Action Alert: Public hearing and final vote on March 3rd re: BoCC proposal to extend impact fee reductions

On Tuesday, March 3rd the Lee County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on their proposal to extend the impact fee reductions (with proposal to only collect 45% of the full cost) for THREE more years.  At the end of the meeting they will vote on the proposal. Much is at stake for advocates of complete streets and county taxpayers in this decision, so plan to share your views with commissioners at the March 3rd meeting or before. Click here for BikeWalkLee's Jan. 29th letter to Commissioners urging them to vote to return impact fees to the full 100% rate, as modified by the Duncan Report updates.


For additional statements about what's at stake in this decision read:

•  Don Eslick (Lee Public Voice) News-Press Op Ed 2/18/15: "Say no to continued impact fee reductions"  
•  
•  Commissioner Frank Mann's News-Press letter to the editor 2/13/15: "Understanding impact fees" 
•  
•  For more background and more details about what's at stake for bike/ped investments, read BikeWalkLee's earlier blog post:  BWL blog 1/29/15: Action Alert: BoCC votes Feb. 3rd on proposal to extend impact fee reductions

 What do I need to do?
1. Write a Letter to the Editor of the News Press expressing your support for ending impact fee reductions.

  2,  Before Tuesday, March 3rd call, email and/or write the Commissioners to urge them to end impact fee reductions.  Under the current ordinance the reductions automatically expire March 13th.

3. Speak at the March 3rd County Commission public hearing before final vote on the impact fee rates. (9:30 a.m. in County Commission Chambers)


Opportunities for Communicating with Individual Commissioners: (Write a letter, an email or call County Commissioners)

o John Manning: dist1@leegov.com, 533-2224
o Cecil Pendergrass: dist2@leegov.com, 533-2227
o Larry Kiker: dist3@leegov.com, 533-2223
o Brian Hamman: dist4@leegov.com, 533-2226
o Frank Mann: dist5@leegov.com, 533-2225 [NOTE: only commissioner who voted against the impact fee reductions.]

Letters to the editor:
News-Press:
· submit online: http://www.news-press.com/section/editor_letter
· submit by email: mailbag@news-press.com
· or any local/community paper that publishes letters to the editor

Background Links:

• Link to "General Guidelines for Testifying at Lee County Board Meetings"

BikeWalkLee Jan. 29th letter: 

Dear Commissioners:            

BikeWalkLee, a coalition working to complete Lee County's streets, works for a more balanced transportation system.   At the Feb. 3rd Board meeting you will be considering whether to reestablish the 100% impact fee program, as modified by the recommendations of the Duncan Report. BikeWalkLee  urges you to take no action to extend reduced impact fees, so that the previous impact rates automatically are reinstated effective March 13, 2015, as called for in your March 2013 ordinance.  We further urge you to adopt the recommendations in the just released Duncan Associates Road Impact Fee Study and School Impact Fee Study, updating the 100% rates reflecting current costs.

We commend the Board for its wisdom in ordering verification of actual current costs via the Duncan Report updates.  And, now armed with this information, there are no policy reasons to not follow the report’s recommendations and fully fund the necessary infrastructure.

BikeWalkLee has steadfastly opposed the suspension or reduction in impact fees over the past four years, opposed the Board's 80% reduction in impact fees in March 2013, urged the Board to end the reduction in Feb. 2014, and now urges the Board to reestablish the 100% impact fee program, as modified by the required updated fee schedules recommended in the "Duncan Reports". 

As Commissioner Mann has often stated, "there is no free lunch."  The decision before you is about equity-- who pays for the infrastructure and services.  The County's policy framework is that it is shared responsibility--developers (impact fees), taxpayers (property taxes), sales taxes (residents and visitors), and bed taxes (visitors). New developments create infrastructure and service costs for governments.  The question is who should pay these costs: Those who created the costs and will benefit from the services; or the existing taxpayers through increased property taxes?  Fairness dictates that the costs be borne by those benefiting.  And, good economic sense dictates that  development-driven expansion of our public infrastructure --roads, schools, parks—be fully funded.   

Otherwise, we will usher in long-term consequences of a declining reputation and  the inability to attract and retain residents and businesses, who,  in an increasingly competitive world, are looking at quality of life features.

Road impact fees are a significant source of revenues for transportation infrastructure projects, including  bike/ped improvements, both as part of roadway projects and as stand-alone retrofit projects.  Any reduction in road impact fees has an adverse effect on funds available for these improvements.  According to LeeDOT's 1/16/15 report to Commissioner Mann detailing the list of completed transportation projects funded with road impact fees from 2000 to present, 38% of bike/ped facilities during this period were funded with impact fees.

There are currently $58 million worth of bike/ped stand-alone projects that have been approved and prioritized by the County's Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), waiting to be funded.  Since historically at least 35% of all of Lee County’s transportation infrastructure dollars have come from road impact fee revenues, any reduction in that vital revenue source means funding for bike/ped projects will be further jeopardized. 

BikeWalkLee is pleased that in the new draft ordinance staff has  included language broadening the definition of what road impact fee funds can be used for.  This language provides the county with more flexibility to use road impact fees for bike/ped improvements and bus pull out lane improvements that accommodate vehicle trips by providing alternative travel modes.  This language change begins to move the road impact fee into a more multi-modal transportation approach, as BikeWalkLee has long advocated.

Economic prosperity comes from quality investments in community infrastructure.  We urge you to vote to return impact fees to the full 100% rate, as modified by the Duncan Report updates.

Sincerely,

Darla Letourneau

On behalf of BikeWalkLee

Lee Public Voice's Proposed Priority 2015 County Board Issues

On Oct. 10th Lee Public Voice (which BikeWalkLee is a part of) sent a letter to BoCC members with its suggestions of the most important and urgent issues that need the Board's attention and direction in 2015, with adoption of the Comp Plan amendments (Horizon 2035 Plan) being the top priority. Citizens are urged to attend the Oct. 21st BoCC meeting to communicate your views about next year's priorities.  If you can't make the meeting, consider writing, calling, or meeting with them.

10/19/14 Update:  BikeWalkLee sent the following email to Board members in support of the LPV suggested 2015 priorities for BoCC:

From: Darla Letourneau 
Date: Sun, Oct 19, 2014 at 3:55 PM

County Commissioners,

 

BikeWalkLee strongly supports the Lee Public Voice suggested 2015 priorities for the Board.  There is no greater priority for the Board than the expeditious adoption of the Lee Plan Amendments (Horizon 2035 Plan). It is also critical that the Board quickly adopt the stalled Sustainability Plan, reaffirm its commitment to sustainability and to the mission of the Community Sustainability Advisory Committee. 

 

BikeWalkLee also urges the Board to return to the 100% impact fee rate in March 2015 and then undertake the important task of reforming the system so that it provides incentives for infill and takes a multi-modal transportation focus vs. a road-only approach.  Adoption of the Comp Plan amendments is the critical first step towards reforming the impact fee system.

 Darla Letourneau

on behalf of BikeWalkLee

   

Lee Public Voice (LPV) is a network of civic, community planning and environmental organizations whose goal is to ensure that Lee County government pursues policies that contribute to the long-term benefit of the citizens of Lee County and that those policies are decided in an open and accountable manner.  BikeWalkLee is an active participant in this network of organizations.

LPV's "Proposed Priority 2015 County Board Issues", transmitted to BoCC members by LPV Chairman Don Eslick on Oct. 10th, urges the Board to reestablish its long term vision and begin to evaluation some of its core, long term policies and programs that have been put on hold, cut back, and/or immobilized during the recession, and to moved forward with the revised plan.  Below are highlights from the LPV proposed priorities paper:

Adopt Delayed Plans:

" Lee Public Voice (LPV) believes that the Lee Comprehensive Plan and the Sustainability Plan, both of which have been delayed for several years, need immediate County Board review and approval so that County government, our 650,000 residents, businesses and institutions will have the direction that is needed for all parties to work together to maintain and improve our economic opportunity and quality of life as the County’s growth resumes at a sustainable pace."

1.  Lee Plan Amendments--Horizon 2035 Plan.  This should be the Board's top priority for 2015. "The Lee Plan is the county's overarching planning policy document and serves as a "road map" for the public to know how the county will address a wide variety of issues, including land use, transportation, housing, natural and cultural resources protection, economic development, etc."

2.  Sustainability Plan.  LPV urges the Board to adopt this Plan by the end of 2014, to reaffirm its commitment to sustainability, and restart the CSAC.

Revitalize Stalled Programs:

1.  Conservation 2020. "LPV believes a key goal for the BOCC in 2015 should be to bring the 2020 review process to a successful conclusion, implement the appropriate changes, and resume a more robust acquisition program to preserve watersheds and critical habitat for the future of Lee County and restore a dedicated funding source for the program." 

2.  Budgeting and Funding Infrastructure...Restoring Full Impact Fees.  LPV's requests are three-fold:

a.  Impact fees must return to 100% on March 13, 2015 when the current 2-year 80% reduction ordinance expires, so that future development is again paying for the public infrastructure costs it is creating.

b.  The County must provide the public with a full accounting of its impact fee policy decisions and their consequences for Lee County's taxpayers.

c.  Once impact fee revenues have been restored in March, the second task of reforming the current impact fee system can begin--a reformed approach that provides incentives for infill and takes a multi-modal transportation focus vs. road only.  "Adoption of the Comp Plan amendments is the Board's critical first step towards reforming the impact fee system."

3.  Implementing the Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource Plan (DR/GR) Recommendations.  Since the DRGR report was adopted by the BoCC in 2008, little has been done to implement its recommendations.  "There are critical areas of the DR/GR that are in private ownership and the BOCC should direct County Staff to move forward to contact the owners of these lands for possible conservation by the 20/20 program.  There are millions of dollars needed for this task and those funds are currently available and should be utilized before land prices escalate as the real estate market recovers."

ACTION ALERT: Upcoming BoCC discussion of 2015 priorities and public input opportunities

At the Oct. 7th BoCC meeting, the County Manager said that the Oct. 21st BoCC workshop (1:30 p.m.) would be a discussion of policy issues for the coming year.  Then on Oct. 29th, the Board would have a full day off-site strategy session to establish its priorities for the year.  

Oct. 21st opportunity for public input:  While the Board is still not allowing the public to speak and its workshops, there is now a standing item at the very end of the regular BoCC twice monthly Tuesday morning meetings called "Work Session Update and Public Comment on Work Session"  The intent of this standing agenda item is to allow the public to comment (in the usual 3 minutes) on topics dealt with at past workshops, the procedures followed at such workshops, or the subject to be discussed at the workshop that afternoon (where public comment is not allowed). 

Thus, there is an opportunity for the public to speak about the 2015 priorities (either from LPV's suggested list or on any other suggestion) at the Tuesday, Oct. 21st 9:30 a.m. regular meeting (in BoCC Chambers).  This will be the only opportunity for public input before the Board discusses their 2015 priorities and then adopts them on Oct. 28th.  If you're unable to attend the BoCC meeting, you can always send them an email, call them, or meet with them. The Oct. 21st afternoon workshop (in the Administration East building) is open to the public and can also be viewed online or on Channel 97.  Click here for guidelines for speaking at BoCC meetings and/or communicating with them.

Report by Darla Letourneau

Click here to read the full LPV letter and paper

Action Alert: Aug. 12th Lee Commission meeting exclusively for public input on draft 2015 budget

Your participation in the Aug. 12th BoCC budget workshop is important.  Below provides all the details about how to participate, along with the "why's" about what's at stake for the BikeWalkLee network.

What:  Lee Commission meeting exclusively for public input on draft 2015 budget

When: Tues. Aug. 12th, 9:30 a.m.

Where: Commission Chambers, 2120 Main Street, Fort Myers

 
On Tuesday, Aug. 12th at 9:30 a.m., the public will have an unusual opportunity to provide input on the outstanding budget issues prior to their finalizing its 2015 budget.  Our efforts, as an active participant in Lee Public Voice (LPV), have provided this opportunity. (See LPV's July 24th letter to BoCC on this issue.)  

The Board plans to make its final decisions at the budget workshop on August 19^th,although there will still be two legally required public hearings on the budget on September 3rd and 17^th.

We need your Action :  BikeWalkLee supporter organizations and interested citizens need to voice their opinion. You have two ways:

• Best: attend the Aug. 12th meeting and speak on any or all of the three issues highlighted below- Transportation CIP/impact fees, transit funding, and funding for the Conservation 2020 program.

• Next Best: email/call your commission members and urge them to address these concerns before the budget is finalized.

The three major budget issues of concern to BikeWalkLee:

Three of our four key priority areas--Integrated planning; quality of life, and transit--are impacted by the BoCC decisions on this year's budget, as outlined below.

1.  Impact Fees, the Transportation Budget in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP):At the same time the Board adopts the $358 million general fund budget, it will adopt a 5-Year CIP budget of almost equal size...$331 million. Both budgets must be equally scrutinized and  based on the most accurate and up-to-date data available.

BikeWalkLee is concerned that the transportation plan is receiving little if any scrutiny by the Board and is essentially on "automatic pilot".  We have provided extensive comments on the draft transportation CIP, none of which have ever been considered. 

The figures being used this year are obsolete and inaccurate. They must be corrected.

See Letourneau Aug. 3rd report, Pierce Aug. 5th statement, and Aug. 6th LPV press release for details.)

The draft transportation CIP fails to accurately account for future impact fee revenues by not recognizing the Board’s direction that those fees are to return to 100% next March. This means many needed bike/ped/complete streets projects that have been recommended and prioritized by both the County's Internal Complete Streets Team and the County's Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)are never making it onto the CIP project list due to the supposed lack of sufficient impact fee revenues.  Currently 5% of road impact fees are allocated for bike/ped projects.  Accurate impact fee revenue numbers could mean an additional $750,000/year available for these important projects.

The Board has explicitly stated that the impact fee revenues will return to the 100% rate on March 13, 2015. Nothing in the county's revenue projections reflect this policy assumption.  Therefore, the draft budget provides an easy opportunity for the Board to attempt to continue the impact fee reduction policy without any accountability. The 2-year, $40 M loss to County taxpayers doesn’t appear anywhere, allowing it impact fee reduction to appear as “free” of consequences.

BikeWalkLee and Lee Public Voice are requesting the Board to ensure that the transportation budget is corrected before the budget is adopted in September.

2.  Transit funding:  This year BikeWalkLee's transit priority has been for BoCC to restore last year's LeeTran service cuts (which reduced evening and weekend service), to secure funding for the LinC bus line connecting Lee and Collier Counties (needed to replace the expiring FDOT grant), and for no further transit cuts to be included in the FY 2014-15 budget.

Throughout the year, BikeWalkLee, in partnership with other supporter organizations (including Southwest Florida Council of the Blind, Center for Independent Living Gulf Coast, Healthy Lee Coalition, Audubon Society of SWFL, Responsible Growth Management Council, and Spikowski Planning Associates), demonstrated to the Board that the cuts were having negative impacts on the transit system overall and on the individual lives of our citizens who rely on transit to get to work and lead independent and productive lives. 

The County's draft budget includes an option for restoring the FY 13-14 cuts to transit, adding $358K to the "continuation" budget. No further transit cuts have been included in this budget and continuation of funding for LinC has now been secured from the various contributors (including LeeTran, Collier County, Lee MPO, and Bonita Springs).  To date, the Board has been receptive to restoring last year's transit cuts but no vote has been taken so this is still an outstanding issue for the Board to decide.  

BikeWalkLee supports the adoption of the county's draft budget transit proposal and thanks the Board for being responsive to community-wide requests to restore transit service.  The next step is for the county to explore ways to expand and improve its transit services in order to meet the long-term needs of our community. [*See links below for previous BWL letters on transit funding.]

3.  Conservation 2020: BikeWalkLee's vision includes innovative and integrated land use and transportation planning to enhance our county's livability.  As part of this focus on quality of life, we support preserving green space, which is the goal of the Conservation 2020 program. With the county's projected 62% population growth by 2040, this green space will be essential to the economic and environmental health and overall livability of our community.

Action Requested:

• Attend the August 12^th Workshop and address one or all of these issues.

• If you can't come, e-mail or call commission members and urge them to address these concerns before the budget is finalized.

• Spread the word through your organization's communication channels about the importance of citizen participation in this Aug. 12th opportunity in some fashion.

Links to County draft budget materials:

The specific materials on the draft budget for the Aug. 12th meeting are found in the  Aug. 5th workshop package.

The Board has held a series of budget workshops over the past 4 months.  To see materials re: all those workshops, click here.

For details on the procedures for speaking at Board meetings,  check out the Guidelines for testifying before the Board of County Commissioners and other county meetings, as well as how to communicate with the members individually as well as the media.  As with all county public comment opportunities, each person is allowed to speak for no more than 3 minutes.

If you can't be there in person, please write a letter, an email or call County Commissioners

• 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

Next steps in budget process after Aug. 12th:

The following are the remaining commission meetings before the final budget is adopted:

Aug. 19th, 1:30 p.m.: BoCC budget workshop to discuss public input and any changes to the budget based on that input.

• Since the public is not being given an opportunity to speak at these workshops, the only opportunity to provide input to the Board prior to their reaching a consensus on these budget issues is to speak at the end of the regular BoCC meeting the morning of August 19th (9:30 a.m.).  The public can comment on any item not on the agenda during the last agenda item labeled "Public Presentation of Matters by Citizens".  Each person has a maximum of 3 minutes to comment during this period.  

• The agenda for the regular Aug. 19th meeting could include a "Consensus Memo" regarding instructions to staff on budget issues, so be watching the county's website for the posting of this important agenda package, hopefully no later than Tuesday, Aug. 12th.

Aug. 26th, 9:30-12:30 :BoCC workshop to finalize budget.(if necessary)

Sept. 3rd, 5 p.m.  First public hearing on the budget.

Sept. 17th, 5 p.m.  Final public hearing and approval of budget and millage rate.

Note:  All three of these meetings can be watched on Channel 97 or on the county's website either live or the recorded video. 

Background Materials for preparing your comments:

1. Transportation budget and impact fees:
   See Letourneau Aug. 3rd report(with links to 5 related reports), Pierce Aug. 5th statement, and Aug. 6th LPV press release. 
2.   Transit funding: BWL blog, July 26, 2014: LeeTran ridership numbers continue falling due to budget cuts , BikeWalkLee's May 25th blog post, BikeWalkLee's April 18th blog post, BikeWalkLee's April 10th blog post, and BikeWalkLee's April 8th letter to BoCC members, requesting the Board to restore the LeeTran service cuts in the County's "continuation budget" for FY 2014-15, and BikeWalkLee's Sept. 3, 2013 letter to BoCC urging them to reject proposed transit cuts in the FY 2013-14 budget:,BikeWalkLee's June 18, 2013 letter to BoCC recommending against proposed transit cuts.

Commission candidates respond to Lee Public Voice Questionnaire

Candidates for BoCC have responded to Lee Public Voice's questionnaire.  Click here to read what the candidates are saying about issues we care about, and don't forget to vote in the August 26th primary.

Lee Public Voice (LPV) is a network of civic, community planning and environmental organizations whose goal is to ensure that Lee County government pursues policies that contribute to the long-term benefit of the citizens of Lee County and that those policies are decided in an open and accountable manner.  BikeWalkLee is an active participant in this network of organizations.

Rather than preparing a BikeWalkLee-specific candidate questionnaire as we did in 2010 and 2012, we have participated in the development of this broader questionnaire.  While there are no specific questions about complete streets, the questions posed reflect BikeWalkLee's overarching goals of good governance and high quality of life standards.

Lee Public Voice developed a Candidate Questionnaire that focused on the following important issues:

• impact fees 
• land conservation
• budget decisions and priorities
• community planning
• Lee Plan/2035 Horizon/land use
• transparency and citizen input 
• the County's big picture.

All six candidates completed the questionnaire. The candidate responses are organized so that you can easily compare the positions of the competing candidates on each of the important issues that were raised with them. (Click here)

 

This year, two of the county commission seats are up for election, with multiple candidates for each seat in the August 26th primary election. Specifically, in District 2, a seat currently held by Cecil Pendergrass, there is no general election opponent so whoever wins the primary will become the commissioner from District 2.  In District 4, a seat currently held by Brian Hamman, there are three primary opponents and the winner of the Republican primary will compete against the one Democratic candidate in the general election in November. 

Don't forget to register to vote by July 28th, request your vote by mail ballot, and then VOTE!!

Click here for the responses from all six candidates.

Voting Details

• In order to vote in this important primary election all Florida residents must be registered no later than July 28th. (click here for an application) 

• If you're already registered to vote, you can now request a "vote by mail" ballot (call-239-533-8683 or click here)

• If you've already requested an vote by mail ballot, look for it in your mail this week.

• Early voting will be held from August 16-23rd.  To vote in person on August 26th, check here to identify your voting location.