Manatee County Commission votes to reinstate impact fees to help build new schools

BRADENTON -- School impact fees will be collected in April for the first time since 2009 after Manatee County Commission voted 5-2 on Thursday to allow the Manate Conty School Board to reinstate them.

School impact fees are collected on new residential development, and can only be used for projects related to building new schools and handling new growth in the school system. School impact fees have not been collected since the economic downturn in 2009. With an uptick in building and rise in student enrollment the school district is looking for new ways to pay for growth. Impact fees are only collected on new homes built and bought in the county, not existing homes.

The commission ultimately followed a recommendation from the school board. For the first year impact fees will be collected at 50 percent of the maximum allowed rate as calculated by an indepen

dent company that completed a study. In the second year, impact fees will be collected at 75 percent of the maximum allowed rate, and in the third year, impact fees will be collected at 100 percent.

The school board also attached a caveat and many commissioners said they wish it had not been included. If at any point, voters in Manatee County approve extending the half-penny sales tax, the collection rate for school impact fees will drop back down to 50 percent. The sales tax will sunset in 2017 and is likely to be included as a referendum on the November 2016 ballot.

Tying of the two together prompted Commissioner Charles Smith to say he could not vote "yes" on the referendum. Commissioner Robin DiSabatino also voted "no." "I just think that really complicates the issue," DiSabatino said. "I can't support it as written because of tying it into the referendum."

The remaining five commissioners voted "yes" to approve the recommendation as presented, with many saying it was not their place to question the reasoning of the school board and why the school board set up the resolution the way it did.

"That's their decision," said commission chairwoman Vanessa Baugh "It is not up to me to second guess the elected school board members who were voted by the people."

School Board members Karen Carpenter and Charlie Kennedy attended the meeting, along with a number of district employees. After the meeting, Carpenter said she was pleased with the vote.

"I think the decision was reasonable and we'll move forward to try to do the best we can to earn and deserve the support of the public," she said.

The school board and the county commission have to work together on the reinstatement, because the school board has no authority to collect impact fees.

In December, the county commission approved increases to county related impact fees, and added a library impact fee and an administrative impact fee. That was also a 5-2 vote, with Commissioner Betsy Benac and Baugh voting against the county impact fees. The county impact fee increases will take effect at a rate of 80 percent collection the first year, 90 percent collection the second year and hit 100 percent of the recommended increase the third year.

Although no developers spoke before the county commission on Thursday, they have previously voiced their opposition to impact fees -- which they call taxes -- to both the county commission and the school board. Developers have said the impact fees are unfair and that they will be detrimental to the economy. Developers have called into question the methodology and the results of the study completed by the company TischlerBise.

Members of the public who spoke before the commission asked the commissioners to reinstate impact fees fully, instead of at the gradual increase that was ultimately adopted.

"I believe it ought to be 100 percent. That's what the study says," said Norm Nelson, a retired Manatee County resident who has taken a keen interest in the school district. "Nobody ought to get something free."

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

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 11:56 PM with the headline "Manatee County Commission votes to reinstate impact fees to help build new schools ."