CRESTVIEW — The City Council hasn't renewed the traffic impact fee waiver, which could expire as the year ends.
The fee, charged to developers, was eliminated in January 2013 after Gov. Rick Scott's executive order asked that communities cut it to spur economic growth.
Here are city officials and representatives' views on the issue:
•Council members Robyn Helt, Joe Blocker and Mickey Rytman support extending the waiver.
“I don't think it's coincidental we have seen this spike (in development) over the last couple years,” Helt said. Developers “tell me the traffic impact fee waiver is one of the major considerations in deciding to build their projects.”
•City Planner Eric Davis said the city has lost approximately $394,000 in fee revenue, but traffic impact fees weren't a major factor.
“The developers who come and deal with me, they have never told me that an impact fee has kept them from Crestview,” he said. Rather, "it was the overwhelming proportionate fair share fee."
Proportionate fair share, or “prop share,” was a "pay-as-you-grow" fee that helped fund public services associated with commercial growth. It died in September 2012 after the council amended the city’s comprehensive plan.
“The prop share was the fee that for five years killed any development on (Highway) 85 between 90 and the (Shoal) River,” Davis said.
•City attorney Jerry Miller has advised the council to end the waiver. Periodically extending it could expose the city to litigation if some businesses were exempt from the fee while others paid it, he said.
A decision to extend the waiver should be based on an independent expert's objective study, Miller said.
Atkins Engineering, which becomes the city’s traffic consultant in a month, could conduct such a study, city planner Eric Davis said.
•Councilman Tom Gordon said he would support renewing the fee waiver if a traffic engineering firm's independent study supports it.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's traffic impact fee waiver may die by year's end