By Marvin G. Cortner

Editor

The decision to extend the Osceola County transportation impact fee moratorium now in place for commercial and industrial building projects so that it would include parks and fire service impact fees was delayed until July 11 following action today by the County Commission.

The new moratorium was proposed June 6 as an emergency ordinance, based on the reasoning that the county is in dire need of producing additional construction jobs. The ordinance will now go through normal procedures for adoption, including advertising in local media. The emergency ordinance, in order to be adopted, also would have required a 4-1 vote for approval; it will now require a 3-2 vote for passage.

The current moratorium covers transportation impact fees only, which are used to build roads to accommodate growth, and applies only to commercial and industrial building projects. The new moratorium, as proposed, would have applied to residential construction as well.

The moratorium now covers projects for permits issued between Dec. 13, 2010, and Feb. 1, 2012.

Osceola County School District impact fees, which are collected to build classroom space needed to accommodate higher enrollments brought on by growth, are not involved in the moratorium. However, the commission is still considering whether to reduce the school impact fees by 10 percent or more, to reflect lower construction costs resulting from the recession.

Right of way audit decision delayed

The commission today also continued until July 11 voting on an audit of county right or way purchases for the Narcoossee Road improvement project. The proposal is to have Keystone Field Services, consultant, perform the audit for a price of $84,000, with the Adorno Law Firm working as sub-consultant.

The reason for the delay was that Commissioner Frank Attkisson had to leave today's meeting and therefore any motion to assign the work would have failed because of a likely tie vote. Commissioners Fred Hawkins Jr. and Brandon Arrington, two of the four remaining commissioners at the meeting, oppose going out for an audit; Commissioners Harford and John Quiñones want the audit.

Hawkins made the motion to continue because he said it would not have been fair to Attkisson, since Attkisson has been strongly pushing for the audit.