Polk County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to update the impact fees they charge against new development to keep up with the increased traffic congestion that development causes.
But there’s a catch.
Legislators passed a law a few years ago that requires local officials to phase in the increases to provide relief for developers at your expense, commissioners were told as they prepared to vote.
That means the total effect of the impact fee increase won’t be felt for five years.
Add to that the local ordinance that gives developers several months of delay between the time the impact fee increase is improved and the time it actually takes effect.
The only somewhat bright spot in this imbroglio is that the County Commission has asked its staff to come up with a formula to determine how impact fee charges might be adjusted to account for developments such as warehouse distribution centers that generate more truck traffic than car traffic because of the obvious congestion truck traffic causes locally in places such as the State Road 33 corridor.
This is reportedly the first such attempt in Florida to deal with this disparity.
However, motorists may have to wait awhile on that change, too.
Happy driving.