By Marvin G. Cortner
Editor

Due to the continued weakness in the economy and to provide an incentive to spur construction jobs, the Osceola County Commission Monday voted 5-0 to consider next week Monday an emergency ordinance that would establish a moratorium on all county impact fees now collected to fund new parks, transportation projects and fire stations.

The commission was set to discuss an ordinance that would have reclassified multi-family housing as commercial building rather than residential so that the current moratorium on commercial and industrial transportation impact fees would apply to it as well. In addition, the ordinance, if passed, would have established a 10 percent reduction of impact fees on the remaining residential sector, which would have included single-family homes. This ordinance will no longer be pursued.

The current moratorium is for commercial and industrial projects with building permits issued through Feb. 1, 2012, and the moratorium to be considered Monday would have the same sunset date. The county uses impact fees to build new infrastructure — such as roads, parks or fire stations — to accommodate new residents.

Also on Monday, the commission delayed a decision on a proposed 10 percent reduction of school impact fees, which are collected on residential construction on behalf of the Osceola County School District. The district uses these impact fees to add classroom space to accommodate new students. The School Board had voted earlier to recommend to the county that it reduce these fees by the 10 percent but the commission took no action at the time.

The commission delayed action on the school impact fees pending obtaining an updated study on whether the fee amount is appropriate in terms of current

construction costs.

Commissioner Frank Attkisson made the motion to extend the moratorium to all county impact fees as a way to “incentivize economic activity” in the county.

Commissioner John Quiñones said he supports the total moratorium but wants to find a more stable source of revenue to fund the infrastructure needed to accommodate growth.

“Impact fees haven’t produced what is needed to deal with growth,” Quiñones said, adding that he has received numerous emails saying builders are ready to move forward but impact fees are a “hindrance to what they are doing.”

Commissioner Michael Harford, who voted to move forward on a full moratorium, said he was still concerned with how the revenue that corresponds to the waived impact fees would be replaced in the budget.

Before the vote on the issue, St. Cloud homebuilder Don Wetherington, of Wetherington Builders, said Osceola County has higher impact fees than either Orange or Polk counties, putting local builders at a disadvantage.

“The lower fees in Orange and Polk counties are a result of aggressive action to stimulate the economy,” Wetherington said. “We encourage including residential building in the full moratorium; now is the right time.”

If the commission were to pursue the full moratorium by means of a non-emergency ordinance, it could not have voted on the issue until the July 11 meeting due to public notification requirements.