The hope is to place the sales tax issue before the voters during a November 2002 referendum. Existing residents shouldn't have to pay for new growth. Pasco's waning allure as an inexpensive suburban oasis doesn't please the local building industry. During their losing effort to delay the school impact fee, builders complained they would bear an unfair burden of the cost of building classrooms. They already have raised some of the same arguments during the parks fee debate.
Impact fees are one-time charges to pay for public amenities that builders pass on to home buyers.
Builders fear sticker shock from climbing fees could send potential new home buyers skipping north to the less expensive Hernando and Citrus counties. But that's typically been okay with much of the Pasco public, whose common sentiment is that there are too many people moving here anyway. I think the public is lapping up impact fees. But Altman wants to shift part of that burden to people using existing overcrowded ball fields. Thus Altman's proposal last week for the MSTU, which could fill the funding gap.