Sarasota News Leader

01/18/2013

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TAKING THE LONG VIEW A 2011 county report on impact fees shows a section of North Cattlemen Road under construction at Nathan Benderson Park off University Parkway. The road is scheduled to be completed early this year. Photo courtesy Sarasota County THE COUNTY COMMISSION THIS WEEK LOCKS IN REDUCED ROAD IMPACT FEES FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS By Cooper Levey-Baker Associate Editor The Sarasota County Commission voted Wednesday, Jan. 16, to lock in reduced impact fee rates for another two years, bypassing a staff recommendation to extend the reduction only till July. industry, reeling since the real estate collapse, a "stimulus," a word used by Commissioner Nora Patterson Wednesday. But a spreadsheet error by Transportation Director Clarke Davis late last month forced staff to request a sixmonth extension of the temporary reduction The commission this month originally wanted while employees verified the new numbers. to review and approve a completely new im- Davis resigned shortly after the mistake was pact fee rate schedule, fleshed out with "the revealed. most recent and localized data," per state law. Road impact fees are the charges billed to de- Harriott told the board Wednesday that the velopers to offset increased stress placed on corrected rate schedule would be completed county resources by new construction. Impact as early as next week and would then be prefees accounted for $3.5 million in revenue in sented to the construction industry for feedback. Staffers had asked for the six-month 2012, according to County Engineer James K. extension to give the county time to alert muHarriott Jr. nicipalities about the new numbers, and to adThe board slashed the fees by 50 percent two vertise the public hearing at which the new years ago in an effort to give the construction rates would, hopefully, be approved.

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