Sumter County forging ahead to reduce impact fees?
 

I just read an article in the not to mention online news that says the county is moving ahead to reduce impact fees to be competitive with other counties. WTF, the county that has had one of the highest growth rates in the nation is not competitive? This smells very much like the 25% tax increase, with the same cast of characters leading the way once again to screw the existing residential taxpayers. Not good!

Finally a Villager that can connect the dots.

Now who do you think that is paving the way?

Well, if you had little trouble fleecing the lambs the first time....

Must be that darn developer huh? :)

Casting the chum upon the waters!!

:ohdear: Today's "Daily Sun" page A-9 has the EXACT OPPOSITE STORY. Says Fees were raised. :ohdear: Which is it?

Good question? It appears that comparing the news between the not to mention online news source and the Daily Sun is kind of like comparing MSNBC to Fox News?

It will be very interesting to see what happens when these Sumter Commissioners come up for re-election.

While some of the fees have gone down, most have gone up a few %/$, but not nearly enough to cover the projected costs for the commitments the county has made. Mr. Arnold has opted to only implement 40% of the project cost impact based on the report that was published. I guess the rest is up to the current tax payers to pony up.

While I believe that our county commissioners are honorable men, the "Professionals" assisting them in the decision making processes are failing them and us as residents and tax payers alike. Not planning for the cost impacts that drove the recent 25% increase is huge short fall in execution of responsibilities of the County Commissioners, but more importantly of the county administrator, Mr. Arnold.

Blaming the developer is also a misplaced act, they are in business to make money and anything that holds down their cost is good for them. We all remember this fact, I hope, from the times before we retired. Of course any tax, fee, or assessments on a new home are merely additional costs that are passed along to the customer. Remember, businesses don't pay taxes, they collect them for and pass them on the governmental body levying them. Just another cost for their product, just like labor and material.

Sadly, the commissioners giving Mr. Arnold high marks on his job performance was like lambs sharpening the knife for the butcher that is about to slaughter them, and they don't seem to realize it.

It is a good question! Are you doing anything to verify what you posted now that I have asked it? One source is correct and the other is wrong and I am :confused:

Thanks :ho:

I don’t think Sumter County residential taxpayers are getting “screwed” by a new property tax rate for 2019 that is 67% of what the tax rate was in the Year 2000!, and is only 5.5% higher than the tax rate was in 2012!

To complain about the new tax rate being too high is just silly, especially since the new rate allows the County to promote and participate in tremendous residential and commercial growth that will dramatically increase future tax revenue for both the County and the City of Wildwood. This is Good!

You will find few actual property owners in Sumter county agreeing with this view. Partly because they do not support growth in the first place. There is way too much congestion already.

:faint: YEP! Everyone wanted their home to be the LAST one built! :1rotfl:

As I stated in my post, I was referring to a story I read in the not to mention online news service. Anyone can go online and read the same story, it is public information. Which article is accurate, the one I referenced or the story in the daily sun, I don’t know? I plan to follow the available news regarding this issuee going forward to hopefully get some clarity.

What's the true costs for impact? According to the TV newspaper, it looks like they raised the impact fee by $71. Does that mean that those of us living here are still paying for those who are creating the impact, or does $71 cover the costs. How to find out is the next step.