School Board Speaks to BOCC on Impact Fees

No new action taken, Impact fee return January 2017

Today the Citrus County Board of County Commission reviewed the results from suspending all impact fees last February 2015. The BOCC agreed when they suspended the impact fees to review them in one year and that was at today’s meeting.

The BOCC asked for the Citrus County School Board to provide any information we wished to share with the BOCC. Today Chairman Ron Kitchen respectfully gave the Citrus County School Board the opportunity to address the BOCC and so the Honorable Doug Dodd and I accompanied Vice-Chairman Virginia “Ginger” Bryant as she read a letter from Chairman Linda Power who was unable to be at the meeting. Follow this link to a copy of Chairman Power’s letter: http://goo.gl/UfrMcY

The BOCC after a thorough presentation by the BOCC county staff, the presentation included reviewing the amounts of funds not collected from impact fees suspension and the potential new tax revenue from the new houses and buildings constructed since the suspension of impact fees. There was discussion that if the BOCC lifted impact fees today it would take six months before it would take effect. Therefore, after further discussion the BOCC decided not to take any new action today on the current impact fee policy, thereby impact fees would be automatically reinstated in January 2017, unless the BOCC takes further action to further suspend impact fees past January 2017.

I greatly appreciated the positive and respectful manner that Chairman Kitchen and the rest of the BOCC received the School Board. I also want to thank Commissioner Dennis Damato who spent a great deal of time cautioning the BOCC of continuing the policy of suspending impact fees. I also want to thank citizen Chris Lloyd, who testified to commissioners about how important our successful School District is to our community and that it should be properly funded. Mr. Lloyd stated, “I hope, most sincerely, that this board of commissioners will look favorably on the idea of re-instating impact Fees for Schools. Because, absent sufficient funding, our stellar reputation will not remain intact for very long.” You can read the full transcript of Mr. Lloyd’s testimony by following this link: http://goo.gl/2G0ItJ

While today neither School nor other impact fees were re-instated early, I would still say it was a successful day. The Citrus County School Board and the BOCC had another positive and respectful interaction.

The School Board has given great details on why we believe that impact fees are equitable and essential for properly funding school increase capacity capital projects and I am sure we will again. I have lobbied why I feel school impact fees are important and I am sure I will again, but I would like to just pause for now and thank the BOCC staff, the CCSB staff, the Commissioners and my fellow School Board members for working together for the betterment of the students and citizens of our great County.

Comments Off on School Board Speaks to BOCC on Impact Fees
Filed under: Blog Posts

Citrus again an “A” district

Citrus is again rated an “A” district by the Florida Department of Education for the 9th year!!!

That is 9 out of 10 years!

Congratulations to our teachers, staff, administrators and most especially our students. Their successes, are our successes!

Comments Off on Citrus again an “A” district
Filed under: Blog Posts

Citrus Elected Leadership Summit

Participants: Let’s do this frequently

Last Thursday, January 28^th, 2016, many of Citrus County’s elected leaders came together without personal agendas to talk about working together for our community.

When Ron Kitchen (now the Chairman of the Board of County Commission) called me last October (as the then current Chairman of the Citrus County School Board) to ask if I would approach the School Board about a joint meeting between then Citrus BOCC, the Cities and the School Board, I was surprised and a bit nervous. I thought why now after all the trouble we had last year when the School Board tried unsuccessfully to get the BOCC to jointly meet (see Chronicle, “Commission, school board off to rough start” 12/17/2014) and was refused. One had to ask, what had changed? Incoming Chairman Ron Kitchen is what had changed. Mr. Kitchen made it clear months earlier when he said, “we should want to work with the School Board”. It was those comments that I trusted with hopes of building a better working relationship with the BOCC as we came together for this summit.

All of the current serving School Board members; Bryant, Doug Dodd, Chairwoman Linda Powers and I attended the summit. Superintendent Sandra “Sam” Himmel, was in Tallahassee for a previously scheduled meeting with the Florida Commissioner of Education and was unable to attend the summit but Assistant Superintendent Mike Mullen attended in her place. County Commissioners, Scott Carnahan, Joe Meek and Chairman Ron Kitchen; Crystal River Councilmen Andy Houston and Robert Holmes and Mayor Jim Farley; and Inverness Council members Hepfer and McBride all attended and participated in the summit.

Mr. Kitchen facilitated the meeting and with no specific item agendas planned. Mr. Kitchen opened the meeting and shared that he felt this meeting was important since Mr. Kitchen said, “we all work for the same people“. Mr. Kitchen then opened up the meeting to begin talking about any items we wished to share.

Over the course of the meeting a number of issues were talked about, and regardless whether the issue was one we were all in agreement of, or if it was a more divided subject everyone was professional, respectful and listened to one another.   For over four hours the group met and discussed topics ranging from; school funding, Career and Technical Education, Home Rule, Whispering Pines Park, Withlacoochee Technical College, Crystal River City Walk, and improving communication just to name a few.

As the meeting came to an end it was evident that the group desired to meet again and more often. It was proposed and agreed for the Chairmen of the respective groups to meet regularly, perhaps once a month or once a quarter and then for additional summits to happen on an annual bases.

Only by communicating, collaborating and working together will we improve as a community. I want to thank Chairman Ron Kitchen for envision, planning and making this event happen. I cannot wait for the next summit.

Comments Off on Citrus Elected Leadership Summit
Filed under: Blog Posts