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