In a test of home rule in the aftermath of the dismantling of Florida’s Growth Management Act, the Manatee County Commission demonstrated its ability to make responsible decisions about the future. By a unanimous vote, commissioners raised impact fees after giving builders and home buyers a two-year break as a measure to stimulate the hard-hit construction industry and the overall economy.
And developers and homebuilders did not protest, remaining quiet during the meeting -- a good sign of cooperation and a commitment to the community. Plus, builders noted that the new fees are reasonable and the justification well documented. According to the county’s consulting firm, the fees are based on a “direct connection between the amount of the fee and the amount of the impact” using local data.
Still, the county’s impact fee schedule will not be as high as two years ago. In the past, developers cried foul over the punishing fees, which drove some businesses into neighboring counties or completely away.
The new money should ease the angst of critics who contend all taxpayers will be on the hook for the costs associated with growth without impact fees. Now the county will be able to bank the fees to pay for roads, parks and other infrastructure as well as law enforcement and other costs connected to growth. Those fees also apply to shopping centers and other commercial development along with churches and private schools.
The impact fee dedicated to schools remains suspended, though that was not without dissension among commissioners. The 5-2 vote shows concern about future enrollment increases and school construction, but district officials might consider school closures and consolidation should this year’s student population fall below expectations. Once enrollment figures become available in the fall, the district will determine whether to pursue that course of action as a budget-cutting measure for the 2012-2013 school year.
The demise of the Growth Management Act ended state oversight of local residential and commercial development. That drawn-out, laborious approval process tied up business with costly delays unlike other states with streamlined procedures.
This competitive disadvantage was all too apparent during the recession. As Ryan Houck of Free Market Florida points out, neither Texas nor Georgia have complex growth regulations and both weathered the economic downturn far better than California and Florida, both with massive bureaucracies that strangle development and both mired in the foreclosure crisis.
The Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott paved the way for home rule to lead the way on growth. Local governments know their communities best, unlike someone in Tallahassee. Smart growth depends on astute elected officials. The Manatee County Commission passed this test.
