Politics & Government

School Board Takes Last-Minute Action To Save Impact Fee Funding

A resolution was adopted by the board during its meeting this morning.

When the Pasco County Commission brings up school impact fee funding at 2:30 p.m. today, school district officials will be on hand to make a plea against a reduction or elimination of these charges.

School Superintendent Heather Fiorentino and others representatives will travel to Dade City this afternoon, armed with a resolution that requests the commission “prioritize the needs of Pasco’s students, employees and business partners by maintaining the current school impact fee.”

The resolution, which passed unanimously during the school board’s morning meeting today, April 5, was drafted as a way for the district to go on the record with its stand against the county’s proposal to cut the funding.

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The issue relates to about $5,000 in fees that are charged to developers for every single family home built in the county. This money is used by the school district to fund construction of new schools to meet the demands of growth. County commissioners want to reduce or eliminate these fees for 22 months to try and stimulate the economy, they have said.

The school board contends the is necessary to help pay debt payments on bonds it has taken out to cover the costs of building 11 new schools. The debt service payment on these bonds is $16.8 million annually. All told, the district bonded out $276.6 million for those 11 schools,  but has a grand total of $474.8 million in debt.

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While the resolution is largely symbolic, school board members said it will serve to get their stand on the record.

“It appeared apparent they will make some reduction,” said board member Allen Altman, referring to a joint meeting between the commission and board held April 4. “Obviously they are on a fast track.”

Altman suggested the board come up with a way to try and get the commission to provide assurances impact fees will go back into effect at the end of the 22-month period or if growth in the county rises enough to make construction of new schools necessary.

Fiorentino suggested adoption of the resolution as it was written and favored having a “fall back” position to discuss with commissioners as they move toward cutting the fees.

School board attorney Dennis Alfonso recommended members keep concurrency in mind. This is a state law that requires the school district to keep pace with growth by having available classroom space for students as they move into the district.

“What happens if we get to capacity,” he asked. There needs to be “some concurrency protection left in place.”

Board member Cynthia Armstrong is worried the commission will not put impact fees back in place or raise them to their current level at the end of the 22-month period.

“We cannot count on them following through on any promises,” she said.

If the removal of fees has the commission's desired effect of stimulating residential construction and bringing growth to the county, she said, “it puts us in a bad position.”

The Pasco County School District is facing an estimated $60 million shortfall because of cuts on the federal, state and local level. The reduction of impact fees, district officials have argued, will add one more financial burden to their plate. Fees are expected to add up to about $4.5 million this year.

School board chairwoman Joanne Hurley said the recent cuts have taken their toll on the district. Up until this year, the board has avoided layoffs, but that will not be the case with this round of cuts.

“We’re cutting the heart and soul out of the budgets,” she said. “We’re affecting people.”

The commission is expected to set public hearings on the school impact fees today. Hearings are anticipated to take place later this month. The board's meeting today is at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.


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