[rmd2]

Originally Posted by Advogado

It would be more effective if voters were to talk to him personally, but contact email and phone number are here: District 3 | Sumter County, FL - Official Website

I e-mailed them and one of them (I think Search) said "They were too busy with other matters." I reminded him of the tax issue that they campaigned on but I guess they are too busy "with other matters". Personally disgusted.

[J1ceasar]

The funding plan is simple roll back real estate taxes and increase infrastructure tax

[J1ceasar]

And roll back the ridiculous spending increases they had on the budget by the way it was $50 million

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by J1ceasar

The funding plan is simple roll back real estate taxes and increase infrastructure tax

Did you do the math??? To replace $50mil annual increase, the impact fee would have to be ~$25,000 per house.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Advogado

An impact fee study is necessary. As you should know, nobody has exact numbers at this point.

For what EMS ran on (and what you're preaching) a study is NOT necessary. EMS & you are stating 'reverse the 25% and increase impact fee'. Simple math, it would take an impact fee of ~$25,000 per new home to cover the loss of the additional $50,000,000 generated by the 25% increase. And you voted for that.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Happydaz

4,177. 6,244. 6,657. 6,914. 14,789. 38,780. (Listed is the number of posts.)

Interesting to see that all the very high posters on this thread favored the developer and keeping the low impact fees as they are. Those who support raising the impact fees have lower posting counts. Is there a professional group of posters on this site who dominate others with their torrent of posts? Does a small group of posters represent the voters of Sumter County?

No, maybe the higher posters are jus smarter.
I can't speak for the high posters, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm not in favor of, "keeping the low impact fees as they are".

Happy Day.

[Ken D.]

People need to be concise, or lose one’s interest quickly.

[jbrown132]

Originally Posted by JoMar

As I stated before, I am not in favor of higher impact fees that will slow growth and stop commercial development and have made that clear to the Commissioners (as have many others who can see the larger picture). As with all that run for office, make promises you can't keep and once you learn what your promises will do run as fast as you can. The new wannabe "puppeteers and minions and whatever else you want to label the supporters of the triad" will find that the responsibility of the Commissioners is to grow the economy of the County, keep it's residents safe and promote growth to increase revenue. That will be against the selfish motivation of those that voted them in and now believe the triad should be their puppets.

This is what I know from viewing this with my own eyes. Prior to the 25% increase the Developer was building at fever pitch rate. Businesses were being built all over the place, so without the 25% everything was pretty much as it had been. Nothing appeared to have slowed things down and there was no shortfall of money in Sumter County as the tax base was continually increasing. My only thought is the Developer needed the extra revenue not for infrastructure but to continue to buy large swathes of land for future development and have the taxpayer pay for it. Maybe all wrong but just my thought on the matter.

[Annie66]

I have sent Mr. Estep an email asking him to lay out the background and his current thinking on the impact fee and property taxes. I requested he make it a personal statement to all of his constituents to help clear the air. I hope he takes the time to lay out the background and the balancing of priorities allowing a rollback of some or all of the 25% tax increase. We'll see if he comes through with my request.

[Barb.callow]

Me, too! 🦩

[fastboat]

Proving once again that the developer didn't really have to flip 3 commissioners, just one. And it was so much cheaper than buying all 3 new ones.

[Dond1959]

I read all the comments. If you think tax dollars are funding a private developers purchase of land, all I can say is wow.

For those saying roll back the entire 25% read Wilson’s comment. It is not happening.

For those who say the 25% increase only helped those south of 44, did you have a memory lapse and not remember Morse and Buena Vista being repaved or the additional police and fire protection?

If you increase the impact fee 100% or 150% (to the max allowed by state law) you will slow down ALL growth, not just the developer, and that will have an impact on ALL of residents in the county. If you want to be Thelma and Louise and drive off the cliff, go ahead.

You put in at least two commissioners who ran as republicans but were truly democrats. At least the third had the brain to slow the car down before it heads off the cliff.

There are basic economic principles going on and saying it will have no impact is just not sound economics. Don’t believe me, how about listening to all the business leaders including the CEO of UF health.

We got a pretty good thing going here in the county, but if you want the cliff awaits.

[Kgcetm]

Thank you.

[donassaid]

Very well laid out and right on the money.

[merrymini]

These new people were voted in to break a preconceived cycle of control. You elect new people based on their ideal public positions. When they arrive, they obviously have to deal with reality. I did not realize that two of the three were democrats before running as republicans. If residents are alarmed at a 25 percent increase, why wouldn’t others impacted not be alarmed at a 100 percent increase? Politicians proving, on a continuous basis that they are dirtbags on a national and local level.