Developers to School Board: We need more time

School board members heard a clear message from developers, who asked the board to delay reinstating school impact fees for two years.

Sarasota County School Board members heard public comments about impact fees during their regular board Sept. 15 meeting.

Board members met earlier during the day on Sept. 15 for a work session to continue the last several month’s discussions about projected growth. According to a report commissioned by the board and staff recommendations, that growth would necessitate some change in funding structure.

Over the next 10 years, according to that report, the district will need to open three elementary schools and a high school, and plan funding for and additional elementary school and a middle school. For associated land purchase and construction costs, the district needs to generate $326 million during that period.

Staff presented five scenarios including one in which nothing changes and assessed millage and sales tax revenues are used to fund growth. That “status quo” scenario would fall approximately $113 million short of the district’s needs.

To make up the difference, staff proposed several methods of making up the difference including a combination of borrowed funds, funds from competing construction and impact fees.

Even assessing maximum justifiable impact fees of $7,835 per single family home would not cover the shortfall, staff reported, and some additional borrowing would be required.

But representatives of developers like Pat Neal, who attended Tuesday’s board meeting, pushed back against any impact fees.

Lucy Gallo, principal with Development Planning and Financial Group, Inc., questioned the public enrollment trends presented in the commissioned report and questioned whether or the county was in a position to levy new fees.

“I’m not so sure a recovery has been established yet in Sarasota,” she said.

Attorney Morgan Bentley, representing the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, called the recovery ‘nascent’ and asked the board to wait two years while BIA looks into the matter further.

Attorney Dan Lobeck, disagreed, asking the board to “do the right thing” and said that, even at maximum impact fees, money would still need to be diverted from other sources.

“(Developers) are trying to put off making construction pay its own way,” Lobeck said.

The board may revisit the topic at their Oct. 4 meeting, and staff recommended they make a decision by their Oct. 20 meeting to allow time for the process if they should choose to reinstate impact fees.

No impact fees have been assessed since 2010 when they were suspended. Fees at that time were $2,032 per single family home. Those fees were based on a 2004 study.

Board members asked staff to construct more scenarios to show less marginal impact fee uses.

School district staff have had two public information sessions on growth management already; they did not address the issue at Tuesday’s meeting before adjourning.