Good morning. I am Dr. Nancy Chism, speaking for the Education Ambassadors, a coalition supporting public education in Collier County. Our coalition is composed of three organizations that represent approximately 700 members: the American Association of University Women-Greater Naples Branch, the Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida, and the League of Women Voters of Collier County.
We are here to urge you, our County Commissioners, to support full funding of Collier County impact fees to the level recommended by the independent consulting firm that you wisely hired. Their report documented that no increase in impact fees for schools has occurred in ten years and that it is important for these fees to parallel the growth that has taken place in Collier during that period and as projected for the future.
In our recent opinion piece published by the Naples Daily News, we stressed to our fellow taxpayers that impact fees are NOT a general tax. This is a crucial point for the decision today. Impact fees are one-time fees paid at the time of the construction of a building to support the services that residents and users of that building will receive from Collier County.
Impact fees are aptly named: they place the responsibility for the support of these new additional services on those who will need them, rather than asking the general public to pay for the impact of new construction. In the case of schools, homeowners in a new development will pay a one-time impact fee as part of their home price to support construction of schools needed for the children in their development. The general public will not be paying for the new schools. As the saying goes: Growth should pay for growth.
Also, Impact fees are not unduly burdensome. The recommended rate will be phased in over four years and the increase after four years adds less than $5,000 to the cost of a new single-family home less than 4,000 square feet. Estimates of the median price of a new residence in Collier County hover over $600,000. And there are special programs to adjust the impact fees for affordable housing circumstances.
At the December 9 meeting of the Collier County Board of Commissioners when impact fees were discussed, you, as Board members, approved the development of over 5,000 new residential units. Collier is thriving. This means that our new residents will need roads, emergency medical services, law enforcement, libraries, parks, and other services. And the greater part of the impact fees that support increased need for services will be needed for the construction of new schools for the children of the residents of these new developments.
The portion of the impact fees that are dedicated to schools may be used only for the construction of new facilities by Collier County Public Schools. They cannot be used for books, teacher salaries, or other general expenses—only to construct educational facilities. And CCPS has been busily constructing new schools. Over the past ten years of the existing impact fee schedule, these fees have enabled the construction of three new schools costing a total of over $200 million. Today, the cost of construction for those same schools would conservatively be over $300 million.
CCPS has been exceptional stewards of financial resources. Our award-winning financial office has succeeded in managing declining state resources and unfunded mandates through careful use of funds. CCPS has approached its capital budget strategically, maximizing the use of accrued impact fees for building construction rather than bond payments. This is much like a family would contribute regularly to a college savings account so that money is available when needed, rather than borrowing at that future time.
Education Ambassadors is proud of our A-rated school district, and we know you are as well. As Collier County Commissioners, you recognize how important good schools are in attracting growth, preparing our workforce, and producing intelligent and civically-engaged voters. You have been there when our school system needs you. We ask that you recognize this need now in the form of increased impact fees by voting to fully fund the amount recommended by the consultants.