- April 26, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Water and sewer impact fees in the city will be increased by 2.29% and 2.32% respectively come Jan. 1, 2020, as the city makes adjustments based on the increase of construction costs.
The commission unanimously approved the increase on second reading at its Dec. 3 meeting. City documents show that the construction cost index increased by 2.3%. The increased fees should generate $15,000 more for the water and sewer impact fee funds.
Ormond Beach City Commissioner Dwight Selby asked if the fees had been evaluated recently to see if they were still appropriate.
“We started a few years ago, whenever this was enacted, and we increase each year based on construction costs, but maybe there are other factors that may have changed,” Selby said.
“There’s a lot of discussion out there about, ‘does growth pay for itself?’ This is clearly one of the ways to make sure that new growth is indeed paying for itself.”
Dwight Selby, Zone 1 City Commissioner
City Manager Joyce Shanahan said the city hasn’t done a separate evaluation on these fees since she’s been with Ormond Beach, but that they can review them in the next budget process.
Mayor Bill Partington agreed with Selby, saying he believed evaluating the fees is the “smart thing to do.”
“I know other governments have been criticized for not doing it, and [it] just keeps us current and relevant,” Partington said.
Typically the adjustment is made in October, but city documents stated that the construction cost index was only made available recently. The city has been adjusting these impact fees annually since October 2008.
The city will be requesting a $300,000 grant from the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities District for a new gymnasium at the South Ormond Neighborhood Center.
The estimated cost of the project is $800,000, city documents state. If the city receives the grant, the remaining $500,000 will come from General Fund Reserves.
It will be located between the community center and the existing tennis courts.
There’s a new deputy fire chief in town.
Tom Bazanos comes to the city with 35 years of experience. He started out his career in Port Orange, where he spent 20 years.
Eight automated license plate readers on four city intersections will be coming soon to aid in scanning license plate information for criminal cases, including stolen vehicles and missing persons, city documents detailed.
The ALPRs will be installed at:
The readers will cost $88,282.
