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Pasco County board hears mobility-fee increase, weighs exemptions for large sports facilities
Summary
Pasco County staff presented proposed mobility-fee increases that would cover about 25% of nearly $7 billion in projected transportation needs; the county attorney advised a unanimous vote is required and the board delayed a final vote, discussing discounted rates or exemptions for large hockey and golf complexes.
Nick (county engineer) told the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners that the proposed mobility-fee update "cover[s] 25% of our projected nearly $7,000,000,000 of needed transportation facilities," and that the recommended fee increases exceed statutory limits but are backed by a recent study citing "extraordinary circumstances." The presentation described fee changes, updated schedules and proposed language to amend the county's land development code.
County Attorney (speaker 7) advised the board that state law and case law require a unanimous vote of the full board for the ordinance to take effect, and recommended postponing the final adoption until a full board could vote. "You can take public comment, you can hear a presentation, you can have discussion," the attorney said, "but my recommendation to you would be that you not take the final vote today until you have a full board." The chair acknowledged that recommendation and directed staff to present a consolidated ordinance for adoption when the full board is assembled.
Discussion among commissioners focused on where to set discounted thresholds and whether targeted incentives would help attract regional economic generators. The chair and other commissioners floated exempting or heavily discounting mobility fees for large visitor attractions, including a proposal to create a category for an "ice hockey complex" with four or more sheets of ice and to reduce or eliminate mobility fees for such facilities to encourage regional tourism. Nick said staff could add a new fee-schedule row to implement that approach and presented preliminary figures for how different uses would be charged under the draft schedule.
Commissioners also discussed lowering the acreage threshold for discounted suburban mobility-fee rates for rural lots (from 5 acres to 2.5 acres) and whether those reductions would need to be offset by other revenue sources, such as the transportation portion of the local option sales surtax, the second local option gas tax, and tax increment funds. One commissioner described trying to use fee incentives previously to attract large regional facilities, saying it had reduced the impact-fee burden on a hockey project in the past.
No final vote was taken. The board accepted public comment, reviewed options and directed staff to revise the draft ordinance and return a consolidated version for adoption when the full board is present at a future meeting.
