[justjim]

I see where Lake County has approved a $500.00 impact fee for every new house built in Lake County. I believe at one time, before the economy crash, that the impact fee was somewhere around $3,000.00 per house. This was when we lived in Lake County and I know the county built several new schools out of impact fees. Why not an impact fee for Sumter County? I know it's like a tax and when you close on a house there are already certain taxes. But what if you could actually see the money going for something for the residents? The county could approve an advisory board to oversee and make recommendations on the use of the money. if the money was spent wisely, it could even help build a State of the art Performing Arts Center for the area. Obviously, most of the money would come from The Villages, and as we have long ago outgrown the Savannah Center, it would greatly advance "the arts" for the entire area. Some of the fees could be used to improve our crowded roads too. The increase of new people moving into The Villages and Sumter County will continue to put a "strain" on the lifestyle of our residents. This is why such fees are approved. If we had such a fee, what and who could benefit? More population certainly has its disadvantages and more people are coming!

[buggyone]

Any Performing Arts Center for this area would be charging a whole lot more money for a ticket than the Savannah Center. With the uproar on this forum a short time ago about the $125-$175 per ticket for the Willy Nelson show at Savannah, I would find it doubtful if residents of this area would be willing to shell out high prices for the performers.

As for "our crowded roads" - what crowded roads are being talked about? These roads are NOT crowded at all. Any of us from a city of over 90,000 can tell these roads are anything but crowded. I came to The Villages from the Washington DC area. Now, THOSE are crowded roads! My wife and I laugh as we go driving around The Villages about how the traffic is so light as compared to Rockville Pike or The Beltway at rush hour as we calmly drive up Buena Vista to Nancy Lopez Legacy Club for dinner.

Besides those facts, impact fees would probably be spent on improvements to schools or housing in Wildwood instead of on items that would be specifically designed for residents of The Villages.

[njbchbum]

justjim - don't look for impact fees in sumter county to build your performing arts center - talk to some professionals in the booking business - they will tell you that there are a sufficient number of venues in the area and any more would be over saturation...cannot/will not book an entertainer in one area that will reduce ticket sales in a neighboring area...the further apart the venues are - the better the odds that folks will travel to see a good entertainer, thus the higher ticket sales and gate profit.

re building more roads...which ones do you think need improvement and which cause a strain on our lifestyle? surely you don't want to see 466, 466a, buena vista, morse widend in order to accomodate even more cars - do you?

[Virtual Geezer]

On the planning table are widening Rolling Acers Rd from 466 to just behind Rolling Acers Plaza and widening 466a from 2 to 4 lanes from just east of TV to 441. Both in my opinion are worth while projects. Both of these projects are outside of TV.

The problem with impact fees are once they start when will they end?


VG

[downeaster]

Originally Posted by justjim

I see where Lake County has approved a $500.00 impact fee for every new house built in Lake County. I believe at one time, before the economy crash, that the impact fee was somewhere around $3,000.00 per house. This was when we lived in Lake County and I know the county built several new schools out of impact fees. Why not an impact fee for Sumter County? I know it's like a tax and when you close on a house there are already certain taxes. But what if you could actually see the money going for something for the residents? The county could approve an advisory board to oversee and make recommendations on the use of the money. if the money was spent wisely, it could even help build a State of the art Performing Arts Center for the area. Obviously, most of the money would come from The Villages, and as we have long ago outgrown the Savannah Center, it would greatly advance "the arts" for the entire area. Some of the fees could be used to improve our crowded roads too. The increase of new people moving into The Villages and Sumter County will continue to put a "strain" on the lifestyle of our residents. This is why such fees are approved. If we had such a fee, what and who could benefit? More population certainly has its disadvantages and more people are coming!

Perhaps it is because Sumter does not feel they need impact fees. They are doing pretty well on taxes. They have also done pretty well on keeping up with road improvement. Most of the crowded roads I see are state roads or Lake County roads. Of course my definition of crowded may defer from others.

I believe there is a group now in place working on developing a performing arts center.

[BobnBev]

Originally Posted by justjim

I see where Lake County has approved a $500.00 impact fee for every new house built in Lake County. I believe at one time, before the economy crash, that the impact fee was somewhere around $3,000.00 per house. This was when we lived in Lake County and I know the county built several new schools out of impact fees. Why not an impact fee for Sumter County? I know it's like a tax and when you close on a house there are already certain taxes. But what if you could actually see the money going for something for the residents? The county could approve an advisory board to oversee and make recommendations on the use of the money. if the money was spent wisely, it could even help build a State of the art Performing Arts Center for the area. Obviously, most of the money would come from The Villages, and as we have long ago outgrown the Savannah Center, it would greatly advance "the arts" for the entire area. Some of the fees could be used to improve our crowded roads too. The increase of new people moving into The Villages and Sumter County will continue to put a "strain" on the lifestyle of our residents. This is why such fees are approved. If we had such a fee, what and who could benefit? More population certainly has its disadvantages and more people are coming!

Just what we need......more government and more fees.....get real

[DTA2001]

Originally Posted by BobnBev

Just what we need......more government and more fees.....get real

Sumter county all ready has a impact fee for residential homes and comercial construction. Should we add more costs to building homes?

[Cantwaittoarrive]

Originally Posted by BobnBev

Just what we need......more government and more fees.....get real

[l2ridehd]

Why would you want additional fee's? For anything? Every fee, every tax, every time government at any level increases something it will NEVER go down. It will only go up, get worse, hire additional wasteful bureaucrats, more people to find new ways to tax and spend your money. They do not know how to cut cost, lower expenses, they only know how to spend more. I can names hundreds of new revenue sources that governments put in place that were supposed to be for a very specific purpose and once they got their hands on the money it went someplace else. Never ever ask for new sources of revenue for any government entity. They will always waste it.

[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Why would you want additional fee's? For anything? Every fee, every tax, every time government at any level increases something it will NEVER go down. It will only go up, get worse, hire additional wasteful bureaucrats, more people to find new ways to tax and spend your money. They do not know how to cut cost, lower expenses, they only know how to spend more. I can names hundreds of new revenue sources that governments put in place that were supposed to be for a very specific purpose and once they got their hands on the money it went someplace else. Never ever ask for new sources of revenue for any government entity. They will always waste it.

Just like the money spent on lottery tickets was suppossed to go for new schools, hospitals, etc in the New York area. Where is all that money going to? To pay for the admin costs of the lottery system.

[shcisamax]

Originally Posted by BobnBev

Just what we need......more government and more fees.....get real

[buggyone]

Originally Posted by 2BNTV

Just like the money spent on lottery tickets was suppossed to go for new schools, hospitals, etc in the New York area. Where is all that money going to? To pay for the admin costs of the lottery system.

I do not know about New York lotteries but the Florida lottery does quite a bit of funding for the Florida schools. In 2011-2012, the Florida lottery gave $777,000 to Sumter county schools. Go to their website for the full scoop.

Florida Lottery - County Contributions

[Cisco Kid]

And while you are at it go for a state income tax
Soon you will be like the great state of IL

I want to from this state to TV to get away from Taxing Anal Probe


STOP IT NOW

[janmcn]

There have been impact fees in Sumter County since I bought my first house in 2000. As I recollect, they were in the two to three thousand dollar range. I don't know if they have been rescinded.

[Cedwards38]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Why would you want additional fee's? For anything? Every fee, every tax, every time government at any level increases something it will NEVER go down. It will only go up, get worse, hire additional wasteful bureaucrats, more people to find new ways to tax and spend your money. They do not know how to cut cost, lower expenses, they only know how to spend more. I can names hundreds of new revenue sources that governments put in place that were supposed to be for a very specific purpose and once they got their hands on the money it went someplace else. Never ever ask for new sources of revenue for any government entity. They will always waste it.

Most of the time I just keep my mouth shut and read. Occasionally I chime in with some observation about a topic in this forum. But honestly, as one who spent 30 years in a public service career, I take a little offense at your statement about "wasteful bureaucrats" and feel compelled to respond. I guess I am one of those wasteful bureaucrats of which you speak. I spent a career as a public school teacher, elementary school principal, and a a statewide education department. I don't recall trying to waste your money, nor did I ever.......ever come in contact with someone else whose goal was to do that. We always tried to provide good service to the public, most of the time with meager budgets.

Yes, people want good roads, street lights, public buildings, parks, police and fire protection, armies, sanitation, health standards, etc, that government provides. They just don't seem to want to pay for it. You tell me friend, in increasing populations, with increasing public and social demands, and increasing inflation, how government budgets are supposed to continue to provide service, but at the same time be cut. It's simple arithmetic. It doesn't work that way.

You state, "They will always waste it." What? Are you serious? Remember that the next time you cash a social security check, take advantage of Medicare, vacation at a state or national park, drive on a paved four lane, or see a service man walking down the street. Remember that when you see school buses taking children to learn and back home and providing them with a hot meal and supervision all day long. Remember that when you see bridges, overpasses, hydroelectric dams, public utilities, road signs, and public universities. Remember that when you see firemen and policemen risking their lives to protect us all. Remember that when you think about this country and all the dedicated and honorable public service employees who make it run every day.

Has government ever wasted a buck? You bet, every day. And so has everyone else, including major industrial corporations, and every small business owner who ever made a payroll in every hamlet in America. They waste too, but they don't call it taxes, they call it prices and pass it on to the consumer. I'm not complaining. Thats just the way it is. You spend to grow and show progress, except in the private sector its called research and development and innovation and in the public sector its called waste.

Just stop it. Stop the government bashing. Stop the anti-tax nonsense. Do I want an impact fee in Sumter? Not particularly, but if they create one, I'll try to be constructive in seeing that it works for me too, and when it does I'll appreciate it.