No penny gas tax to help Lynx, Orange leaders decide

David Damron | Sentinel Staff Writer Orange County leaders Wednesday backed away from raising the gas tax by a penny a gallon to help pay for the region's bus system and instead approved a $4 million relief measure that relies on corporate donors and a fare increase for riders. The Lynx transit system has been hammered by rising fuel costs, and finding the cash to keep it from cutting back services capped three days of budget hearings. At the end of a long day, county commissioners tentatively approved a $3.3 billion budget for next year that keeps property-tax rates at the same level. Commissioners struggled over deeper reductions for other agencies and pulled $2.5 million from reserves for legal-aid and social-service programs. But the fight to increase Lynx funding dominated Wednesday's debate, one that drew scores of... [read full story]