September 16, 2021 – The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners on September 20 won’t hold a second workshop about the Educational Facilities Impact Fees – or the subsequent public hearings to adopt an increase and amend the code – but will instead continue the workshop and hearings to future dates.
“Following the September 14 workshop and special meeting, county staff and school district staff came together and discussed delaying consideration of the Educational Facilities Impact Fees,” said Growth Management Director Adam Mengel. “The workshops and the adoption public hearing were originally scheduled to meet the School District’s request that the fees be implemented by January 1, 2022, given the statutory 90 day public notice requirement before a fee can become effective.”
Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt, on behalf of the School Board, has asked that the 9 a.m. September 20 workshop be opened and continued to 2 p.m. October 18. She asked that the public hearings noticed for 10 a.m. September 20 be opened and continued to 9:30 a.m. November 2.
Since the notice for the September 20 workshop and public hearings has been published, Florida law requires the Board of County Commissioners open the meetings and then vote to continue them to the proposed times and dates. Additionally, the board will receive public comment for the record from anyone in attendance who is unable to attend at the future dates.
“While no presentation by staff will be made at either the workshop or related to the two public hearings, staff will be present to answer any questions regarding the continuance,” Mengel said. “The public should be encouraged to attend any future meetings, and the board should set the future meeting date and time for the workshop and the public hearings so as to preserve public notice.”
Impact fees are one-time charges on new construction to help pay for additional public services needed because of growth. The concept behind impact fees is that while development can bring many benefits, it also affects infrastructure needs. In order to accommodate this growth in demand for facilities, additional capital investment is required.
For all types of impact fees, there must be a demonstrated need for the particular impact fee, and the proposed rates must be based on the anticipated impacts from the new growth.
Flagler County has posted a “Frequently Asked Questions” on its website for those seeking additional information: https://www.flaglercounty.gov/departments/growth-management/flagler-county-impact-fees-faqs.
Media Release: Flagler County. Julie Murphy, MPIO. Lacy Martin, Marketing Media Manager.
