County hires Kimley‑Horn to prepare impact-fee study; board asks for fast timeline and public workshop

The Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday directed staff to hire Kimley‑Horn and Associates to produce a new impact‑fee study for the county and set a fast schedule for public outreach.

Mike Woodward, a Kimley‑Horn consultant, told commissioners the study would compute one‑time development fees by measuring the capacity new development will consume and the cost of that capacity. “The basic calculation starts out fairly straightforward: it’s the amount of capacity that’s going to be consumed by the new development times the cost of that capacity,” Woodward said. He stressed that fees cannot be used for maintenance and must meet Florida’s legal standards, citing the “dual rational nexus” test that ties fees to costs and benefits to new development.

Commissioners asked the consultant to break proposed fees down to commonly used development categories and to include sufficient line‑item detail so the board can combine or split uses (for example, single‑family by size, duplexes, multifamily). Woodward said Kimley‑Horn can produce highly granular results and recommended providing all the detailed calculations for the board to decide which categories to keep or combine.

On timing, Woodward offered an initial schedule for the county: “Let’s call it four” months to deliver a draft calculation and supporting documentation, he said, and noted Florida law imposes a 90‑day notice period before a fee ordinance becomes effective. He added the full process can be completed within a year if the board moves quickly. Commissioners asked staff to return a written fee proposal and to place a consultant contract on the next agenda for board approval.

The board also asked Kimley‑Horn to plan one publicly advertised workshop held in the commission chamber to present draft fees and answer questions; commissioners said that outreach should follow staff review of the consultant’s draft. Woodward warned the outreach phase is often the pace‑limiting step and recommended clear, transparent appendices in the study so residents can see how numbers were derived.

Next steps: staff will request a written scope and cost estimate from Kimley‑Horn, return the quote for board action and schedule a public workshop after the consultant delivers draft figures.