Manatee commission to consider reinstating school impact fees

MANATEE -- Manatee County School District could get another revenue source to fund the construction of new schools and other capital improvements on Thursday.

School impact fees, which were suspended in 2009, may be reinstated by the Manatee County Commission during Thursday's Land Use meeting. The commission will consider the item at 9:15 a.m. in the first floor commission chambers in the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

At a Dec. 10 meeting, the planning commission found the Educational Facilities Impact Fee Update Ordinance consistent with the county's comprehensive plan. The school board approved a resolution in November asking the county to implement school impact fees over a three-year period, asking for a 50 percent collection rate the first year, rising to 75 percent the second year and going to 100 percent the third year. If voters approve a sales tax extension for the school district, then impact fee rates would drop back to 50 percent. If approved Thursday, the school impact fees will begin April 18 along with an increase in county impact fees.

School impact fees are collected on new residential development for the construction of new schools and related facilities.

TischlerBise of Bethesda, Md., which did an impact fee study for the county and school district, recommended the following school impact fees for new homes, which are included in Thursday's agenda materials as:

$6,848 for a duplex or townhouse.

$6,475 for a single family home.

$3,525 for a multifamily or other style home.

$1,478 for a mobile home.

The county commission will have the final say whether to adopt the fee as recommended by the school board or adopt the fees at a different amount. If the county commission has an opinion different than what the school board recommended, it doesn't have to go back before the school board, Bill Clague, assistant county attorney, has said. Some planning commissioners said at the Dec. 10 meeting that they think school impact fees should be phased in the same as the county impact fees: at 80 percent the first year, then 90 percent the second, going to 100 percent the third year.

According to the TischlerBise study, "projections indicate need for significantly more student seats," which approximately equals four new elementary schools, one new middle school and one new high school.

"Based on forecasts in the Manatee County Comprehensive Plan, new growth and development in the county are expected to continue into the foreseeable future, placing ever-increasing demands on educational facilities of the Manatee County School Board, requiring expansion of these Educational Facilities to accommodate new growth and development," the ordinance being considered for approval reads.

Multiple public comment emails attached to Thursday's meeting agenda all relayed the exact same message to the commission.

"We support the re-implementation of impact fees to support public education in Manatee County," the message reads. "However, we encourage the County Commission to ask the School Board of Manatee County for assurances that any funds generated through the impact fees shall be used for the benefit of all public school students including those at charter schools. To that end, the School Board should plan to develop policies and procedures to make that happen."

Some developers and representatives from the building industry spoke at recent school board meetings asking for other options to be considered first. When the matter went before the planning commission, no developers or representatives from the building community spoke during the meeting.

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Manatee commission to consider reinstating school impact fees ."