- April 19, 2024
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The Flagler County School Board will not be adjusting its impact fee resolution when it goes before the County Commission on Nov. 2.
Citing extraordinary circumstances, the School Board is proposing nearly doubling its impact fees for single-family and multi-family homes and raising the impact fee for mobile homes by nearly five times.
Proving extraordinary circumstances is necessary to sidestep a state law that limits impact fee increases to 50%, implemented over a four-year period.
The school district has not raised impact fees since 2004. The resolution calls for hikes on single-family homes from $3,600 to $7,175, multi-family homes from $931 to $1,774 and mobile homes from $1,066 to $5,279.
The School Board added an impact fee discussion to its Oct. 28 special meeting agenda, with the prospect that it would consider altering its resolution rather than have it defeated in a commission vote. But after hearing a staff presentation summarizing the district's case, the board decided to go into the commission meeting with a unified front.
"I think all of us, and public who support us, need to have a voice at the commission meeting," board member Colleen Conklin said. "Every single one of us can take a component of this and drive home the point. I don’t know how you can argue with the data."
The increased impact fees would finance expected student growth the school district says will require an addition to Matanzas High School, estimated to cost $17.5 million, and a new middle school, estimated to cost $68 million. Both will be needed within the next five years, according to studies. A new high school the school district says will be needed within the next 10 years, would cost an estimated $92.5 million.
"This is a well-put-together document," board member Jill Woolbright said of the staff summary. "All the pieces fit together once you go through the document."
You can read the summary here.
The commission has scheduled a workshop Nov. 2 to hear the district's presentation and evaluate the resolution. A special meeting will follow in which the commission is expected to vote on the resolution.
