Put your 2 cents in on impact fees
To the editor:
One million Lee County residents. That is the reality of our growth and it will happen in the next few years.
In order to responsibly handle this growth we need expanded utilities, improved roads, more parks, more schools, more first responders. The question is who is going to pay for these additional services? For over 20 years the answer has been impact fees. It was a good plan for growth to pay for growth. Impact fees are a generally accepted way to meet the needs of a growing population.
Our elected representatives on the county commission apparently object to impact fees. First they reduced them to 20 percent, creating a situation where they had to use reserves as the county lost millions in revenue. Now the reserves are gone, what is the commission plan to pay for the impending growth? The choices are growth pays for growth or you pay for growth. You are already paying for the services in place to meet your needs. Who is going to pay for the added facilities needed?
The only plan presented by county commissioners keeps impact fees at very low levels. They just haven’t told you yet that their plan calls for you to pay and pay and pay. The school board is already considering a proposal to increase the sales tax to make up for the shortage they are experiencing because of reduced revenues from impact fees.
Studies in other counties that experimented with reduced impact fees showed that no new projects were started because of reduced fees, no new jobs were created and homebuyers did not see savings that matched the reduction. The only result was increased developer profits. The assistant county attorney in a county just north of us reported that basically the reduction failed to accomplish its intended purpose.
The laws of supply and demand determine the price of a new home. Impact fees are just one of the hundreds of variables that go into construction costs and no developer is going to build houses that are above an affordable price for a targeted market segment. The only result of reduced impact fees is increased developer profits.
If you agree please tape 2 pennies to a letter stating “My 2 cents worth for a common cents approach to growth.” Send your letter to County Commissioners c/o County manager, P.O. box 398, Fort Myers, FL 33902. And be sure to wear green to the March 3 county commission meeting.
Steve Sherman
Fort Myers