Manatee County School Board may change course on impact fees, sales tax

BRADENTON -- After a discussion indicating the Manatee County School Board may reverse a controversial impact fee decision made late last year, the school board did not take action Tuesday.

"Since that day five months ago, this board and this district every day has lost a little bit more of the good faith of this community," board member Dave Miner said. "We have heard that tonight."

Miner wanted the board to vote on the issue but the rest of the board members were not comfortable with that.

"This has been advertised for a week now as a discussion," board Chairwoman Karen Carpenter said.

Charlie Kennedy said he was leaning toward a solution to remove the caveat, but he did not want to vote Tuesday. He said he's heard good arguments against the board's previous decision.

"It is a powerful, powerful argument," Kennedy said.

Board member John Colon said his priority was passing the half-cent sales tax in November to fully fund what Manatee County School District needs to do to help students.

"I'm in favor of what's going to help our students, our staff," he said.

Carpenter said the district needs to focus on the half-cent sales tax because that's where the most flexible money is. Carpenter said she doesn't know yet how she would vote if removing the caveat came back before the board.

The board sent a resolution to Manatee County commissioners in November, asking them to reinstate school-based impact fees based on a state-mandated study that helped calculate what can be collected on new developments. School impact fees are used to help handle growth in the county, including building new schools, buying new buses or adding on to existing schools.

Superintendent Diana Greene recommended a three-year implementation schedule, collecting 50 percent of the maximum allowed impact fees the first year, 75 percent of the maximum allowed the second year and 100 percent of the maximum allowed in the third year and onward.

The board added a caveat, saying if the community voted to extend an existing half-cent sales tax in the county, the impact fee collection rate would drop back to 50 percent.

The sales tax sunsets in 2017 and, although the board has yet to pass a resolution, it is expected voters will take action on the extension this November. Sales tax money brings in more revenue for the district and can be used on more projects than impact fees.

The Manatee County Commission approved the school board resolution with that caveat, but many commissioners questioned why the board chose to link impact fees and the sales taxes. The issue has continued to arise since the vote.

Norm Nelson, a citizen who frequently attends board meetings, has spoken on the impact fee caveat since the November meeting, calling the board traitors and saying they sold out to developers.

"You're failing to give us the money the superintendent asked for and that the superintendent said she needs," Nelson said.

The school board has not yet formally passed a resolution to put the renewal of the half-cent sales tax on the ballot in November. The sales tax expires at the end of 2017. The board would have a question on the November 2016 ballot or could pay for a special election later on.

Board member Bob Gause missed the meeting because he was sick.

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

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 11:25 PM with the headline "Manatee County School Board may change course on impact fees, sales tax ."