. To address this situation, Palm Beach County proposed a temporary one percent increase in the sales tax and sponsored a public referendum titled the 2016 One-Penny Sales Tax Referendum. The Palm Beach County Information Systems Services (ISS) Department and Public Affairs Department was tasked with building an online website as a communications channel to inform the public about the proposal and the November 2016 referendum. The team introduced the OnePenny/OneCounty website in July 1, 2016, and this site was considered an important factor in the successful passage of the referendum in November 2016, which is projected to generate approximately $2.7 billion in additional revenues over the next 10 years to be shared among the County, municipalities and the School District. The application continues to be an integral element of the communication plan for the numerous projects funded by the infrastructure surtax. It promotes intergovernmental cooperation and coordination for the County, municipalities, and schools. It provides vital information to businesses and individuals regarding industry workshops, job training, and the League of Cities. The application facilitates government transparency by providing reports from the Infrastructure Surtax Independent Citizen Oversight Committee. The Interactive Map component provides multiple views of projects such as by city and/or by category.