Guest opinion: Impact fees pay for needed infrastructure
As some of you know, I was born and raised in Lee County and therefore, have always been very biased about the welfare of my county. I have always been in support of healthy economic growth, especially when it comes for our area. To that end, I have strongly supported a return to full-level impact fees, which gives us the ability to multilane our roads and build first class schools.
The Commission gave the building industry a two year 80 percent reduction in impact fees to get them back on their feet after the recession. For a number of reasons building permits are once again flying off the shelves and we now need to again capture those fees to allow for the infrastructure improvements.
In order to encourage new growth, we need to make sure the infrastructure is in place to accommodate it.
In order to market our community, you have to make it appetizing for them to want to relocate. For instance; new major road projects which are partially funded through road impact fees. These projects will eventually be done of course. However, the availability of the funding of impact fees simply can make it happen a whole lot sooner. Revenue generated through impact fees can speed that result.
I have been reminding folks that since Lee County initiated impact fees 20 years ago, we have been able to commit well over $300 million to road improvements. Imagine the situation today had that money not been available.
– Commissioner Frank Mann, Lee County Board of County Commissioners, District 5