Originally Posted by Advogado (Post 1889929)

In any event, the issue of replacing the 25% tax hike with reasonable impact fees was decided in the last election by a 2-to-1 margin. We wouldn't be reexamining the issue now if Mr. Estep had not reneged on his campaign pledge.

Originally Posted by tophcfa (Post 1889932)

Well than, that begs the obvious question. Why do they go to such painstaking measures to control the governing bodies to insure that passing on impact fees will not be an issue, among other things?

Originally Posted by biker1 (Post 1889948)

You can choose to believe that voting for those specific candidates was a guarantee that the 25% increase in the County Tax millage rate would be rolled back in favor of the equivalent impact fee but it is not reasonable to do so. It was a campaign promise that they may or may not be able to keep.

Originally Posted by Advogado (Post 1890050)

No, it was a campaign promise that can easily be kept. How can you seriously argue to the contrary?

True, whether 100% REPEAL of the property tax hike is possible (maybe even more) can only be calculated once an impact study on infrastructure besides roads is completed. But there is absolutely no doubt that a ROLLBACK is possible simply by ending the sweetheart road impact fee-- raising it from 40% to 100% of the amount calculated by the 2019 road-impact-fee study. Only Mr. Estep's joining with the Developer's puppets, Gilpin and Breeden, has prevented that from happening.

Again, this whole issue was already determined by a huge majority of the voters last year. Only Mr. Estep's succumbing to the Developer's effort to subvert the voters' will is causing it to be argued now.

Originally Posted by Bilyclub (Post 1890311)

I think some people forgot that the old board lowered the millage rate in 2020 by what they claimed to be 4%.

Originally Posted by Bilyclub (Post 1890311)

I think some people forgot that the old board lowered the millage rate in 2020 by what they claimed to be 4%. They were hoping that would appease the voters, it didn't work.
Sumter County's proposal would lower the millage rate from 6.7000 to 6.4309.

Originally Posted by jrandall (Post 1887478)

As a resident of Sumter County, I oppose the proposal by Oren Miller and Gary Search to raise road impact fees. Sumter County is a model for the State of Florida for Economic Growth and has been attracting business to it for the past several years. The proposed increase is outrageous! The increase will further decimate businesses impacted by the Pandemic and will make investing in Sumter County by potential incoming business less palatable and will likely steer many away. Also I am even more concerned that we may lose the potential for UF to build a hospital and medical facilities in the south which is definitely needed with our growth in population. The raising of the impact fees will damage our Community for years to come.

Originally Posted by Goldwingnut (Post 1889931)

These new county commissioners have promised something that they can't keep. The county is growing and there are services that are expected and go along with the increased population, which are they going to cut? Library hours? Police and fire service? the county services offices hours? wages? do any one of them have the backbone to make the hard and unpopular decisions? doubtful.

What exactly have they found now that they are in office that they can cut to recover the 25% increase? My guess is NOTHING! They are getting ready to go into the most shocking part of their new positions, the budget season, and the realities of operating a county of this size.

The budget process started tonight at their workshop. They were presented with information about county salaries for the workers. About a 4% increase across the board is proposed. All in about $2,200,000 increase in wages. This doesn't include any new hires, just increases for the current workers. Do they have the backbone to say no pay raises this year to the county workers? once again, doubtful. They can save 15% of the proposed increase in one quick and easy step, all they need do is forego their salaries and benefits, that'll save over $300K per year. Will they do that? keep dreaming!

The real test of their integrity will be in September when the final budget is decided, and the residents of Sumter County find out that they can't deliver on their rhetoric of the last two years; will they fortitude and the integrity to stand up at the board meeting and say to the public:
"We were wrong, we didn't know what we were talking about, we can't cut the budget."
Dream on!

Half of the 25% increase could have been given back in the most recent budget, but it wasn't, it was squandered by every department in the county with 10-20% budget increases that didn't exist in the previous year's 5-year proforma budget projections. They could have started setting money aside for upcoming maintenance and been prepared, instead of ignoring it like they did the previous 14 years. But nope, every department all of a sudden needed new computers, and tools, and other "stuff" since the money was there. The first rule of government budgeting is "if you have the money, spend it, don't give it back to the taxpayers".

As far as the South Sumter county resident expecting pools, town squares, and many of the other niceties that exist in The Villages, they are in for a shock, it's not going to happen, the county doesn't have the money for it. The county didn't build and provide all these nice things in The Villages, the residents did, by buying homes from the developer who invested of that money back into their development to make it what it is; the residents did when they paid their infrastructure bonds on every new home. The Villages isn't what it is because the county spent taxpayer money on these things, it is what it is because we, you, I and every other resident in The Villages invested our hard-earned money into it when we bought our homes. There're no free rides happening here. Each community must invest in itself if they want something better.

Originally Posted by biker1 (Post 1890070)

No, it was a campaign promise that they might be able to keep. No guarantees, not all promises are kept by politicians. As I have asked you before, provide the numbers to prove that this promise (a complete rollback of the 25% increase in the County Tax millage rate) can be kept. Also, no issue was determined by the election, with the possible exception of the fact that the voters appeared to be fed up with perceived arrogance of the incumbents. So, what is your exact point? That some rollback is possible or a complete rollback is possible? By your own admission, a study needs to be done. If this is true, how can the newly elected challengers have made a promise without that study? If the impact fees are not increased to allow for some minor rollback then I think you have a point and the newly elected challengers may not be reelected. I think we are in agreement with the exception of the fact that I allow for the possibility that what they promised they cannot deliver.