[00:00:01]
ALL RIGHT. I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
[Call to Order]
THIS IS THE CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS COUNCIL WORKSHOP FOR OCTOBER 19TH, 2023.IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
WOULD THE CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? MAYOR REED HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER. MIDDLETON HERE.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND WE'LL GET STARTED WITH OUR PRESENTATION OF OUR PROPOSED IMPACT FEES.
[III. ANNOUNCEMENTS / PRESENTATIONS]
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.MY NAME IS JOANNE SCURRIA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING.
AND WE ALSO HAVE A SIGN IN SHEET AVAILABLE BY THE MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR.
SO I WILL ASK THAT ANY ATTENDEES PLEASE SIGN IN FOR OUR MEETING RECORDS FOR A BRIEF BACKGROUND.
THE PREVIOUS IMPACT FEE UPDATE WAS CONDUCTED IN 2016 AND BECAME EFFECTIVE IN 2017.
THE CURRENT PROPOSAL UPDATES THE METHODOLOGY FOR POLICE, FIRE AND EMS, PARKS AND RECREATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES TO A MORE ACCURATE, PLAN BASED FEE.
BUT I'LL LET OUR CONSULTANT GO INTO THE DETAILS OF THAT.
ROAD AND MOBILITY FEES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS UPDATE.
THEY WILL BE UPDATED SEPARATELY AND THE USE CATEGORIES HAVE BEEN STREAMLINED.
AND NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR CONSULTANT FOR AN OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT FEE UPDATES.
HE HAS A LONG LIST OF CLIENTS AS WELL, INCLUDING THE CITY OF SAINT AUGUSTINE, CITY OF GAINESVILLE, CITY OF PORT SAINT LUCIE AND STAFF HIRED NEW URBAN CONCEPTS IN 2022 TO COMPLETE THE UPDATE OF THE CITY'S IMPACT FEES.
MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE MR. JONATHAN PAUL. GREAT.
I'M THE PRINCIPAL OF NEW URBAN CONCEPTS, DOING A PRESENTATION THIS EVENING ON AN UPDATE OF THE CITY'S IMPACT FEES AND ALSO DISCUSSING A TOPIC WHAT'S KNOWN AS EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
THE. ALL THE INFORMATION WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS EVENING IS DOCUMENTED IN A TECHNICAL REPORT.
IT'S QUITE LENGTHY AND DETAILED.
IT IS AVAILABLE ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE FOR VIEWING.
AND AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS WORKSHOP THIS EVENING, BASED ON ANY FEEDBACK WE RECEIVE FROM THE COMMUNITY, THERE MAY BE SOME UPDATES IN THIS TECHNICAL REPORT, ALONG WITH DRAFT ORDINANCES WILL BE POSTED ONTO THE CITY'S IMPACT FEE PAGE AS WE APPROACH THE ADOPTION HEARINGS IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR. SO IF YOU MISS ANYTHING THIS EVENING, OR YOU WANT FURTHER DETAIL ON ANY SUBJECT FOR ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT MAY BE VIEWING, THE REPORT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE. AS JOANNA MENTIONED, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF THE CITY'S PARK AND RECREATION FEE.
POLICE PROTECTION IMPACT FEE AND PUBLIC FACILITIES FEE.
BOTH OF THOSE WILL BE UPDATED UNDER A SEPARATE TECHNICAL REPORT.
SO WE'VE LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, BOTH WHAT ARE THE EXISTING CONDITIONS TODAY? WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS IN 2035 AND IN THE REPORT ITSELF? WE ALSO LOOKED OUT AS FAR AS 2045.
AND BASED ON THOSE AREAS, OUR PROJECTIONS ARE.
THE CURRENT POPULATION AS OF 2022 IS 60,675.
WE PROJECT POTENTIALLY UPWARDS TO 93,000 RESIDENTS WITHIN CURRENT CITY LIMITS, AND THE POTENTIAL ANNEXATION OF AREAS ADJACENT TO THE CITY LARGELY THINK OF SOME OF THE ENCLAVES THAT EXIST ALONG PROSPERITY FARMS OR US ONE ALONG THOSE AREAS.
[00:05:07]
THEY POTENTIALLY COULD ADD TO THE CITY'S POPULATION.WE ALSO LOOKED AT EMPLOYMENT AND IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT, THIS IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES WITHIN THE CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS, NOT FOR THE CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS, BUT THOSE FOLKS THAT ACTUALLY COME INTO YOUR COMMUNITY OR LIVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND WORK HERE TODAY.
THERE ARE 36,000 OF THOSE AS OF 2022.
WE PROJECT THAT NUMBER COULD INCREASE AS HIGH AS 62,000 BY 2035.
SO THAT'S A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF 24,000 EMPLOYEES WITHIN THE OVERALL COMMUNITY.
IN ORDER TO UPDATE IMPACT FEES, WE HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR NON RESIDENTIAL USES.
THINK OF YOUR PLACE OF WORSHIP, THE OFFICE, YOUR RETAIL USES, INDUSTRIAL USES.
THEY ALL HAVE EMPLOYEES THAT GENERATE IMPACT INTO THE COMMUNITY, NOT NECESSARILY RESIDENTS.
SO WE HAVE TO CONVERT THOSE EMPLOYEES TO WHAT'S KNOWN AS AN EQUIVALENT RESIDENT, AND WHY THEY'RE EQUIVALENT IS THAT SOMEBODY THAT LIVES IN THIS COMMUNITY TENDS TO USE THOSE FACILITIES SUCH AS PARKS, GOVERNMENT SERVICES, POLICE AND FIRE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DAY.
BUT IF YOU'RE LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY, THEN YOU COME INTO THIS COMMUNITY TO WORK.
YOU'RE NOT HAVING A FULL TIME IMPACT ON THOSE FACILITIES.
120,000 EQUIVALENT RESIDENTS IN 2035.
AND THIS NUMBER OF 120,900, ROUGHLY, IS IN THE TECHNICAL REPORT NUMEROUS TIMES.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT AS A REFERENCE.
AND WHAT IS THE CITY DONE FROM ITS INCEPTION UP TO THE DATE OF THAT STUDY? AND THEN IT SAYS THE PAST WILL PREDICT THE FUTURE.
THAT'S HOW WE CALCULATE THE IMPACT FEE.
THAT'S WHAT YOUR CURRENT SYSTEM DOES TODAY.
UNDER THIS APPROACH, IT MORE MIRRORS THE CITY'S MOBILITY FEE.
THE CITY'S MOBILITY FEE LOOKED OUT TO 2040.
SO IT'S A FORWARD LOOKING PLAN.
ALL THE PROJECTS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE AND THE FEES THEMSELVES, THEY'RE ALL FORWARD LOOKING.
THEY'RE ALL WHAT'S REASONABLY ANTICIPATED BETWEEN 2022 AND 2035 OUT INTO THE FUTURE.
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY MORE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT CASE LAW REQUIRES.
AND ALSO WHAT FLORIDA STATUTE REQUIRES AS WELL, IS THEY WANT TO SEE A CONNECTION BETWEEN GROWTH IN A COMMUNITY AND THE NEED FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS TO SERVE THAT GROWTH.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE OVERALL IMPACT FEE TECHNICAL REPORT ITSELF DOCUMENTS.
SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE DID LOOK AT IN TERMS OF DEVELOPING THE FEE IS WHAT ARE THE CURRENT SERVICE STANDARDS OR LEVEL OF SERVICE STANDARDS THAT THE CITY HAS ADOPTED TODAY IN ITS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND IN YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? CURRENTLY, YOU HAVE A STANDARD FOR PARKS AND RECREATION.
THAT'S FIVE ACRES PER 1000 RESIDENTS.
THAT MEANS THE CITY'S GOAL FOR PLANNING PURPOSES IS TO ENSURE THAT ITS RESIDENTS, OR EVERY 1000 RESIDENTS, HAVE ACCESS TO AT LEAST FIVE ACRES OF CITY OWNED PARKS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY FOR FIRE RESCUE.
AND BELIEVE NINE AND A HALF GOING SERVING THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S ONE OF THE METRICS THAT FIRE RESCUE USES A LOT FOR ITS ACCREDITATION.
BUT IN TERMS OF TIMING THAT TO GROWTH, IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO TIE NECESSARILY RESPONSE TIMES TO THAT.
IT'S KIND OF HARD TO DETERMINE WHAT'S YOUR FUTURE NEED IS BASED ON JUST THE RESPONSE TIME.
IN ADDITION, YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, YOUR CURRENT SERVICE STANDARD IS CALLS FOR SERVICE.
AND ONE THING WE SEE IN A LOT OF COMMUNITIES IS AS YOU HAVE A GROWING COMMUNITY, YOU HAVE GROWING ISSUES WITH TRAFFIC, CRIME, OTHERS WHERE YOU ACTUALLY SEE A AN INCREASE IN CALLS FOR SERVICE IN ADDITION TO INCREASES IN POPULATION.
[00:10:01]
WELL, YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, BASED ON THE POLICE CHIEF'S DIRECTION, YOUR DIRECTION AS A CITY COUNCIL ACTIVELY ENGAGES IN COMMUNITY POLICING.SO YOUR POPULATION IS GOING UP.
COMMUNITY POLICING IS EFFECTIVELY WORKING IN TERMS OF THE RESPONSE TO SERVICE, BUT IN TERMS OF A GROWTH MEASUREMENT, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HELP YOU BECAUSE IT'S BASICALLY SAYING YOUR CALLS GO DOWN AS YOUR GROWTH GOES UP.
AND SO WE HAD TO LOOK AT A METRIC OF WHAT'S MORE REALISTIC IN TERMS OF MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE FUTURE AND STILL KEEPING A HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
PRIMARILY, THEY'RE USE FOR IMPACT FEES, BUT THE CITY COULD ALSO CONSIDER THEM AS EITHER UPDATES TO YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OR FOR PLANNING PURPOSES FOR REZONING, FOR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENTS, FOR ANNEXATIONS.
THE QUESTION IS, WHAT IMPACT WILL THIS USE HAVE ON THE CITY IN THE FUTURE? THIS ACTUALLY PROVIDES A WAY TO QUANTIFY THAT.
AND SO THE FIRST ONE, WHAT WE DID, IN ADDITION TO ALL THOSE SERVICE STANDARDS, THE CITY ACTUALLY HAS BEEN TRACKING THOSE OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, AND YOU UPDATE THEM AS PART OF YOUR BUDGET PROCESS EVERY YEAR.
BUT THEY'RE LOOKING ONLY AT RESIDENTS.
SO WE LOOKED AT BOTH FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENT IN TERMS OF POPULATION OF RESIDENTS AND EMPLOYMENT BACK TO STARTING IN 2012 UP TO 2022 TO GET A TEN YEAR AVERAGE.
WHAT WERE YOU AS A CITY PROVIDING IN 2022 BASED ON 23 FISCAL BUDGET, AND THEN THE STANDARD THAT WE USED FOR THE ACTUAL IMPACT FEES? AND SO FOR PARK AND RECREATION, THE CITY TODAY IS ACTUALLY PROVIDING 7.3 ACRES OF LAND FOR EVERY 1000 FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENT RESIDENTS.
HISTORICALLY, YOU'VE AVERAGED JUST UNDER FIVE, I BELIEVE A FEW YEARS BACK THROUGH THE THE ALTON DEVELOPMENT, THERE WAS AN ACQUISITION OF SOME PARK AND RECREATION SPACE WHICH JUMPED THAT NUMBER UP.
SO THAT BASICALLY MEANS YOU'RE MEETING THAT STANDARD TODAY.
AND SO WE KEPT THAT FIVE ACRES PER 1000 BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IT'S A VERY REALISTIC NUMBER.
BUT WE'VE ALSO EXPANDED IT TO INCLUDE NON RESIDENTIAL USES.
RIGHT NOW IT'S ONLY ASSOCIATED WITH RESIDENTIAL.
THIS WOULD ASSOCIATE WITH NON RESIDENTIAL AS WELL.
WE LOOKED AT FIRE RESCUE PERSONNEL.
AND OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS THIS IS BOTH FIREFIGHTERS EMS AND THEIR SUPPORT STAFF.
YOU'VE ROUGHLY PROVIDED 1.8 FOR PERSONNEL PER 1000 EQUIVALENT RESIDENTS.
YOUR FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET, WHICH INCLUDES FUNDING FOR STATION SIX, IN ADDITION TO THE FIREFIGHTERS AND SUPPORT STAFF FOR THAT, ACTUALLY HAD YOUR SERVICE STANDARD PROVIDED AT TWO PERSONNEL PER 1000 EQUIVALENT RESIDENTS.
WE THOUGHT IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE THE FIRE CHIEF GOING FORWARD IN THE COMMUNITY, AS YOU HAVE ANNEXATION, AS YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THAT THIS STANDARD WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP THEM TO BE ABLE TO ADEQUATELY PROVIDE SERVICES INTO THE FUTURE.
SO WE USE A STANDARD OF TWO PERSONNEL PER 1000 EQUIVALENT RESIDENTS.
THE HISTORIC AVERAGE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN ROUGHLY 2.5.
AS OF 2022 AND 2023, THOSE SERVICE STANDARDS WERE ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT BELOW THAT.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT PUBLIC FACILITIES OR GENERAL GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL.
AND IN TERMS OF GENERAL GOVERNMENT, THAT NUMBER EXCLUDES FIRE-RESCUE AND EXCLUDES PARK AND RECREATION STAFF BECAUSE PARK AND RECREATION STAFF ARE COVERED UNDER THE PARK FEE.
IT'S NATHALIE, JOANNE, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
IT'S MAX AND MR. FERRIS, THE ADMINISTRATION.
IT'S YOUR ALL'S YOURSELF AS COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IT'S YOUR GENERAL SUPPORT STAFF FOR THE CITY.
[00:15:02]
AND THAT'S AVERAGED ROUGHLY 2.26 PERSONNEL PER THOUSAND IN THE PAST.YOUR PROJECTED BUDGET AS OF 2023.
SO AT LEAST IN TERMS OF IMPACT FEES.
WE DIDN'T USE RESPONSE TIME FOR FIRE RESCUE OF EIGHT MINUTES.
WE USED TWO PERSONNEL PER 1000 RESIDENTS.
THAT DEVELOPMENT'S GOING TO ADD 1000 RESIDENTS AND 200 EMPLOYEES.
SO IT ACTUALLY POTENTIALLY SERVES AS A STANDARD THAT THE CITY COULD ALSO USE FOR PLANNING PURPOSES.
BUT FOR OUR PURPOSES, IT'S WHAT THE BASIS OF THE IMPACT FEE IS.
AND SO WITH THAT, WE LOOKED FIRST AT THE PARKS AND RECREATION SYSTEM.
TODAY YOU'RE PROVIDING, OR YOUR LEVEL OF SERVICE STANDARDS AT FIVE ACRES PER THOUSAND, WOULD REQUIRE YOU TO PROVIDE 388 ACRES OF LAND, OR ROUGHLY 400 ACRES OF LAND YOU'RE ACTUALLY PROVIDING TODAY, 569.
IF WE STAYED WITH THE CURRENT METHODOLOGY THAT THE CITY HAS TODAY.
AND DETAILED IN TECHNICAL REPORT IS BASICALLY SAYING THAT METHODOLOGY IS BASED ON WHAT SERVICE STANDARD OF THE CITY IS PROVIDING TODAY, WHICH IS ROUGHLY SEVEN ACRES, NOT NECESSARILY YOUR FIVE ACRE STANDARD.
WELL, YOUR SYSTEM AND YOUR FOCUS IS REALLY MORE ACTIVATING THE SPACES THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE TODAY, ENHANCING, ADDING TO THE SPACES THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE FOR YOUR RESIDENTS AND ALSO FOR FUTURE GROWTH.
SO UNDER THIS APPROACH, UNDER THE STANDARDS BASED APPROACH, NEW DEVELOPMENT AND THE CITY ITSELF IS ACTUALLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OR HAS THE ABILITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT ACREAGE YOU'VE ALREADY PUT IN PLACE.
SO THE FUTURE NEED IS 604 ACRES.
AND IT'S MORE IN KEEPING WITH THE OVERALL DIRECTION OF THE CITY'S PARK FACILITIES THEMSELVES.
AND SO AS PART OF THAT WE LOOKED AT SOME OF THE NUMBERS.
BUT WE LOOKED AT ALLOCATING THAT 35 ACRES INTO WHAT WE BELIEVE COULD BE NEEDED WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
AS YOU CONTINUE TO TO REDEVELOP AN INFILL DEVELOP EAST OF THE INTERSTATE, THERE'S A POTENTIAL TO NEED UPWARDS OF TEN ACRES THAT COULD BE POTENTIALLY HARD TO ACQUIRE SOMETIMES, BUT IT COULD ALSO BE AN OPPORTUNITY SIMILAR TO HOW YOU DO A LOT OF ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS TODAY TO WORK AT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. SO AS REDEVELOPMENT OCCURS, AS IT SAY, MAYBE TEARS OUT A SURFACE PARKING LOT AND PUTS IN A PARKING STRUCTURE.
OR MAYBE THOSE FUTURE STORMWATER FACILITIES ARE ALSO AN ACTIVE RECREATION FACILITY.
OR MAYBE YOU UNDERGROUND SOME PORTION OF EXISTING STORMWATER TODAY AND USE THAT AS OPEN SPACE.
SO IT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT WILL BE FURTHER REFINED AS YOU GO THROUGH YOUR PROCESS.
IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.
ADDING CAPACITY TO THE FACILITIES THAT YOU HAVE TODAY, SUCH AS ENHANCEMENTS TO THE BURN ROADS COMMUNITY CENTER, THE FIELD HOUSE, PGA SPORTS BUILDING, MIRASOL PARK FACILITIES. THERE'S ACTUALLY A DETAILED LIST OF FUTURE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT ADD CAPACITY TO THE OVERALL PARK SYSTEM, AND THAT ADDED CAPACITY IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ACCOMMODATED TO FUTURE GROWTH.
AND SO THAT HAS A PROJECTED COST TODAY.
WE DID ANTICIPATE SOME POTENTIAL FUNDING THROUGH THE BONDING PROCESS AND THROUGH THOSE CALCULATIONS.
IT ENDS UP AT A RATE OF $1,812 PER FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENT RESIDENT.
IN CONTEXT, THOSE NUMBERS SEEM LARGE AND DON'T REALLY HAVE A LOT OF.
YOU KNOW. CONTEXT AS IT RELATES TO THIS TABLE.
[00:20:03]
BUT AS YOU SEE, THAT NUMBER IN TERMS OF THE FEE ITSELF IS ACTUALLY CONSISTENT WITH WHAT THE CITY IS PROVIDING TODAY IN TERMS OF ITS FEE.SO WE LOOKED AT WHAT THE CITY OF BOCA RATON CHARGES.
THE CHARGE, ROUGHLY $4,500 FOR A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE BETWEEN 2000 AND 4000FT² IN SIZE.
WELLINGTON CHARGES $4,000 PER DWELLING UNIT.
PALM BEACH COUNTY THEIR CALCULATED FEE WAS $2,300 FOR A 2000 TO 3500 SQUARE FOOT HOME.
THEREFORE, STATUTE LIMITED HOW MUCH THAT FEE COULD BE INCREASED.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE A COUNTY FEE OF $951 FOR THAT RESIDENCE TODAY.
SOMEBODY COMES IN AND APPLIES FOR A BUILDING PERMIT.
THAT'S WHAT THEY PAY TO THE CITY TODAY BASED ON THE UPDATED IMPACT FEE.
A 3000 SQUARE FOOT HOUSE WOULD PAY $4,000.
SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN WHAT IS THE CURRENT FEE.
SO SMALLER HOMES, WHICH POTENTIALLY HAVE FEWER RESIDENTS, WOULD PAY LESS OF AN IMPACT.
LARGER HOMES THAT HAVE MORE BEDROOMS THAT HAVE POTENTIALLY HAVE MORE EITHER RESIDENTS OR GUESTS OR VISITORS TO THOSE FACILITIES WOULD PAY A HIGHER FEE. SO THEY PAY THE SAME DOLLAR AMOUNT PER SQUARE FOOT.
BUT FOR SMALLER USES, THEY WOULD PAY LESS.
FOR LARGER RESIDENTS, THEY WOULD PAY MORE.
AND WE'LL GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF OVERALL PALM BEACH GARDENS.
BUT THE FEE ITSELF TODAY IS RELATIVELY COMPARABLE TO WHAT YOU ARE CHARGING ALREADY.
UM, THIS IS A ALL THAT ALL THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, ALL THE DATA ANALYSIS, EVERYTHING IN THE TECHNICAL REPORT LEADS US TO WHAT'S KNOWN AS AN IMPACT FEE SCHEDULE. AND THIS IS WHAT EACH LAND USE WOULD PAY WITHIN THE CITY AS THEY COME IN FOR BUILDING PERMITS.
ALL THE FEES FOR RESIDENTIAL ON A PER 1000 SQUARE FOOT BASIS ARE LOWER THAN WHAT THEY ARE TODAY.
BUT IF YOU CALCULATE THAT OUT AND WE USED A FEW EXAMPLES OF A MULTIFAMILY, WHICH IS AN APARTMENT OF 1250FT², THEIR FEE WOULD BE 5% HIGHER THAN IT IS TODAY FOR TOWNHOMES, CONDOS AND DUPLEXES.
THE CITY FOR WHATEVER REASON BACK IN 2016, WHICH IS A FEE THAT WAS LAST UPDATED.
IT COMBINED TOWNHOMES, CONDOS AND MULTIFAMILY TOGETHER.
AND AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE LAND USE EVALUATION, THE PARCEL LEVEL DATA ANALYSIS IN PALM BEACH GARDENS, WE FOUND THAT THERE WAS A PRETTY BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN APARTMENT, WHICH AVERAGES AROUND 150FT², AND A TOWNHOME WHICH IS ROUGHLY 2500FT², A CONDO OF ROUGHLY A 2000FT².
THERE'S A QUITE BIG DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND IMPACT.
SO PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO SEPARATE OUT SINGLE FAMILY ATTACHED USES.
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY CONSISTENT WITH HOW YOU DO YOUR ROAD IMPACT FEE AND MOBILITY FEE TODAY.
AS THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF A RESIDENTIAL UNIT WERE TO INCREASE, THAT FEE WOULD INCREASE AS WELL.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF BUILDING PERMITS WE'VE SEEN COME IN OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS.
THEY TEND TO RANGE BETWEEN 3000 AND 4000FT² IN SIZE.
YOU HAVE SOME THAT ARE LOWER, YOU HAVE SOME THAT ARE HIGHER.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT PROBABLY ABOUT A 30% INCREASE, WHICH IS SORT OF THE HIGHER RANGE.
AND THAT'S A DISCUSSION WE CAN HAVE.
FURTHER AS TO WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO KEEP THAT LIMIT.
[00:25:01]
BUT WE'LL SHOW YOU IN THIS REPORT HOW WE ACTUALLY CAME ABOUT THAT.THE ONE DIFFERENCE TODAY IS NON RESIDENTIAL USES DO NOT PAY A PARK AND RECREATION IMPACT FEE.
WE ARE PROPOSING TO INCLUDE THOSE AS THAT OCCURS.
SO A LOT OF THE OFFICE FACILITIES YOU SEE HERE THE RETAIL FACILITIES, THEY WOULD START TO PAY A PARK AND PARK AND RECREATION IMPACT FEE FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES, NOT NECESSARILY FOR THEIR VISITORS, FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES.
BUT THESE FEES, YOU SEE, ARE LOWER COMPARED TO THE RESIDENTIAL BECAUSE THE ASSUMPTION IS THOSE EMPLOYEES WOULD HAVE ACCESS MAYBE FOR HALF AN HOUR BEFORE WORK AND HALF AN HOUR FOR LUNCH, A HALF AN HOUR FOR AFTER WORK.
SO THE IMPACT ITSELF IS NOT CALCULATED BASED ON THE FULL ACCESS TO THE WHOLE DAY.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF MUNICIPALITIES THROUGHOUT FLORIDA THAT HAVE A ROBUST PARK SYSTEM ARE MOVING TOWARDS, BECAUSE MORE AND MORE EMPLOYEES USE THESE USES, HOTEL VISITORS USE THESE PARK AND RECREATION SYSTEMS. THE KIDS THAT GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS OR KIDS THAT GO TO DAYCARE USE THESE FACILITIES AS WELL.
AND SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT MANY MUNICIPALITIES ARE MOVING TOWARDS.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING AS WELL THAT THE CITY MAY WANT TO CONSIDER.
BUT THIS WOULD BE A CHANGE FROM WHAT YOU ALL CURRENTLY HAVE TODAY.
AS YOU SEE, JUST GOING THROUGH THOSE FEES.
SO THE NEXT FEE IS THE FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT AND YOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE PERSONNEL.
CURRENTLY, THE CITY HAS FIVE FIRE STATIONS.
AS OF 2022, THERE'S ROUGHLY 139 PERSONNEL.
THOSE ARE FIREFIGHTERS, EMS AND SUPPORT STAFF.
IN 2035, THERE'S A PROJECTION OF A NEED FOR NINE STATIONS AND 242 PERSONNEL, OR THE NET INCREASE IS FOUR STATIONS AND 103 PERSONNEL.
WE DID THIS PARTIALLY BECAUSE ALL OF OUR DATA IS USING THE 2022 BASELINE.
SO RIGHT NOW, BY THE START OF 2024, THE 2023 DATA WILL BECOME AVAILABLE.
SO THAT'S REALLY WHY WE USE THE 2022 NUMBER.
THE DETAILED LIST OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DOES INCLUDE THE COST OF FOUR NEW STATIONS, THE FIRE ENGINES TO SERVICE THOSE STATIONS, THE EQUIPMENTS, THE VEHICLES AND ALSO A SHARE OF THE OVERALL FACILITIES.
BUT WHAT WE DO RECOGNIZE IS THAT YOU AS A CITY, HAVE ALREADY EARMARKED FUNDING FOR STATION SIX.
YOUR FUTURE NEED AFTER 2023 IS GOING TO BE THREE ADDITIONAL FIRE STATIONS.
SO YOU REAL NEED WOULD BE ROUGHLY 80 FIREFIGHTERS GOING FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE.
AND WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THE CITY ITSELF HAS BEEN PRETTY SUCCESSFUL AT ACQUIRING OTHER FUNDS, EITHER THROUGH GRANTS, THROUGH APPROPRIATIONS OF YOUR AD VALOREM REVENUES OR SOME OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.
YOU'LL NOTICE THERE'S NOT A COMPARATIVE TABLE IN THIS FEE.
A LOT OF THEM ACTUALLY RELY ON PALM BEACH COUNTY'S FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE SERVICE, AND SO THE COUNTY ITSELF WOULD CHARGE A FIRE IMPACT FEE FOR THOSE MUNICIPALITIES THAT IT PROVIDES SERVICE TO.
THE FIRE IMPACT FEE IS NOT ASSESSED WITHIN PALM BEACH GARDENS FROM PALM BEACH COUNTY, SO THEY'VE ELECTED NOT TO ASSESS THAT FEE WITHIN THE CITY BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THE COUNTY DOES ASSESS, AND IT'S NOT THAT FULLY CALCULATED RATE.
IT'S IT'S SOMEWHAT A REDUCED RATE.
THEY DO ASSESS A PORTION OF ITS PARK FEE.
TO ALL MUNICIPALITIES IN THE CITY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, BUT IT DOES VARY PER MUNICIPALITY.
[00:30:04]
IT ALSO VARIES WHETHER YOU'RE AN UNINCORPORATED AREA OR WITHIN AN URBANIZED AREA.IF A CITY HAS ITS OWN DEPARTMENTS, THE COUNTY DOES NOT CHARGE ITS FEE.
SO THAT'S I BELIEVE DELRAY IS LOOKING AT A FEE.
JUPITER MAY BE LOOKING AT ONE, BOCA MAY BE LOOKING AT ONE.
BUT THE VAST MAJORITY DO NOT HAVE A FIRE IMPACT FEE.
THE GARDENS DOES. AND THE GARDENS HAS HAD ONE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
SO YOU'D REASONABLY ANTICIPATE YOUR FEE ITSELF IS GOING TO GO UP SOMEWHAT AS WELL.
AND SO THE VAST MAJORITY OF USES FOR FIRE RESCUE, IT'S AROUND A 30% INCREASE FOR THE RESIDENTIAL.
FOR THE NON RESIDENTIAL USES THE COMMERCIAL IT'S ROUGHLY 30% OFFICE IT'S 25.
THE SINGLE FAMILY ATTACHED, YOU'LL SEE IS CONSISTENTLY HIGHER THROUGHOUT ALL OF THESE BECAUSE PRESENTLY IT'S TREATED TODAY AS MULTIFAMILY, BUT BASED ON ITS ACTUAL IMPACT, IT REALLY IS REALLY MORE OF A STANDALONE USE THAT WOULD HAVE ITS OWN FEE.
AND THAT'S WHY YOU ACTUALLY SEE A HIGHER PERCENTAGE FOR THAT.
THERE ARE THREE LAND USES THROUGHOUT ALL FOUR FEES.
YOUR CURRENT FEE IS BASED ON A PER STUDENT NUMBER.
THAT'S REALLY HARD TO ACTUALLY ADMINISTER AND EVALUATE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY CONVERTING THAT TO A PER 1000 SQUARE FOOT.
SO THAT'S PART OF THE DIFFERENCE WHY YOU SEE THAT AS AN OVERALL INCREASE.
AND THEN THE OTHER ONE THAT'S CONSISTENTLY HIGHER IS COMMERCIAL STORAGE.
AND FOR WHATEVER REASON THE FEE WAS ABNORMALLY LOW BEFORE.
AND BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A LOW NUMBER ANY INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE SEEMS LARGE.
BUT IN ESSENCE IT'S STILL ONE OF THE CHEAPEST OVERALL FEES.
AND WHY THE 71% MATTERS IS I'LL EXPLAIN TO YOU AS WE GET INTO EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE, BECAUSE THERE'S ACTUALLY A STATUTORY REQUIREMENT IN TERMS OF OVERALL FEES AND THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE OF THOSE FEES OVER YOUR EXISTING RATES.
BUT AGAIN, MOST OF THESE ARE ACTUALLY REFLECTING WHAT THE ACTUAL INCREASE IS IN BOTH IMPACT AND ALSO THE FACT THAT YOU'RE GOING FROM A CONSUMPTION SYSTEM TO A DETAILED LIST OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
TODAY, THE POLICE STATION, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS FOCUSED ON SORT OF A CENTRALIZED COMMAND WITH ITS HEADQUARTERS HERE, AND ALL RESPONSE COMES OUT OF THAT FACILITY TODAY.
SOME COMMUNITIES OPT TO HAVE SUBSTATIONS AND A LOT OF OTHER DIFFERENT LITTLE SMALLER VENUES.
THE CITY ITSELF SELECTED TO HAVE A CENTRALIZED STATION.
THEY HAVE 186 SWORN OFFICERS AND SUPPORT STAFF AS OF 2022.
THE PROJECTION GOING FORWARD IS A NEED FOR 23,000 ADDITIONAL SQUARE FEET.
PROJECTION IS UPWARDS OF 302 OFFICERS BY 2035, WHICH WOULD BE AN INCREASE OF 116 PERSONNEL BETWEEN 2022 AND 2035.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT POTENTIAL NEED WOULD LIKELY BE A CITY FACILITY OUT WEST IN THE ALTON DEVELOPMENT, OR SERVING YOUR RESIDENTS OUT THERE IF YOU WERE TO PROVIDE ONE.
THAT'S LIKELY WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THAT SQUARE FOOTAGE WOULD BE.
BUT THERE ALSO IS A NEED FOR NEW OFFICERS.
THOSE NEW OFFICERS NEED VEHICLES.
THEY INCLUDE A TACTICAL TRAINING FACILITY.
AND SO THAT LIST OF IMPROVEMENTS SORT OF FORMED THE BASIS FOR THE IMPACT FEE.
WE DIDN'T ASSUME A FULL EXTENSION OF THE SALES TAX BECAUSE IT DOES.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, IF THEY DID THAT, IT'S SUBJECT TO A VOTE BY THE RESIDENTS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY.
[00:35:04]
SO IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY TO DO THAT, THERE MAY BE SOME ADDITIONAL REVENUES AVAILABLE.BUT IN GENERAL, THE CITY ITSELF HAS BEEN PRETTY GOOD AT FINDING OTHER SOURCES.
AND THAT HELPS TO BRING DOWN THE OVERALL POLICE IMPACT FEE ITSELF.
SO FOR RESIDENTIAL USES, YOUR CURRENT FEE FOR A SINGLE FAMILY HOME TODAY IS $341 PER 1000FT².
IT WOULD BE 160 FOR A 3000 SQUARE FOOT HOUSE.
AGAIN. THE HOTEL, THE PRIVATE EDUCATION AND THE COMMERCIAL STORAGE ARE THREE FEES THAT EXCEED 50%.
FOR OFFICE USES, THE FEE IS ROUGHLY AROUND 30%, AND THEN FOR HIGH IMPACT USES, THINK OF YOUR CAR WASHES, YOUR BANK DRIVE THRUS, YOUR GAS STATIONS, YOUR FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS, THOSE USES THAT TEND TO GENERATE A LOT OF TRAFFIC.
THEY DO HAVE A HIGHER PARKING OR A HIGHER FIRE RESCUE IMPACT FEE AND POLICE IMPACT FEE, BECAUSE THEY ALSO ACCOUNT FOR TRAFFIC AND TRIPS INTO AND OUT OF THOSE USES, BECAUSE THEY ARE MORE SIGNIFICANT.
THEY HAVE A HIGHER OVERALL IMPACT TO THE SYSTEM, AND THAT'S REFLECTED IN THESE FEES.
THEN YOU ALSO HAVE PUBLIC FACILITIES, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE BUILDING THAT WE'RE SITTING IN TODAY.
THE CITY CURRENTLY PROVIDES 76,000FT² OF GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC FACILITIES.
THIS EXCLUDES PARK AND RECREATION, EXCLUDES POLICE, EXCLUDES FIRE.
TODAY YOU HAVE 178 EMPLOYEES ABSENT THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
WE LOOKED AT THE FUTURE NEEDS AND WORKING WITH YOUR FACILITY FOLKS AND YOUR FACILITY STAFF.
THE CURRENT STANDARD AND I'LL SORT OF SWITCH BACK AND FORTH.
TODAY YOU HAVE 428FT² PER PERSONNEL IN DISCUSSIONS WITH STAFF.
THERE'S A LOT OF CAPACITY STILL AVAILABLE IN THIS BUILDING IN THE FUTURE.
THERE'S PROBABLY NOT AS MUCH OF A NEED FOR THAT HIGH NUMBER.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT A POTENTIAL INCREASE OF PERSONNEL OF ROUGHLY 100 EMPLOYEES BETWEEN NOW AND 2035.
ULTIMATELY, IT WILL BE YOUR DECISION AS A COUNCIL, MADAM MAYOR, TO PRIORITIZE THESE PROJECTS.
INCLUDE THEM INTO YOUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN.
BUT THESE AREN'T NECESSARILY THE CITY'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN.
THEY ARE THE BASIS OF THE IMPACT FEE.
THERE ARE FEW OTHER COMMUNITIES.
ROYAL PALM, PALM BEACH COUNTY CHARGE FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
ROYAL PALMS FEE IS ROUGHLY $1,200 PER 2000FT².
PALM BEACH COUNTY'S CALCULATED FEE IS $1,500 FOR THAT SAME TYPE OF UNIT.
THERE ARE ACTUALLY ADOPTED FEE BECAUSE OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE IS $251.
NOW THAT COUNTY FEE IS APPLIED WITHIN MUNICIPALITIES AS WELL, BECAUSE THE RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY, THEY ARE GOING TO USE THE COURT SYSTEM, THEY ARE GOING TO USE THE TAX COLLECTOR, THE PROPERTY APPRAISER.
SO THERE IS SOME COUNTY OVERALL FACILITIES THAT THEY USE.
SO THE COUNTY CHARGES ROUGHLY $250 IN THE CITY.
[00:40:04]
THE CITY'S CALCULATED FEE IS ROUGHLY IN LINE WITH THAT NUMBER.THE COUNTY'S CALCULATED FEE WAS ACTUALLY MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT.
AND THEN THERE'S THE VARIOUS PERCENTAGES AS WELL.
AND SO WE LOOKED A LITTLE BIT FURTHER INTO ACTUAL OVERALL POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD SIZE.
THAT NUMBER IS FURTHER REFINED WHEN WE ACTUALLY LOOK AT A PER 1000 SQUARE FOOT METRIC.
SO WHAT YOU NOTICE IS ACTUALLY PER 1000FT², APARTMENTS HAVE THE HIGHEST HOUSEHOLD SIZE.
SO YOU THINK ABOUT 1000 SQUARE FOOT APARTMENT.
IT MAY HAVE TWO PEOPLE LIVING IN THERE MAY HAVE POTENTIALLY THREE PEOPLE LIVING THERE, TWO ADULTS AND A CHILD OR A CHILD OR TWO CHILDREN, AN ADULT, BUT IT'S ONLY 1000FT².
ON THE LOW END, YOUR APARTMENTS HAVE A HIGHER IMPACT.
YOUR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HAS A LOWER IMPACT.
AS YOU GO UP IN SQUARE FOOTAGE, YOU DON'T START HAVING APARTMENTS ANYMORE.
AND ACTUALLY IT'S PREDOMINANTLY SINGLE FAMILY USES GOING FORWARD.
AND SO WE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE NUMBER OF BEDROOMS. AND WHAT'S BEEN FOUND IS BEDROOMS ARE SURROGATE FOR BOTH RESIDENTS AND VISITORS AND IMPACT AND IS A PRETTY STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN AS THE BEDROOMS INCREASE, SO DOES OVERALL IMPACT.
WE FOUND THAT THAT NUMBER ACTUALLY CONTINUES TO GO UP FOR SINGLE FAMILY UP TO 9500FT².
SO BASICALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE PER UNIT OR THE NUMBER OF VISITORS COMING TO THAT UNIT GOES UP AS THE SIZE OF A DWELLING UNIT INCREASES. THAT'S TRUE FOR SINGLE FAMILY ATTACHED ROUGHLY UP TO 4500FT², AND FOR MULTIFAMILY UP TO 2500FT².
THIS IS OUR CALCULATED NUMBER.
SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE ELECTED TO ESTABLISH A THRESHOLD LESS THAN THIS.
SO WHAT THIS MEANS IN REALITY, UP TO 9500FT² COULD BE ASSESSED FOR RESIDENTIAL USE.
BEYOND SORT OF THAT 5000 FOOT SQUARE FOOT LEVEL.
THE NUMBER OF UNITS DROPS QUITE A BIT.
AND THIS IS ALL SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL PERMITS FROM 2000 TO 2022.
AND SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A NUMBER THAT GOES UP.
AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A TON OF HOUSEHOLDS THAT ARE LARGER SIZES.
BUT WE DID LOOK AT THAT NUMBER.
AND SO THE RECOMMENDATION AS IT'S WRITTEN TODAY.
SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED WOULD BE ASSESSED UP TO 9500FT² ATTACHED TOWNHOMES AND VILLAS, UP TO 4500FT².
SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE GONE WITH THAT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE DATA SHOWS.
SO IF YOU WANT TO DIRECT US TO LOOK AT, SAY, A 5000 SQUARE FOOT THRESHOLD FOR FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, 4500 SQUARE FOOT, THAT'S WELL WITHIN YOUR PURVIEW AS A COUNCIL.
WE JUST LEFT THE NUMBERS AS THEY'RE CALCULATED, BUT I WANTED TO BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION.
THAT'S THE WAY THEY HAVE THEM.
AND THERE ARE COMMUNITIES, A LOT OF THEM THAT I WORK IN HISTORICALLY DOING IT RIGHT NOW.
SO THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS GAVE US DIRECTION BASED ON THAT COMMUNITY TO CAP IT AT 4500, I THINK ANYWHERE FROM 4500 TO 5000 WOULD BE A LEGITIMATE THRESHOLD FOR YOU AS A COUNCIL TO SAY BEYOND THAT LEVEL, YES, YOU HAVE SOME MORE OF AN IMPACT, BUT IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A STRAIGHT LINE IMPACT.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT AND SHARE THAT TO YOU ALL.
WE'LL TAKE WHATEVER DIRECTION YOU ALL GIVE US TO IF YOU WANT TO ESTABLISH A THRESHOLD, BUT WE JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU THE CALCULATED NUMBERS TODAY SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ON THAT.
[00:45:08]
I'M NOT GOING TO GET INTO A WHOLE LOT OF THIS, BUT IT'S IN THE TECHNICAL REPORT.ALL THE DATA WE USED IS PARCEL LEVEL DATA FROM PALM BEACH GARDENS ITSELF.
SO WE'RE NOT USING ANYTHING AGGREGATED FROM THE COUNTY, ANYTHING AGGREGATED FROM ANYWHERE.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE LEGISLATURE ADOPTED IN 2021.
AND THE MAIN REQUIREMENT OF IT IS ANY INCREASE IN AN EXISTING FEE, WHICH YOU HAVE FOR EXISTING FEES TODAY WOULD BE CAPPED AT 50%.
SO ANY INCREASE ABOVE 50% A LOCAL GOVERNMENT COULDN'T ASSESS FOR.
IN ADDITION, THEY ESTABLISHED A PHASING REQUIREMENT.
ANYTHING 25% INCREASE OR LESS HAS TO BE PHASED IN OVER TWO YEARS.
ANYTHING BETWEEN 25% AND 50% HAD TO BE PHASED IN IN FOUR YEARS.
THE LEGISLATURE DID PROVIDE AN EXCEPTION, THOUGH WHAT'S KNOWN AS EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND SOME OF THE WHILE I DIDN'T DEFINE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE MENTIONED IN TERMS OF IT WERE POPULATION GROWTH, INFLATION, GROWTH, ANNEXATIONS, YOU KNOW.
GOING FROM A CONSUMPTION BASED SYSTEM TO A DETAILED IMPROVEMENTS BASED SYSTEM.
THOSE ARE ALL FACTORS THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERATIONS, BUT EACH LOCAL GOVERNMENT WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE WHY IT BELIEVES IT HAS EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WOULD JUSTIFY A FEE HIGHER THAN 50%, AND ALSO JUSTIFY NOT PHASING IN THAT OVERALL INCREASE.
AND SO THERE ARE SEVERAL REQUIREMENTS OF STATUTE.
ONE IS YOU HAVE TO HAVE A DETAILED TECHNICAL REPORT, WHICH IS THE REPORT THAT I MENTIONED BEFORE.
THAT REPORT CANNOT BE ANY OLDER THAN 12 MONTHS OLD.
SO WHAT YOU SEE ON A LOT OF COMMUNITIES, THEY'LL DO A STUDY AND THAT STUDY WILL SIT FOR A YEAR.
THAT STUDY WILL SIT FOR TWO YEARS AND THE DATA GETS STALE, GETS OLD.
LEGISLATURE SAID ANYTHING MORE THAN 12 MONTHS OLD IS NO LONGER VALID, NO LONGER REPRESENTATIVE.
WELL, WE JUST COMPLETED THIS STUDY IN SEPTEMBER, SO IT'LL ONLY BE A MONTH OLD.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE TWO PUBLIC WORKSHOPS.
WE HAD ONE THIS MORNING AT 9 A.M..
THIS IS ACTUALLY A PUBLIC WORKSHOP AVAILABLE THIS EVENING AT 6 P.M.
TO DISCUSS THIS FEE AND IN EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE.
IT'S A SUPERMAJORITY VOTE OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE.
SOME COMMUNITIES SUPPORT IT AND LOOK FORWARD TO IT AND BELIEVE IT'S NEEDED.
PALM BEACH COUNTY WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE TWO THIRDS MAJORITY VOTE FOR IT.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THOSE CALCULATED FEES ARE HIGH, BUT THE ADOPTED FEES ARE MUCH LOWER.
WE'VE DOCUMENTED FINDINGS OF THAT, AND I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN SOME OF THOSE.
ULTIMATELY, EARLIER, IT IS YOUR CHOICE AS A CITY COUNCIL TO NOT DECLARE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE.
AND IF YOU DID THAT, THE NET IMPACT WOULD BE.
SO ANY OF THOSE FEES THAT WE CALCULATED THE MAXIMUM RATE WOULD BE 50%.
AND THEN IF THEY WERE LESS THAN 25% OF YOUR FEES, THEY'D BE PHASED IN OVER TWO YEARS.
IF THEY WERE 25 TO 50%, THEY'D BE PHASED IN OVER FOUR YEARS.
SO ULTIMATELY, IT IS YOUR DECISION.
IT'S REALLY UP TO US TO PROVIDE THE DATA AND ANALYSIS TO SHOW YOU WHY WE BELIEVE THERE'S AN EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE, BUT ULTIMATELY IT'S YOUR CALL AS CITY COUNCIL. ON VOTING FOR THAT.
AND SO THE TWO BIGGEST FACTORS THAT WE LOOK AT, THAT I LOOK AT PERSONALLY AND A LOT OF OTHER CONSULTANTS HAVE LOOKED AT IT AS WELL, BECAUSE THE LEGISLATURE DIDN'T DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS.
BUT EXTRAORDINARY IS LOOKING AT GROWTH.
AND ALSO TRANSITION TO A PLAN BASED FEE, SOMETHING THAT'S FUTURE LOOKING.
AND WE ACTUALLY IDENTIFIED EIGHT DIFFERENT CRITERIA.
[00:50:04]
BUT THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT OF THOSE ARE THE POPULATION GROWTH TODAY, THE PROJECTED POPULATION GROWTH IN THE FUTURE AND THE DETAILED LIST OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. I CAN GO THROUGH ANY NUMBER OF THESE IN DETAIL FURTHER IF YOU WANT, BUT I REALLY WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE BIGGEST ONE, AND THAT'S POPULATION GROWTH.ELSEWHERE, THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING STATES IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
MOST PEOPLE WOULD. THEY LABEL FLORIDA'S GROWTH AS EXTRAORDINARY AS A 22 MILLION RESIDENTS.
THE STATE IS STILL GROWING AT A RELATIVELY FAST RATE.
ONE VERY EASY METRIC ARE YOU GROWING FASTER THAN THE STATE OF FLORIDA? YES OR NO? IF YOU'RE NOT GROWING FASTER THAN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, YES, YOU STILL HAVE GROWTH.
WOULD THAT GROWTH NECESSARILY BE EXTRAORDINARY? MOST LIKELY NOT.
SO WE LOOKED ALL THE WAY BACK STARTING IN 1990 UP TILL 2022.
HOW DOES THE GARDENS RELATE TO THE COUNTY AND HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE STATE OF FLORIDA? AND CONSISTENTLY, THE CITY HAS GROWN AT A HIGHER PERCENTAGE THAN THE STATE OF FLORIDA DURING THAT TIME FRAME.
AND ALL THE METRICS, YOU KNOW, A RELATIVELY HIGHER PERCENTAGE IF YOU LOOK BACK INTO THE 90S AND THE 80S, WHEN PALM BEACH COUNTY ITSELF WAS EXPERIENCING A LOT OF GROWTH. IT ALSO WAS GROWING FASTER THAN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AT THAT TIME.
BUT AS OF 2020 TEN, IT ACTUALLY STOPPED GROWING A LITTLE BIT LESS AND CONSISTENTLY AS THE AREA IS URBANIZED AND ENFIELD IS GROWING AT A SLOWER OVERALL PERCENTAGE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
THERE ARE TWO MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN PALM BEACH COUNTY.
THERE'S TWO THAT ARE GROWING FAST IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
ONE IS WEST LAKE, AND THAT STARTED OFF AS A BASIS OF 15 RESIDENTS.
SO THEY ADDED 15 MORE RESIDENTS.
THE OTHER COMMUNITY IS GARDENS.
SO AS IN TERMS OF A BUILT CITY, YOU ARE THE FASTEST GROWING CITY WITHIN PALM BEACH COUNTY.
AND WE LOOKED ALSO OUT TO 2035, WHICH IS SORT OF THE BASELINE FOR THE FEE INCREASE.
AND YOU'RE STILL GROWING FASTER THAN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AND YOU'RE STILL THE FASTEST GROWING CITY WITHIN THE OVERALL PALM BEACH COUNTY DURING THAT TIME FRAME AS WELL.
AND SO THERE'S A REAL COST TO IT.
AND SO WE BELIEVE THAT BOTH THE POPULATION NUMBERS AND THE DETAILED LIST OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT, IN ADDITION TO USING PALM BEACH GARDENS SPECIFIC DATA, USING LEVEL OF SERVICE STANDARDS, A LOT OF OTHER FACTORS THAT THESE ARE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WOULD PLAY INTO THE CITY.
MOVING FORWARD WITH ITS FULLY CALCULATED RATES.
SO AGAIN, THE TECHNICAL REPORT GOES INTO A LOT MORE DETAIL ON EACH ONE OF THESE.
IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE EXTRAORDINARY GROWTH BY 2035.
THAT GROWTH IS NECESSITY NECESSITATING NEW CAPITAL FACILITIES.
AND ONE REASON I HIGHLIGHT THIS.
AS YOU AS A COUNSELOR ARE WELL AWARE, THE LEGISLATURE HAS MADE A NUMBER OF CHANGES OVER THE LAST TEN PLUS YEARS TO FLORIDA STATUTE THAT HAS PREEMPTED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ABILITY TO REGULATE CERTAIN LAND USES, PREEMPTED YOUR ABILITY TO LOOK AT HOW DEVELOPMENT MITIGATES THEIR TRAFFIC IMPACT, PREEMPTED A LOT OF OTHER FACTORS INTO YOUR OVERALL COMMUNITY.
AND JUST, I BELIEVE, TWO YEARS AGO THAT IN 2021, WHAT SERVED AS THE BASIS FOR THIS EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE IN THESE PHASES IS THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION TO CAP IMPACT FEES AT 3% A YEAR.
[00:55:05]
YOU'VE ALREADY HAMSTRUNG US IN TERMS OF TRANSPORTATION CONCURRENCY.SO NOW YOU'RE FURTHER HAMSTRINGING US IN TERMS OF IMPACT FEES AND ESPECIALLY THE CITIES.
WE DON'T HAVE A SAY IN SALES TAX.
SO YOU'RE TAKING AWAY ONE OF OUR PRIMARY REVENUE SOURCES.
SO THEY SAID FINE, BUT YOU JUST CAN'T DO WHATEVER YOU WANT.
WE'RE GOING TO PUT IN PLACE THESE THESE SPEED BUMPS, EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE.
UNLESS THESE THRESHOLDS UNLESS YOU CAN ESTABLISH IT.
I WILL SAY THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE IMPACT STUDIES I'VE DONE.
THE REPORT ITSELF OVER 300 PAGES IN LENGTH.
WE HAD A LOT OF MEETINGS THAT WE WENT THROUGH THIS.
THESE NUMBERS STARTED OUT WAY HIGHER.
WHAT ARE SOME REALISTIC ASSUMPTIONS ON FUNDING.
BY DOING THIS IN TRANSITIONING TO THE IMPROVEMENT BASE IN FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.
ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE AN INCREASE OF 20%, 15%, 30%? YES YOU COULD.
BUT IS IT GOING TO BE 70%? IS IT GOING TO BE 60%? IT SHOULDN'T BE BECAUSE IT'S A FORWARD LOOKING METRIC.
AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE I'M GOING THROUGH A REAL TIME IN ALACHUA COUNTY.
THEY WERE THE FIRST IN THE STATE TO ADOPT A MOBILITY PLAN AND MOBILITY FEE.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON THAT.
THAT WAS A 20 YEAR FORWARD LOOK.
WE JUST UPDATED THEIR FIRE PARKS AND TRANSPORTATION IMPACT FEES.
THEIR PARK IMPACT FEE INCREASED BY 400% BECAUSE IT WENT FROM A CONSUMPTION BASED SYSTEM TO A VERY DETAILED PLAN BASED SYSTEM, AND THE COUNTY ITSELF ACTUALLY ADOPTED A SALES TAX TO HELP FUND A PORTION OF THAT.
THE MOBILITY FEE, THE AVERAGE INCREASE IS ABOUT 25%.
SO I WOULD SAY THIS IS YOUR ONE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE FULL CALCULATED FEE IN PLACE.
IF YOU DIRECT US TO DO THE EXTRAORDINARY OR TO CAP IT AT FLORIDA STATUTE.
SO THOSE USES WILL ALWAYS BE LAGGING BEHIND.
SO WE'VE MADE A STRONG CASE AND I'D SAY HALF THE FEES I DO.
I DON'T RECOMMEND EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE ON THEM, I DON'T.
I THINK THE COMMUNITY HAS NORMAL GROWTH.
IT HAS NORMAL NEED IS EXTRAORDINARY.
AND SO WITH THAT, IT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
I DON'T SEE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS, BUT IF THERE ARE, NATALIE, JOANNE AND MYSELF ARE AVAILABLE TO ANY MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY THAT DOES HAVE QUESTIONS AFTER THIS PROCESS.
IF THEY WANT TO CONTACT CITY STAFF AND WE CAN COORDINATE AND GET BACK A RESPONSE, OR IF YOU GET ANY COMMUNICATIONS FROM ANY OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS, WE'D BE GLAD TO HELP YOU RESPOND TO THAT AND EXPLAIN THE SUBJECT.
I'M JOANNE, I THINK HAS A FEW CLOSING PARTS AND BE ABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
THANK YOU, JONATHAN, FOR YOUR DETAILED PRESENTATION.
I ONCE AGAIN WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE.
THANKS FOR ALL THE CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE UPDATE AND REVISION.
A LOT OF DATA WAS PROVIDED, A LOT OF TIME WAS SPENT, AND WE ARE ALL VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT TIME.
SO WE COULD HAVE A VERY ACCURATE FEE.
AS FAR AS PUBLIC NOTICE, THIS WORKSHOP WAS ADVERTISED IN THE PALM BEACH POST, AND AS WELL AS THE WORKSHOP THAT WAS HELD THIS MORNING AS A STAFF HOSTED PUBLIC WORKSHOP. NEXT STEPS.
IF THE COUNCIL APPROVES, STAFF IS PREPARED TO ISSUE NOTICE OF THE PROPOSED IMPACT FEE UPDATE.
REVISION IN DECEMBER, WITH THE FEES EFFECTIVE IN APRIL 1ST.
[01:00:04]
AND THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION THIS EVENING.OKAY. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS MORNING AS WELL AS THIS EVENING.
SO SINCE THIS WAS A WORKSHOP MEETING, THERE WILL BE NO ACTION TAKEN BY THE CITY COUNCIL TONIGHT.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.