CDD 6 holds public meeting

Lakewood Ranch Community Development Districts 2, 5 and 6 are getting closer to finalizing an agreement to share costs of mutual roads.

CDD 6 held a public meeting Wednesday, Nov. 11, to share the plan with the public and address comments and concerns.

The committee of chairmen from the three CDDs has been working on the roadshare agreement since May, after signing a gate house cost sharing agreement last year.

CDD 6 will receive a net $30,484 for the roadshare program over a period of 10 years, which amounts to about $3,049 per year. To calculate the costs, the committee of chairmen took the costs of the last five major paving efforts on those roads and averaged them, and found it costs about $775,000 combined to maintain the three roads in question, Legacy Boulevard, Balmoral Woods Boulevard and Arnold Palmer Green. The also included a 2% inflation rate per year.

If signed, the agreement would stand for 10 years and commence Dec. 1, 2016. 

The committee discussed the idea of bundling gatehouse and roadshare agreements, as the gate agreement is up for renewal.

Residents present at the meeting expressed concern about tying both agreements down for a 10-year timespan.

Bob Bernstein, a former chairman of CDD 6, cautioned the board into rushing the decision by bundling the agreements. The gate agreement is good, he said, and the boards should keep it simple.

“Keep the gate separate,” he said. “You have options after 2 years; with 10 years, you don’t.”

However, during a last-minute committee meeting, the chairmen hashed out an “opt out” clause to allow a CDD a way to terminate their share of the agreement in the future if statutory or regulatory circumstances changed.

Chairman Jim Rogoze did not have the finalized agreement language at the meeting for residents to review. Resident Tom Willson has been following the roadshare discussions since they began and remains still skeptical of signing a 10 year agreement. Having the out clause could be a game changer for him, he said.