BikeWalkLee letter to commissioners opposing further reductions in impact fees

Background: On Tuesday (June 14th) the County Commission will consider reductions in impact fees. While the County staff is recommending that the Commission approve an ordinance that would reduce the impact fees by 27% to reflect updated cost and other information, the Horizon Council and others are calling for "suspension" of all impact fees. BikeWalkLee supports the County staff recommendation and opposes any further reduction. Below is the letter we sent to BoCC re: impact fees.

Make your voices heard. Come to the public hearing on Tuesday, June 14th at 5:00 p.m. in the County Commission chambers in the old County Courthouse (2120 SW Main Street, Fort Myers). This is the first item up. If you’re interested in speaking, you fill out a card (on table by the door) and give it to Chairman Mann before the meeting starts at 5:00 p.m.

Click here to read BikeWalkLee's Letter.

Here's an excerpt from our letter:
" Road impact fees are a major source of funds for bike-ped improvements, and any reduction will have an adverse impact on the county’s ability to implement its complete streets initiative and the recently adopted countywide bicycle pedestrian master plan. Road impact fees require new developments to pay a proportionate share of the infrastructure costs they will impose on the community. If developers don’t pay these fair and equitable costs, it means that the infrastructure costs of that development are borne by the all property owners in Lee County. Given the county’s serious budget crisis and the commissioners’ desire not to raise property taxes, it makes no sense to eliminate a revenue source that is helping cover the real costs of development which create demand for transportation infrastructure."

Click here to read the full letter.

Click here to see the BoCC agenda.

To read the County's "blue sheet" background memo, click here.

Post-script 6/15/11:
At the public hearing on 6/14, the Board voted 4-0 to adopt the staff recommendation, as supported by BikeWalkLee. It resisted the calls for further reduction or suspension of the impact fees. Thanks to the BWL'ers who came & spoke at the hearing. We are making a difference.