Commission, Newspaper Propose Higher Fees to Stimulate Business Growth

Source: County may restructure economic development; will revisit impact fee hike by Michael D. Bates; Citrus County Chronicle 1/6/22

That groundwork includes improving roads and other infrastructure to make it attractive for start-up or relocating industry, Kinnard said. But that will cost millions the county doesn’t have.

To that end, and realizing he will likely catch heat from the public, Kinnard proposed the board revisit impact fees and consider calculating the transportation/roads at 100 percent.

This one almost writes itself. The county has burned through two economic development directors in the last two years after the position sat vacant for some time before that and the problem is that the impact fees weren't high enough?

Subsidies and relocation packages are a reality in competing for big business but there's about a million things to try in competing for small to midsized business before you roll out the red carpet.

We also had millions invested in infrastructure just last year. That was what the majority of the two Covid-related stimulus packages were all about much to the dismay of the people who felt more money should have gone to struggling businesses.

This comes on the heels of the Chronicle editorial board rating the county's 2021 performance with a D+ average over 10 community goals. The paper praised Crystal River's approach, though the city increased its property taxes by a full mill last year.

I haven't watched the strategic retreat video yet, but based on this line of thinking, I've crafted a few more headlines of topics that were probably discussed: County explores waste dumping into Three Sisters Springs to conserve landfill space; Commission hires former road resurfacing company DAB planning chief as Director of Operational Efficiency; County invests seven-figures into $25 million bike path to nowhere that the state won't help fund.

Oh wait, that last one is real and happened last month.