Originally Posted by Dond1959 (Post 1914163)

So if you increase the fees by 150% as allowed by state law all of those 80 items are raised by 150%. For example, the UF hospital and research facility will go from a $1 million dollar fee to over $3 million.

Originally Posted by Garwood1 (Post 1914168)

There was a compromise that was instantly turned down was there not ?

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 1914112)

If $4,000 will make a difference in being able to afford a home then you already cannot afford it. Living paycheck to paycheck BY CHOICE is foolish. Taking out a loan that leaves you no money for savings at the end of the month is foolish. Purchasing a house that requires a loan that leaves you no money for savings at the end of the month is foolish.

Who did NOT see a 25% increase in the millage rate for Sumter County taxes? Who claimed the 25% increase was only for roads?

Growth causes an increase in the tax base which leads to increased revenue and pays for increased services. Discounted impact fees result in a deficit for every building erected - more growth = more building = more deficit.

Unless there is an argument that the 2019 impact fee study is faulty then let's stop arguing about increasing the impact fee and start talking about whether the County can continue to support a 60% discount of the impact fee. When Publix ends a by-one-get-one sale it is not accurate to say they raised prices when they really only stopped a discount. The County isn't proposing to raise the impact fee above what the 2019 study found was fair, they are proposing to reduce the discount that has been in place for some time now.

Reducing the discount to zero will probably not work. Keeping the discount at 60% is not working today. Raising ridiculous arguments and spewing false information is making it impossible to have the conversations necessary to come to a mutually undesirable but workable solution.

Originally Posted by xkeowner (Post 1914188)

I am certainly not a math professor, but I am reasonably certain $1 million increased by 150% is not $3 million. This sensationalism cause me to question the validity of the remaining assertions in this post.

Originally Posted by Velvet (Post 1914251)

People who do not benefit are required to subsidized other people. So basically - forced charity. And continuously. This is not going to go away.

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 1914258)

While part of the 25% increase might cover the impact fee discount, as other have pointed out, not all of it does. Reducing the discount might shave a few percent but certainly not all.

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 1914258)

I didn't miss that at all as you can see in my post. More growth will lead to more deficit that must be made up by the County and therefore the taxpayers.

"Perceived" is a good word to use. There are very few who will perceive their taxation as being fair. As a childless couple, we could perceive that it is an injustice for us to pay any school taxes - we don't directly benefit from those taxes at all. The argument is the schools benefit society and us as part of that society. I don't agree that I get *that* much benefit from the money I paid but it's a reasonable argument.

The cost of infrastructure is astronomical and it is unlikely that any business would be able to pay that cost. However, we want Costcos and Burger Kings and car washes and hospitals in our area. Someone has to pay for the infrastructure but if Burger King added a whopper of a price increase on their Whopper in order to pay then they would go out of business. If the businesses can't afford to pay then it has to be we who benefit from those businesses.

While part of the 25% increase might cover the impact fee discount, as other have pointed out, not all of it does. Reducing the discount might shave a few percent but certainly not all.

There should be room for compromise.

Originally Posted by Dond1959 (Post 1914255)

The numbers are not exact, it was around $1.5 million and over $3 million. The point is it is NOT just homes, it is all kinds of businesses. Again, go to Don Wiley’s YouTube channel. He has done the work to show how much various types of businesses will be charged under a 150% increase. I also hope for a compromise that doesn’t hit all new commercial building. But the commissioners have shown no willingness to compromise. Remember, the Villages is doubling the number of homes with all the new homes south of 44. If you don’t think those people will head north of 44 for all their needs you are dreaming.

Originally Posted by tophcfa (Post 1914277)

The fee for new businesses is a relatively small one time fee. The 25% property tax increase is in perpetuity for the county residents, and becomes the new tax base that future increases compound upon. What is continuously ignored is the stress that the 25% tax increase put on many existing residents, taking away from their disposable income that could otherwise be spent supporting the business going forward. There are clearly two sides to the story, and a reasonable compromise needs to be reached somewhere in the middle.

Originally Posted by Velvet (Post 1914251)

People who do not benefit are required to subsidized other people. So basically - forced charity. And continuously. This is not going to go away.

Originally Posted by tophcfa (Post 1914277)

The fee for new businesses is a relatively small one time fee. The 25% property tax increase is in perpetuity for the county residents, and becomes the new tax base that future increases compound upon. What is continuously ignored is the stress that the 25% tax increase put on many existing residents, taking away from their disposable income that could otherwise be spent supporting the business going forward. There are clearly two sides to the story, and a reasonable compromise needs to be reached somewhere in the middle.

Originally Posted by Dond1959 (Post 1914335)

Did you look at the Don Wiley video? Of course not, can’t be bothered by facts. These will not be small fees. They will be large fees on all businesses. From the gas station to the grocery store and beyond. These fees will impact growth and revenues for the county. The 3 commissioners you guys elected are winging it and not listening to any of their advisors who say this will hurt the county. I know, you just want to screw the developer. They have billions and will not be hurt by this. In the long run if this is passed it will impact revenues for the county and then you will be asked to pay more in property taxes to make up for the deficit. You are digging your own grave, do you want an extra shovel?