[kappy]

Asking the current Commissioners to roll back the salary increase voted on by the previous Commissioners is such a narrow-minded view of the entire situation. How petty can you get? The 25% tax increase on all homeowners in Sumter County in 2019 was just wrong. Three new Commissioners committed to roll that tax back. Now is time for action. Honor your commitment. If you recall, during the public meetings where the tax was ready to be enacted, the five Commissioners heard hours of arguments against the increase. Did they actually give any response to the audience during those meetings? No, they just turned around and voted unanimously for the increase. That increase can be rolled back if the three new commissioners have the courage of their convictions. Don’t wait until July. Do it Now!

[Magic19]

AMEN..........brother

[BiPartisan]

Originally Posted by MIskra

I am going to respectfully correct you. You are wrong. In the January 12th Commissioner Meeting, which I attended, the commissioners said that it is against the law for the county to disproportionally target a single business, or category of businesses, and impose impact fee increases on just them. As much as many of us would like to impose the increased fee only on The Villages Developer, their proposed increase would impact ALL new construction (they are proposing an increase of 150%). That includes new commercial, industrial, manufacturing, medical, and housing (retirement and non-retirement homes). There is a legitimate concern that this significant increase will stagnate the county's economy. There was an assumption by taxpayers in the last election that simply was not true. I applaud the commissioners who voted to put this on hold so that they can do their due diligence research. In the long term, it will be impossible to shift the tax burden away from residential property owners if anti-business fees keep businesses from investing here.

Thank you for your comment and clarification given at the meeting. Unfortunately I do not agree with their assessment. Florida law allows the County to impose a less fee specifically for Retirement or age restricted communities. It is not mandatory so all they would be doing is eliminating the special category and associated reduction and charge the full amount that non retirement/age restricted pay for the impact fees. Otherwise don't increase the fees for just one group, but eliminate that special category completely, it was optional to add it in the first place.
Just my opinion.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by BiPartisan

Thank you for your comment and clarification given at the meeting. Unfortunately I do not agree with their assessment. Florida law allows the County to impose a less fee specifically for Retirement or age restricted communities. It is not mandatory so all they would be doing is eliminating the special category and associated reduction and charge the full amount that non retirement/age restricted pay for the impact fees. Otherwise don't increase the fees for just one group, but eliminate that special category completely, it was optional to add it in the first place.
Just my opinion.

Yeah that was my take-away: that the 150% increase is the RESULT of eliminating discounts for developers of retirement/age-restricted properties. They weren't imposing a 150% increase on all development.

[MIskra]

Originally Posted by BiPartisan

Thank you for your comment and clarification given at the meeting. Unfortunately I do not agree with their assessment. Florida law allows the County to impose a less fee specifically for Retirement or age restricted communities. It is not mandatory so all they would be doing is eliminating the special category and associated reduction and charge the full amount that non retirement/age restricted pay for the impact fees. Otherwise don't increase the fees for just one group, but eliminate that special category completely, it was optional to add it in the first place.
Just my opinion.

My interpretation of what was said at the meeting is that the fees are currently discounted for all categories, not just the category of "Retirement Community" (applying a discount to just one category would have also been against the law). I believe that the intent of the discount was to encourage business and residential growth (including affordable housing for non-retirement homes). At the meeting, they did not talk about eliminating the category of "Retirement Community" but perhaps doing so might not be justifiable in court from developers of all Retirement Communities (I am aware of one other Retirement Community in South Sumter, but there might be more). The link to the Road Impact Study: https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/Agend...5?fileID=35688 The chart on page 25 (Table 8) shows that compared to nearby counties, Sumter's road impact fees are about the same, or higher (with the exception of Pasco).

[Aloha1]

Originally Posted by kappy

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!”

Oh, please. It isn't just about homes. Read the comments from small business owners. Tens of thousands of dollars of extra tax just to open up. Way to kill our lifestyle.

[Advogado]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

Oh, please. It isn't just about homes. Read the comments from small business owners. Tens of thousands of dollars; of extra tax just to open up. Way to kill our lifestyle.

Existing businesses and new businesses moving into existing buildings are unaffected by impact fees, and everybody pays lower property taxes. Research the matter and you will see the counties with higher impact fees do just fine.

Anyway, this whole issue SHOULD have been decided with the election of the EMS team. Your argument lost by a 2 to 1 vote. What is going on now is a carefully orchestrated attempt by the Developer to undo the election.

[Aloha1]

Originally Posted by Advogado

Existing businesses and new businesses moving into existing buildings are unaffected by impact fees, and everybody pays lower property taxes. Research the matter and you will see the counties with higher impact fees do just fine.

Anyway, this whole issue SHOULD have been decided with the election of the EMS team. Your argument lost by a 2 to 1 vote. What is going on now is a carefully orchestrated attempt by the Developer to undo the election.

You got yours but the rest of us get nothing? We're talking about new and different businesses coming here. Why would they if the cost to build is onerous? You got on your high horse about this and it's getting old.

Imagine if there were NO impact fee law in FL. Guess where the money for all the needs of the County would come from. YOU, by way of higher taxes. That's how it's done in most States. Please stop with the conspiracy theories. The Villages is the best thing that ever happened to Sumter County.

[village dreamer]

Originally Posted by Northerner52

Why doesn't Sumter issue bonds to pay for the road costs that will be paid for by the increase property taxes on the new future homes?

no just add the cost to all new house bonds, whats another grand or two?

[BiPartisan]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

Oh, please. It isn't just about homes. Read the comments from small business owners. Tens of thousands of dollars of extra tax just to open up. Way to kill our lifestyle.

Impact fees do not affect small business. They are assessed on new construction only, the damage to small business is the annual taxes. I don't know how this became a small business issue, they very seldom construct their own building. If they rent, the increase in property tax is an issue.

[BiPartisan]

[QUOTE=dewilson58;1888353]To frame this up.......is this the math???.....round numbers......


25% tax increase generated ~$50,000,000 per year.
Let's say there are 2,000 new homes built per year.


That would tell me: It would take an additional $1,000 impact fee to reduce the tax rates 1 out of the 25%.


So if the Impact Fee would increase to $3,000.............county taxes could be reduced 3% to 4% out of the 25% increase (to be revenue neutral).



Perhaps based on the present tax base you are perhaps correct. But adding 100,000 new homes at an average of $3000 in annual property tax the new base is increased by $300,000,000. Not to include the increase in sales tax and gas tax... Also, the development is not just residential, there is a lot of new commercial as well.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Businesses moving into the buildings built by the Morse Family, are not buying the properties. They're renting them. Impact fees will likely be built into their rent. The Morse Family still owns those buildings.

[BiPartisan]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

Oh, please. It isn't just about homes. Read the comments from small business owners. Tens of thousands of dollars of extra tax just to open up. Way to kill our lifestyle.

Sorry to ask, but I don't understand how it costs small business tens of thousands of dollars to open..? Extra tax? Where, impact fees are for construction of new facilities, as I said before, small business very seldom build there own facilities, they rent.... I don't understand your concern. Where is the additional cost?

[Aloha1]

Originally Posted by BiPartisan

Impact fees do not affect small business. They are assessed on new construction only, the damage to small business is the annual taxes. I don't know how this became a small business issue, they very seldom construct their own building. If they rent, the increase in property tax is an issue.

If indeed, a small business leases instead of building, how do you think the builder recoups his cost? Higher lease costs, which may make that small business financially unable to afford the lease. And yes, higher taxes which the small business pays, not the builder. Enjoy your cheap sandwich while you can.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Aloha1

If indeed, a small business leases instead of building, how do you think the builder recoups his cost? Higher lease costs, which may make that small business financially unable to afford the lease. And yes, higher taxes which the small business pays, not the builder. Enjoy your cheap sandwich while you can.

And again, existing businesses will not be affected by increasing the impact fee UNLESS it is accompanied by a decrease in the property tax which would only make my sandwich even cheaper.

Yes, an existing business desiring to open a new location would pay more at the new location. It would remain to be seen whether higher costs at a new location would lead to increased prices at an existing location.