THE ISSUE: Reviewing impact fees
 
By the Chronicle editorial board

Commission to look at impact fees

A divided Citrus County Commission has agreed to look at how impact fees are affecting the local economy. This is a welcome and overdue discussion.

It is unfortunate that only three of the five commissioners feel the need to re-examine impact fees, and particularly unfortunate that despite clear evidence that the county's economy is in trouble, two of the commissioners appear to have no interest in reducing any of the fees.

One effect of the higher fees is discouraging new businesses from developing in vacant commercial buildings. This is a consequence that commissioners either did not understand when the fees were passed or a consequence they chose to ignore.

Killing or significantly reducing impact fees on new businesses starting in existing buildings is one way the commission could help stimulate the development of new small businesses, but at this point it is not clear if any of the commissioners are willing to take ownership of this issue and forge a majority on the board to get it done.

This is a leadership issue. Will the commission act decisively and use the power it has to rescind a fee it imposed, or will it continue to dither as the county economy continues to suffer?