Pasco County holds extraordinary‑circumstances workshop on proposed fire/rescue impact fee increases; first hearing set for May 20

Pasco County commissioners heard a workshop and held a first hearing April 22 on a proposed increase to the county's fire combat and rescue impact fees, after staff and a consultant said extraordinary circumstances justify exceeding state phase‑in limits.

The workshop presented a 2024 impact‑fee study and an ordinance (item P51) that would raise the county's fire/rescue fees to reflect updated capital needs, construction‑cost inflation and rapid population growth. County staff and consultant Peter Napoli of Santech Consulting said the existing combined fire/rescue fees have not been updated in more than 20 years and would not cover planned stations, equipment and an operations/training center without higher fees.

The study, presented by Ryan (identified in the transcript as the county's fire chief) and Peter Napoli, shows a mix of new and existing capital projects totaling roughly $153 million for fire combat and $99.5 million for rescue included in the fee basis. Napoli described the methodology as a hybrid approach that counts existing assets and planned capital improvements, then allocates the growth portion of new projects to new development. He said the county's population growth since 2004 (cited in the workshop as 43.2 percent vs. a 13.4 percent national average) and large increases in construction prices are key justifications for exceeding the statutory phase‑in limits.

Why it matters: impact fees pay for expansion‑related capital that new development requires — fire stations, apparatus and training/operations…