Impact Fee Changes Approved

    The Lake County Commission on Tuesday approved a new impact fee schedule for educational facilities. Acting on a study forwarded from the Lake County School Board, a divided commission approved a schedule that will either raise or lower construction impact fees based on house size.
   The new schedule is set to go into effect on October 1, and alters the current impact fee structure from a set fee to a scale that changes based on the size of the home.
   The fee approved Tuesday creates a lower fee, at $6,897, for homes at 800 square feet or less, and $9,701 for homes over 800 square feet. Currently, the fee is $8,826 for any home. However, Lake County doesn't currently allow homes smaller than 850 square feet to be built. Extended discussion on Tuesday among the commission could lead to a change in that law in the coming months due to growing interest in smaller homes from both young professionals and retirees.
   Commissioners Sean Parks, Leslie Campione, and Doug Shields voted to support the measure on Tuesday, with Josh Blake and Kirby Smith voting against.
   “Thank you for your partnership,” said Lake County Schools superintendent Diane Kornegay, as she addressed the commission at the end of the school system’s presentation in support of the changes, which the system felt is needed due to increasing costs associated with building and maintaining school buildings in the county.
   Data presented Tuesday indicated Lake County sits at 35th among Florida’s 67 counties in millage revenue per student, which is the amount of money generated per student based on property taxes.
   The commission is interested in having further discussion on minimum house sizes allowable by county code.
   “It might be smarter to bump that up,” said Campione, responding to Smith and Blake’s ideas on the subject.
   "That's a pretty hefty fee," Blake said regarding the impact fee on an 800-square-foot home.
   The matter is expected to come before the commission in the coming months.