Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on HART:

HART to put its finances online

CAITLIN JOHNSTON Tampa Bay Times

Monday, December 1, 2014 3:37pm

TAMPA — Hillsborough’s transit agency voted Monday to move a large amount of its financial information online in an effort to show the public the board is spending its dwindling money in a responsible manner.

The move goes beyond posting the budgets required by the state. It includes expenditures, monthly financial reports, vendor information, payroll, wire transactions and more.

Finances have been tight for the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, and its proposed 2015 budget shows a projected shortfall of $1.7 million in 2017. But spokeswoman Sandra Morrison said those numbers are for illustrative purposes and often act as a catalyst for finding increased revenue sources. The projected shortfalls can also be mitigated through continued cost reductions and tweaking of expansion of nonpeak service.

HART board member and County Commissioner Sandra Murman said the transparency initiative will help show the public that HART is doing the best it can with its resources, despite being “strapped for cash.”

“A lot of people think it’s so easy to do stuff because you have so many millions of dollars, but what they don’t understand is where all that money goes,” Murman said. “You are providing that transparency so people understand that every dollar that comes to HART is being spent frugally and wisely.”

HART’s nearly $84 million budget for 2015 is funded mostly by property taxes and includes revenue from fares and federal, state and local grants.

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Seward, who headed the project, said the information should be on the HART website by the end of the week.

There was also discussion about splitting the Finance, Governance and Administration committee into separate governance and finance committees, allowing the latter to delve further into potential revenue sources.

HART continues to look for ways to increase its revenue sources to keep operating without a massive shortfall. Much has been made of a potential 2016 tax-for-transportation referendum, similar to those that failed in Pinellas and Polk counties in November.

Board member Josh Burgin, who was not present at Monday’s meeting, has long warned against relying on revenue from a potential tax that voters could reject.

“HART should next expect to see dramatic budgetary growth as a result of a near future tax increase proposal,” Burgin wrote in a letter that was read during the meeting. “The most likely scenario for increased HART funding through additional taxes is one where a half-cent tax is passed with a majority of the revenues committed to roads and a relative small amount is dedicated to HART.”

Contact Caitlin Johnston at cjohnston@tampabay.com or (813) 661-2443. Follow @cljohnst.