Manatee County School Board wants school impact fees reinstated over developer protests

BRADENTON -- Almost a dozen local developers spoke out Tuesday against a proposal to reinstate fees on new home purchases to help the Manatee County School District handle new growth to no avail.

The Manatee County School Board unanimously passed a resolution asking the Manatee County Commission to reinstate school impact fees.

"We have to do something," board Chairman Bob Gause said.

As someone who works in the building industry, Gause said he doesn't like impact fees, but the resolution is necessary to help the district move forward.

"I know some people will be disappointed but we're trying to make the best decision that we can," board member Karen Carpenter said.

After a lengthy discussion, where most of the 15 community members spoke against the idea, the board voted 5-0 to send the county a resolution asking to reinstate the impact fees.

The request now goes to the county.

A delay on the resolution has put the school board on a separate timeline from the county reinstatement of impact fees. If the board had approved the resolution as originally scheduled Oct. 27, the school item would be on the Manatee County Planning Commission meeting agenda Thursday alongside the proposed county impact fee increases.

Board approval comes too late for Thursday's meeting. Bill Clague, assistant county attorney, said Tuesday the county would run a legal risk if school board impact fees did not go before the planning commission before going to the county commissioner for final approval. The next planning commission is Dec. 10.

When it comes to schools, impact fees can only be used to pay for growth and are only levied on new homeowners. Existing home sales are not affected by impact fees.

The board can use impact fee revenues to build new schools, expand existing schools where there is population growth or buy new buses to handle the increased student load.

TishlerBise of Bethesda, Md., which did an impact fee study for the county and school district, recommended the following school impact fees for new homes:

$6,415 for a duplex or townhouse;

$6,086 for a single family home;

$3,276 for a multifamily or other style home; and

$1,372 for a mobile home.

The board is asking the county to implement those figures over a three-year-period, asking for 50 percent collection rate the first year, rising to 75 percent the second year and going to 100 percent the third year.

The board amended the resolution to add a caveat. If voters approve sales tax extension for school district, then impact fee rate would drop back to 50 percent.

School board impact fees have been on a moratorium since 2009 when the economy tanked. Local developers and business owners have said the economy hasn't fully bounced back.

"We're just beginning to see the light in the economy," said Britt Williams, president of Bruce Williams Homes. "The economy has not completely recovered."

Local builders including Pat Neal, Jon Mast and Carlos Beruff, also urged the board to look at other options before reinstating what builders often call a "tax" on new homebuyers.

"You can call it a fee, but it's a tax," Beruff said, urging the board to hold the school district administration accountable and find inefficiencies in spending.

A number of retired community members urged the board to reinstate the taxes, saying the developers have gotten away without paying their fair share for far too long.

"It's all about the children. That's what we elect you for. That's what you tell us all the time," said Norm Nelson. "We ask you to represent all of us, not just the builders."

Former teacher Ed Goff said he was shocked when the moratorium went into place in 2009.

"I had never been in the school system where the school board turned down money," he said. "If you don't impose this impact fee, who is going to pay for these new schools? Who is going to pay that money? It's going to be the taxpayers and that's not fair."

Gause and board member Dave Miner said they didn't like the impact fees, but are worried about what would happen if the board did not reinstate impact fees.

The board could also extend the currents sales tax and look at increasing local school taxes, which requires voter approval. The board should stand behind Superintendent Diana Greene's proposal to reinstate impact fees, Miner said.

"I don't think this community is going to approve the additional sales tax, the additional millage if they don't feel that this school board is responsible enough or has the guts enough for this," Miner said.

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter@MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 11:21 PM with the headline "Manatee County School Board wants school impact fees reinstated over developer protests ."