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Highlands Today

Impact fees

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Louise Laferriere

Published: May 6, 2009

The construction industry is in a slump because there were too many homes built, followed by an economic downturn which leads to foreclosed property landing on the market. In other words, there is a slump in construction because there is too much inventory.

Property values have dropped. How do waving impact fees address the problem? It will only exacerbate the problem of too much inventory and force property values even further down. Who will have to pay for the impact costs? Why you, dear taxpaying reader.

I would support a proposal to raise the impact fee for new homes but dropping them for renovation or upgrade existing homes. That would stimulate some construction without adding an unfair burden to taxpayers. I would also support using tax dollars for construction contracts to upgrade county buildings and schools, or installing solar power. That would give something back to the taxpayer in the long run; a reduced cost of overheads in our tax bill.

I object to blindly ramming even more construction of new homes in a market where there is already too much inventory, imposing once again on us taxpayers and harming us at the same time.

Louise Laferriere Sebring

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