The city of Kissimmee now has an additional funding arm for its police and fire service.
At last week’s City Commission meeting, the board approved the second reading of a new Police and Fire Impact Fee. The $530 fee would be charged to new residential units being built, with a built-in waiver for affordable housing units.
This week, the board also approved the near doubling of the Parks and Recreation Impact Fee, from $1,200 to $2,410. The city did agree to a plan phasing that full increase in over the next three years.
Those fees are charged to the developers, who then generally pass them on to the homebuyers. A consultant firm hired by the city recommended Kissimmee increase its Parks and Recreation Impact Fees to $2,410 per dwelling unit for single-family, and from $985 to $2,048 per dwelling unit for multi-family. The fee would only be charged on residential units, not commercial ones.
The Rafeltis study also recommended creating the new fee for police and fire fee — all in the name of “Future growth paying its own way.” The firm’s study assumed an additional 1,114 residential units would be built annually for the next several years, growing at just over 3% per year, pushing the city’s population over from 82,000 to over 112,000 in the next decade.
These were scheduled to be voted on in early September, but officials waited to get all input from stakeholders, like The Osceola Chamber of Commerce’ growth task force, and the Osceola County Association of Realtors.
“Your commitment to stakeholders is a testament to your dedication to serving the best interests of the community,” OSCAR President Imran Mohamed told commissioners. “While our association does not advocate for any tax increases, we recognize the complexity of the decisions that lie before you.”
The police and fire fee, for example will help pay for the increase in officers, firefighters, EMTs and other first responders needed as population grows. Fire Chief Jim Walls said the Kissimmee Fire Department hopes to open two new stations, or at least add engines, to serve the Hilliard Isle and north Poinciana Boulevard areas.
“They’re getting new development in Hilliard Isle, and right now we serve that area from Lakeside, and units have to go up Lakeside to Simpson, so that will help with response times,” he said.
The Parks and Recreation fee addresses over, and creates a funding stream for, $40 million in capital projects currently on the books, including the construction of Lancaster Park Ranch on the south side of town, and major additions to Mark Durbin Park in Lakeside, including a community center, which combine for most of that cost.
Commissioner Carlos Alvarez, adamant that upgrades to Kissimmee Lakefront Park, to provide recreational facilities for older teens, like a skateboard ramp, should also be included in the line items, voted against increasing the parks fee.
“Lakefront Park is right now designed for younger children,” he said. “I feel we should make those upgrades prior to any of these other projects. We have housing going up in downtown, and these tenants won’t have access to recreational facilities.”
But, Commissioner Angela Eady noted the Lakefront, with its ambiance, serves its purpose well, but added population makes the other projects necessary.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to fix what’s already in place, as opposed to building something new?” she asked.
