FY 2015-16 Budget Process
The next important date is June 16th, when the Board will hold a workshop (no public comment allowed) to discuss the draft FY 2015-16 budget. This document should be made available to the public prior to the 6/16 workshop. The Board will set the millage rate on August 4th, and then hold a second budget workshop (again no public comment allowed) on the final draft budget on August 18th. The two formal public hearings on the budget (required by state law) will be held on Sept. 9th and Sept. 23rd. Prior to that, the only opportunity for public comment on the draft budget will be at the regular BoCC meetings on Aug. 4th and 18th (at the end of those meetings under either "Public Presentation of Matters by Citizens" or "Public Comment on Work Session" agenda items). The public can always communicate its views to Board members in letters, phone calls, and meetings throughout the process.
John Manning: dist1@leegov.com, 533-2224
Cecil Pendergrass: dist2@leegov.com, 533-2227
Larry Kiker: dist3@leegov.com, 533-2223
Brian Hamman: dist4@leegov.com, 533-2226
Frank Mann: dist5@leegov.com, 533-2225
May
29, 2015
Dear
Commissioners:
BikeWalkLee, a coalition working to complete Lee County's streets, works for a balanced multi-modal transportation system that values transportation choice, connectivity, economic opportunity, livable communities, community character, safety, and quality growth.
BikeWalkLee, a coalition working to complete Lee County's streets, works for a balanced multi-modal transportation system that values transportation choice, connectivity, economic opportunity, livable communities, community character, safety, and quality growth.
On
June 2, you will be considering staff's "growth increment funding"
proposal, and BikeWalkLee would like to communicate its views in advance of
your deliberations. Those views are:
- If the Board plans to use some of next year's general fund budget for transportation, a significant portion of these funds should be dedicated to bike/ped retrofit projects and transit funding.
- All road projects in the CIP should be designed with a complete streets approach in an effort to improve the safety for all road users.
- Finally, we recommend that you act now to restore impact fees to the 100% rate.
The
Board is being asked to provide policy direction for development of this year's
draft continuation budget. The staff's
"growth increment funding" proposal is simply a methodology for
arriving at a dollar amount to earmark in the budget process from general fund
(which comes from property taxes) for infrastructure projects. In reality, this proposal is simply filling
the hole created by the loss of impact fee revenues. The proposal shows $7.9 million being
earmarked for that purpose next year--filling the estimated $7 million/year
hole created by your 55% reduction in road and park impact fees collection
rates.
As
we stated throughout the impact fee debate, we supported the county's 25-year
policy that growth should pay for growth and warned that if developers were not
charged the full cost of the infrastructure necessitated by that development,
the taxpayers would be picking up the tab.
Your proposal makes that scenario a reality-- the shortfall in impact
fee revenues would now be paid for with property taxes.
BikeWalkLee
agrees that additional funds are needed to implement multi-modal transportation
projects and retrofit dangerous conditions for users. We also believe that, in
some instances, the general fund is appropriate for these purposes. For example, a $2 million/year allocation
would allow the Board to fully fund the recent BPAC request for stand-alone
bike/ped retrofit projects to attack the extensive backlog of 85 approved and
prioritized projects (totaling $68 million).
Lee County ranks as one of the most dangerous areas in the country for
pedestrians and cyclists and it's important that our elected officials take
actions to make our roads safer.
For
the past four years, we have been highlighting the new fiscal realities in the
transportation world--the transportation funding of the past has been reduced
at all level of government and isn't coming back. Given this new reality, local governments
must figure out how to maximize their local revenues for transportation and
best invest these dollars to maximize the benefits.
Unfortunately,
during the impact fee debates over the past two years, the Board ignored this
fiscal reality and drastically cut impact fees. Impact fees are one of the
three main sources for transportation funding in Lee County--the other two
(almost equal) sources are tolls and gas taxes.
When we pointed out that the out-year costs of the Board's approved 5-year
transportation CIP was significantly underfunded, the response was that
"the CIP is balanced" so these road impact fee dollars were not
needed. It's regrettable that the truth
about the transportation funding needs was not part of the impact fee debate so
that the consequences of forgoing these revenues could have been considered
before the decision was made to continue a significant reduction in collection
of the full costs of public infrastructure investments necessitated by new
development. For road impact fees alone,
the 5-year loss due to the Board's policy decisions is an estimated $33
million.
The
"growth increment funding" proposal does nothing to address the
larger transportation funding deficit, which staff estimates to be $400
million. The only reasonable next step
to address this shortfall would be to restore the impact fees to the 100%
collection rate. While these two steps
(the incremental growth proposal and restoring impact fees to 100%) will clearly
not fully fund the transportation deficit, it would put the county on a path to
a longer term solution. The reality is there are no additional federal or state
funds that are going to come bail us out, as Commissioner Kiker suggested at
the March 19th BoCC workshop. The
federal Highway Trust Fund is broken and Congress has clearly demonstrated it
is not capable of addressing our nation's infrastructure funding crisis. Likewise, Gov. Scott has made it clear that
he's not planning to raise revenues to deal with the state's transportation
funding needs, as some other states have done.
So, that leaves it up to each community to find ways to address this
problem-- by astutely maintaining available local revenues and by spending
those revenues as smartly and cost-effectively as possible. The only fiscally responsible approach is to
equitably maximize the revenue sources available to the county.
A
missing piece in this discussion is the other important part of the
transportation system--transit. To increase the economic competitiveness of Lee
County, reduce overall transportation costs, and increase our quality of life,
we need a healthy transit system. Research
shows that you can't build your way out of congestion, i.e. more road lanes
brings induced demand, putting more cars on the road. A multi-modal system is the only viable
option to save money in infrastructure costs and manage congestion in a crowded
future.
As
the Board considers spending some general funds for infrastructure needs, it should
also be increasing general fund expenditures for LeeTran operations. The county should be proactively preparing to
meet the future demand of a population projected to grow to over 1 million by
2040. LeeTran services were cut back in 2013-14 and, while funds were restored
in last year's budget, damage was done to the system's viability. As a result
of these cutbacks, transit became a less reliable means of travel to work or
other essential destinations.
Investments in public transportation are the fiscally responsible way to
meet the transportation needs of a growing area such as Lee County.
In
summary, if the Board plans to use some of next year's general fund budget for
transportation, a significant portion of these funds should be dedicated to
bike/ped retrofit projects and transit funding.
Further, all road projects in the CIP should be designed with a complete
streets approach in an effort to improve the safety for all road users. Finally, we recommend that you act now to
restore impact fees to the 100% rate.
Thank
you for considering our views.
Sincerely,
Darla
Letourneau
on
behalf of BikeWalkLee
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Recent Letters to BoCC on topic:
Jan. 29, 2015: BikeWalkLee letter to BoCC opposing extension of impact fee reductions
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