It’s a discussion that rears its head every few years: Should the city of Anna Maria charge impact fees for new buildings?
And if so, does the cost justify the return?
The Anna Maria City Commission began discussing impact fees in earnest during its July 23 meeting at Anna Maria City Hall, 10005 Gulf Drive. Commissioners went issue-by-issue through the 11 topics they feel should be rectified before lifting the city’s new building moratorium that was enacted July 9.
Impact fees are one of the topics.
The commissioners are at odds about whether to implement them.
Chair Chuck Webb said the discussion seems to come up every three years.
The question commissioners face is whether the fees would be worth anything to the city.
Commissioner Dale Woodland, who was the only dissenting vote when the moratorium was adopted, believes collecting fees is a waste of time.
“Everywhere I look I see fees coming up short every time,” he said. Woodland said in Manatee County fees fail to pay for road projects needed to be done.
An impact fee is a one-time tax on new developments.
The fees can help offset the cost of growing a community, which includes road development and repair, sewage and water lines and maintenance, ensuring fire safety, and maintaining local recreational parks.
In Anna Maria, the county provides sewage and water services, so there isn’t a development or maintenance cost to defray. WMFR provides fire protection.
And then there’s no more roads to build said Woodland.
Webb, however argued for collecting impact fees.
“The island cities are the only place I know that don’t charge impact fees,” Webb said. He said fees could be used to help the county upgrade and maintain water and sewer.
“The sewage and water systems that are in place are not adequate for the island as it currently is,” Webb said.
According to Webb, the current facilities were built in the 1970s and weren’t designed to be able to handle all of the larger homes on the island.
“When they put the equipment in, they thought that island homes would continue being small cottages, not the large houses we have today,” he said.
He also said that when the Villa Rosa development was proposed on South Bay Boulevard, WMFR told the commissioners they couldn’t fight a fire out there, there wasn’t enough water pressure.
To comply with fire codes, the homes had to be fitted with sprinkler systems.
However, “The horse may already be out of the barn,” said Webb.
Commissioner Doug Copeland said the city’s comprehensive plan calls for impact fees for parks and recreation.
The money could be used to improve Gulffront Park, Gulfside between Magnolia and Oak avenues; Anna Maria City Pier Park, at the intersection of Pine Avenue and North Bay Boulevard; Bayfront Park, 316 N. Bay Blvd., and other locations.
Fees also could be used to help fund the Anna Maria Island Community Center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria, according to Copeland.
But assessing the fee amount could be costly to the city.
Anna Maria city attorney Becky Vose told commissioners they would have to hire a consultant to assess the impact of a new development to determine a fee.
The commission tasked Vose with contacting a consultant and getting an estimate on such costs.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said, “It’s not worth it if we have to pay a large consulting fee and then receive only $75 a year from impact fees.”
Commissioners plan to continue their discussion on the moratorium at a special work session, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, at city hall.