All entries tagged with “Charles Hines”

Sarasota County Approves Fiscal Neutrality Change

Posted by Jacob Ogles on Wednesday Oct 22, 2014 8:00 pm

Sarasota County Commissioners just approved a change in fiscal neutrality that loosens requirements on developers. The board voted 4-1 in favor of the change. The change is the most prominent of amendments to the Sarasita County 2050 Plan under consideration tonight,

Developers have complained that the fiscal neitrality requirements as written make financing of projects impossible. The neutrality requirement requires a development to cover the cost of infrastructure demands associated with growth, and as originally written requires the requirement be met in each phase. The amendment approved tonight still requires long-term neutrality but allows costs to be spread over multiple phases.

"To use fiscal neutrality to stop a project after it has been approved prevents any large-scale development from getting financing," said Commission Chairman Charles Hines.

But Commissioner Nora Patterson, the lone dissenting vote, fears the change doesn't provide enough accountability. She said the original language probably needed some update to allow projects to get financing, but said the change is premature because a new proven methodology for calculating neutrality has yet to be completed. "I'm not going to be able to look at this transparent methodology," Patterson said, noting any process will be developed after she retires from the board in November.

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