Impact-Fee Moratorium: Two Years, Nothing To Show

[thelakelander]

This article about Polk County's impact fee moratorium but the same result applies to Jacksonville's.  Impact fee (mobility fee) moratoriums don't spur economic development but they do place extra burden on the taxpayer.

School Board member Debra Wright asked the county to explain how it evaluates the effect of its impact-fee moratorium â€" does it really stimulate construction growth?

NO SUPPORTING DATA

County Manager Jim Freeman said data are scarce.

"To some extent, it's anecdotal," he said. "I'm not sure there's a set of data that would answer that question."

There never were any data to support the moratorium when it was approved by the County Commission in 2010.

The 2010 moratorium was a follow-up and doubling of a 50 percent trial moratorium in 2009 that the county admitted did nothing to increase construction.

As the county said then, "Prior actions by the Board of County Commissioners in reducing impact fees across the board by up to 50 percent have not produced the necessary economic stimulus."

Similar schemes in other counties have proved equally worthless.

The County Commission should learn from the School Board and collect an impact fee to help pay for costs related to what little construction-related growth there is in Polk County.

full article: http://www.theledger.com/article/20120507/EDIT01/120509526/1036?p=2&tc=pg&tc=ar

[fsujax]

Good find Lake. You should send this to our Council members.

[acme54321]

When does our moratorium sunset?

[jcjohnpaint]

Lets hope they know how to read!   

[jcjohnpaint]

Actually I was going to ask the same question.  I want to send a letter to my councilman. 

[fsujax]

OH,  I forgot, we are getting all these new 7-11's because of the moratorium!

[JeffreyS]

Except the 7-11s seem to be starting where they won't have any benefit from the moratorium.

[cline]

Mobility Plan = Development Inhibitor = Job Killer

That's Council's mentality.

[jcjohnpaint]

Yeah and they are wrong.  Nothing proves this and it remains nothing, but an ideology. 

[Tacachale]

Interesting. Lake, you should send that article to the City Council and the Times-Union.

[fsujax]

Here's another article. It seems Polk County lost out on collecting $3.9 million. While the School Board still collects its impact fee.

http://county.blogs.theledger.com/12197/impact-fee-moratoriums-impact-still-unclear/