Fees will help fund law enforcement, firefighting, EMS
BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford County Commissioners have scheduled a vote on new impact fees for their meeting on July 17.
The fees could add more than $1,000 to the cost of building a new home and many times that for new nonresidential developments.
Impact fees are paid on new construction at the time a building permit is issued, and the revenue is restricted to paying for new capital costs that are the consequence of growth. The county had impact fees in place briefly before the 2008 housing market crash, which led to a moratorium.
Although the fees have been discussed, there has been no action taken to replace the old fees until now, with commissioners realizing the revenue they’ve missed from housing and commercial development in recent years.
While past impact fees raised revenue for multiple purposes, including roads, the library, and parks and recreation, these are focused on creating revenue for fire protection, law enforcement and emergency medical services.
The residential fees proposed are $498 per dwelling unit for fire protection, $304 for law enforcement and $258 for emergency medical services, for a total of $1,060 per new dwelling unit.
The nonresidential fees proposed are $194 per 1,000 square feet for fire protection, $119 for law enforcement and $101 for emergency medical services, for a total of $404 per 1,000 square feet of new nonresidential construction.
An additional 2% would be charged to cover the cost of administration and collection.
The next commission meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. July 17 and can be viewed online at the Bradford County Florida BOCC YouTube page. There is a link on the county’s website at www.bradfordcountyfl.gov.
Fire assessment vote Aug. 21
By Aug. 1, the county will mail a notice to all property owners responsible for paying a new fire assessment fee along with their taxes beginning this year. The notice will include the date of the final public hearing and vote on the resolution setting the fees, which is Aug. 21.
For each residential dwelling unit, the proposed assessment is $167. Nonresidential, primarily commercial, properties would be assessed at 11 cents per square foot. Owners of vacant parcels would pay $46.50 per parcel. Like the solid waste special assessment, the fire assessment will appear on property tax bills and be paid annually. The fees may be increased from year to year, but by no more than 4%.
Churches and nonprofits would be exempt from paying the assessment, as would fully disabled veterans and those living at or below the poverty threshold. Property owners would need to apply for those exemptions. There will also be a process for disputing the amount charged if property owners believe there has been an error.
Revenue from the assessment is estimated to raise around $1.68 million, approximately 50% of the fire department’s budget. Starke has its own fire department and has opted out of participating. Property owners in the remaining cities will be charged if the final resolution is approved.
The Aug. 21 commission meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and can be viewed online at the Bradford County Florida BOCC YouTube page. There is a link on the county’s website at www.bradfordcountyfl.gov.
