INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — After a public hearing regarding an ordinance that would temporarily extend the waiver of three impact fees for one year or until the current impact fee review is complete, a motion to approve the extension passed 4-1, with Commissioner Bob Solari dissenting.
Director of Community Development Stan Boling presented his staff’s recommendation to temporarily extend the suspension of the impact fees for the betterment of economic development.
The ordinance applies to three impact fees including correctional facilities, public buildings, and solid waste facilities. Suspension of each of the impact fees was extended for the first time on April 1, 2011 until March 31, 2012, when the Board voted for an additional two year extension that would have ended on March 31, 2014.
Solari said his concern is the motivation for reducing or eliminating the fees.
“I don’t believe you should use [impact fees] as an economic development tool,” Solari said.
Commissioner Wesley Davis responded to Solari saying, “a fee is a tax and a tax is a fee.”
After the ordinance passed, Bolin suggested the Board vote to separate out the new schedule of non-residential impact fees for consideration as soon as possible. The Board voted unanimously to approve the separation, allowing consideration of the new impact fees to take place as early as April 22.
“The fees for almost every non-residential category will be going down,” Bolin said.
Both measures were supported by real estate developers and real estate attorneys who rose to the podium to speak, citing that the policies would encourage development.
Staff Reporter Lisa Zahner contributed to this article.
