I think in all fairness when you weigh in on Sumter County Board issues you should declare who your husband is.

World famous economist Milton Friedman on taxes
‘“They are hidden through withholding, but they are also hidden by being imposed on business, supposedly on business, when really, of course, business can't pay taxes, only people can pay taxes.”

Is it worse that I am Miller’s wife than the developers own the Daily Fun?

I don’t know this person. 😊

“ To the Editor:

What a load of BS. Talk about state-controlled media. The Villages Daily Sun, owned, operated, and controlled by The Villages developer has sunk to new lows.
I don’t think you could see more one-sided reporting and attack propaganda media reporting in state-controlled Russia or China.
Wednesday’s “the world is coming to an end” article was so blatantly slanted and self serving, it was almost comical.
And then they doubled down in Thursday’s paper. Wow, complete arrogance. They obviously believe we are indeed that stupid. They had quotes from Villages officials, and of course all their business partners who contributed to the ousted commissioner’s campaigns and are now lining up to vilify the new commissioners, no doubt at the urging of the master.
“We the People” not the Developer or his loyal suck-ups, voted overwhelmingly to oust the previous yes men commissioners and their 25 percent tax increase (mine was 28 percent).
The new commissioners were elected to address this ridiculous increase and the equally ridiculous low impact fee the developer pays per housing unit. The owners of these new housing units and area businesses are the ones that will be using 95 percent of the new roads and infrastructure these impact fees pay for. And all these whining business leaders are going to continue to profit enormously from the new homes.
So why are the residents north of SR 44, and especially the residents north of 466 and 466A, who will rarely if ever use these roads being asked to foot the bill? Where the Hell was all the outrage from all these businesses we support when they raised our taxes? These two Daily Sun articles tell us over and over that “Tax Increases” will destroy the county and “cripple business growth.” Give me a break. Apparently, according to the Daily Sun and these business leaders, the current increase in impact fees is very bad, but the 25 percent increase on residents was very good. Talk about hypocrisy.
Why was this commission meeting so far south away from the voters most affected? It was very convenient to be so close to construction sites so all of those construction vehicles and pickup trucks could take up all the parking spaces. Gee, I wonder who could have coordinated all of that.
So now it’s clear the Developer has chosen to try to control and intimidate the newly elected commissioners through attacks using their newspaper and their loyal and wealthy business partners, as well as stacking commission meetings. When the “State” controls the press they will always use it to try to control and contain their opponents.
By the way, I have been here long enough to remember the substantial tax increase they wanted to fund the first hospital. It couldn’t possibly be built without the new tax the Daily Sun told us over and over. Well we voted the tax down and guess what, the hospital was built and doing quite well. Now we hear that the new hospital would be in jeopardy if we increase the impact fee. More BS, just like the rest of it.”

Luke Courtemanche
Village of Haciendas of Mission Hills

WOW! It Didn’t Take Long.
 

I just began reading this thread and after going through two pages, it became obvious to me what is happening. The same people who parked their dump trucks in the parking lot on Tuesday, have joined to spread the same fear that the paper is spreading. Doom and gloom? I doubt it. The $1458 increase in the impact fee of each new home will be passed on to the buyer of the new homes that the developer is building. Why? Because we live in a beautiful community and an additional $1500 will not stop anyone interested in TV from buying a home. Oh, businesses will no longer come to Sumter County, they declare. Wrong again, the businesses will continue to go where the population is. TV has been #1 in growth for the past 11 years. Do you honestly believe that $1500 per home is going to change that? If you do, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. Remember, an impact fee is a one time charge. A tax increase, unless reversed, is a charge EVERY year you own a house in Sumter County.

Send an email to the three Commissioners who were elected on a platform to roll back the 25% tax increase. Show them that their priority should be the voters of Sumter County. They had the courage to run for the office. They should have the courage to “do the right thing!”

Absolutely
 

No more subsidies for the Villages Developer!

I can’t remember the exact numbers but if you look at other developments through out the county and in Florida the villages pay a small amount compared to other developments. I remember this being brought up when they raised our real estate taxes.

Don’t Rely On The Daily Sun
 

As another poster noted, the original post by OP is little more than a repetition of the points cited in The Daily Sun. For those of you who are either new residents or haven’t noticed, The Daily Sun is little more than a megaphone for the Developer.

Without a legitimate newspaper in The Villages, that means you should do your own research on this subject or seek sources of information. With careful reading this site is a pretty good place to get the different points of view on the subject. But read the posts carefully. Discard short ‘pithy’ posts that don’t appear thoughtful. Read all sides of the question, all opinions. And don’t necessarily believe the statistics posted here unless they are well-referenced.

:bigbow:

OK, 68 posts so far, the majority of which seems to express the wish that "the developer" gets stuck with the impact fees. Reality check-----that will never happen. What happens is the price of the new homes go up by that amount. Period. And since even a full 2300/home is less than 1% of the sales price, it will not have a negative impact on sales.

New development requires new infrastructure, the debate is over who benefits and who pays. You might argue that "the developer" benefits, but they are only the middlemen. Impact fees are generally going to be paid by the buyer of a new home or business, the property tax by all property owners.

Some infrastructure (sewer, residential roads, water supply) are primarily of benefit to the new homeowner. Some infrastructure (bridges, tunnels, MMPs) benefit primarily Villagers. And some (shopping plazas, new employment) benefit non-villagers as well). So how to divide the cost?

Taxes? History shows that Sumter County had a high millage rate 20 years ago and later that tax was reduced. Why? Broader tax base. With 20,000 new homes planned south of 44 at about 3,000 tax/year, that's 60 million dollars in increased revenue for the county----AND THAT IS THE PRIMARY BENEFIT TO ALL COUNTY RESIDENTS. The "25% tax increase" can be quite temporary with those numbers.

Impact fees? That puts the burden on a much smaller segment of the population (new homeowners, NOT "the developer"). But then they would be subsidizing this huge increase in the tax base for everyone else in the county. And it would be a disincentive to new business.

Combination of both? Probably a formula could be worked out

I think it is naive to think "the developer" has organized this "vast conspiracy" to artificially keep impact fees low, since they won't be paying them anyway.

Local business
 

Impact fees are only going to effect new construction, not existing businesses. If the impact fees reduce new business moving into TV, a dubious claim, that will likely help existing businesses. Since most areas in Florida have impact fees, I think a good question is how do Sumter County’s impact fees compare to the existing fees in other counties the State? It only will drive way business if the fees are substantially higher than neighboring countries.

Google it, you will have your answer. :ohdear:

The silly three (and silly voters) have not figured out how to replace the $50mil/year if the 25% is rolled back.:shocked:

Not immediately, but as I posted above, the 60 million in increased tax base will cover it

The announced plans are actually for a bit more than 60,000 new homes south of 44. If the plans come to fruition, The Villages will essentially double in size over the next 25 years. On a slightly different subject, since about 80% of Sumter County is The Villages and the continued expansion will be primarily from retired folks without children, it makes me wonder what they do/will do with the school tax revenue.

I am a resident of Sumter County. I attended this meeting at the Everglades Rec Center. There were lots of residents in attendance. There was additional parking at the Publix next door to the rec center, so please don't believe Oren Miller's wife's claim that residents were not able to attend. One thing that the commissioners disclosed in this meeting is that the county cannot disproportionally target a single business, or category of businesses, and impose tax increases on just them. It’s against the law. We all need to accept the fact that every business in our county will be affected by raising road impact fees. It's not just about The Developer. It's not just about the Villages. The cost of building EVERYTHING will increase, as well as the cost of leasing any type of facility. It was heartbreaking to listen to the stress from all the hard-working young people who are scared as hell that the rug is going to be pulled out from under them. Even a guy who just makes T-shirts for a living. Put yourselves in their shoes. Remember how stressful it was when you were young and working to achieve your goals. Can you recall the anxiety that you felt when the success of your employer or small business was in jeopardy? All these increases will be passed on to you, the consumer, in everything that you purchase. Many businesses are still struggling to recover from COVID, and when they say that this could put them out of business, believe them. Our restaurants, retailers and grocery stores are at risk. Our small businesses and contractors are at risk. Our hospitals and medical clinics are at risk. Affordable housing for young families, working professionals, and retirees are at risk. This is a big deal.