Latest news with #DavidDuval
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
After decisive special election loss, North Port commission axes impact fee discount plan
NORTH PORT – Reacting to the failed May 13 funding referendum, the North Port City Commission scuttled a proposed impact fee incentive plan to attract businesses Tuesday night. Instead, it will explore other alternatives for funding for a new police station, a waste transfer station, wastewater system improvements and covering funding shortfalls after a hurricane. As a precursor to the larger debate, the commission pulled an item from the routine approval agenda – termination of an agreement to reimburse the developer of Central Parc for construction of the Tuscola Boulevard Bridge over the Cocoplum Waterway – and denied the request 5-0. The item will likely be brought back again, since costs to build that bridge have more than doubled to $3.8 million since the agreement was originally struck. Charles Bailey, the developer's attorney, was forced to shoehorn his case into a three-minute public comment slot; the original intent was for the developer to be reimbursed through impact fees. But that reimbursement was capped at $1.9 million. Planner Peter Van Buskirk noted that since Tuscola Boulevard west of the Cocoplum is technically a private road, a bridge cannot be built until the city obtains it. Next up, City Commissioner David Duval, the only commissioner to oppose a plan to offer impact fee discounts to attract targeted businesses on May 13 – on the same day city voters weighed in the referendum – suddenly found himself with plenty of company, as Mayor Phil Stokes, Vice Mayor Pete Emrich and Commissioner Demetrius Petrow all reversed course to also oppose the idea. That left City Commissioner Barbara Langdon, a staunch advocate of attracting businesses that pay high wage jobs to grow the city's commercial tax base, on the down side of a 4-1 vote to eliminate that targeted impact fee program. But even Langdon admitted that the incentive program was not ready, given current voter sentiment. The city is seeking a way to fund emergency borrowing, construction of a new police station and solid waste transfer station and repairs to its sewer system, even as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is drafting a consent order that could carry with it $1,000 a day in fines. 'I'm just concerned about burdening our general fund with something that isn't critical,' Langdon said. 'We have way more critical things we have to deal with.' Staff had asked for a consideration of the impact fee incentive ordinance, and Development Services Director Alaina Ray noted that a lot had changed since 2022, when city officials first contemplated using impact fee discounts to attract business. 'We were in a different time when the City Commission gave that direction,' Ray said. 'We were still coming out of the aftermath of the pandemic, we had dealt with Hurricane Ian and the economic issues that brought to us. 'It was a different time in our city and our growth.' Pandemic induced migration and the accelerated development of Wellen Park has pushed North Port to a population of almost 95,000 – just under the 100,000 mark that many businesses use as a benchmark to justify locating to a municipality. Emrich cited approaching the 100,000 mark and said businesses will follow the rooftops. Stokes, who on May 13 said the city needed to attract businesses, completely changed tack. 'To incentivize a business to come to the second-fastest growing city in America, the most livable city in the state of Florida – a place most people and businesses want to be now … conceptually, this is just, in my estimation, a horrible idea. 'We don't print money, the taxpayers of the city of North Port are going to subsidize businesses that want to come to the city,' Stokes said. 'That sure doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me at this point, not when we are growing the way we are.' The commission did agree to bring back an impact fee discount program to incentivize affordable housing construction, and possibly workforce housing. But there's no unity on that front either. Both Duval and Petrow noted that affordable housing developers have been able to build in the city. Most recently McDowell Housing Partners started renting apartments at Ekos at Arbor Park, a 136-unit affordable apartment community for residents age 55 and older and are working on an all-ages Phase II that would add 66 more homes. The board ultimately voted 3-2 to schedule a workshop on an affordable and workforce housing incentive program. Emrich and Petrow voted against that – with both saying it was too soon to revisit the topic. Langdon urged a charter amendment to allow for the city to borrow money in the aftermath of an emergency – such as Hurricane Ian – on each November election cycle until it passed. Emrich agreed but suggested tacking on a $15 million cap. Staff later noted that Ian cleanup was more than three times that. But the majority of the board was not interested in going down that path in 2026. Instead the city may explore a method used by school districts around the state to solve all three funding dilemmas – certificates of participation. COP's for short are a lease-finance agreement with a separate financing entity that then sells shares to investors who essentially buy a portion of the agreed upon lease payment. At the end of the lease payment, the city would own the building. The city establishes the financing entity and a board of directors. In many school districts, the school board members serve on that board, so city commissioners can do that, too. Todd Miles, North Port's legislative analyst, explained that the bond transaction is similar to the traditional bond issuance but repayment hinges on an established schedule, not the city's credit rating. 'It's recognized that because those facilities are essential, they're going to appropriate the money,' he added. The downside is the interest rate required to pay off the certificates is typically one-tenth to two-thents of a percent more than the interest rate on similar bonds. Former City Commission candidate Josh Smith, who spoke several times during public comment, expressed disappointment at the prospect of the commission ignoring the will of the voters, who voted against all spending. 'This citizens-be-damned mantra we've been running for a while is getting old,' said Smith, who later added that he voted against all four financial matters on the May 13 ballot – even the waste transfer station, which he supported – as a protest. City commissioners acknowledged that the negative vote was an expression that voters did not trust the current commission to spend their money wisely. Applying for money from the state revolving loan fund – which can be interpreted as a transaction between two government entities and not a loan – and short term bank loans and lines of credit for emergencies, are other options, as is increasing the reserve fund balance to prepare for emergency needs. The city can also continue on its current pay-as-you-go path and reprioritize capital improvement plan projects to free up money. Another option, which will likely be discussed in June, is a public-private partnership proposal from a Tampa-based company, Florida Development Solutions, LLC, to build the jail and transfer station and fix the wastewater woes. City spokesman Jason Bartolone said a proposal from Florida Development Solutions – established just last July 31 – was not yet available. He also confirmed that the city has not received a formal consent order from FDEP but state officials have briefed officials on the draft order. In all the commission authorized staff to explore the COPs process for all financial transactions, and public-private partnership, contracting with the state a revolving fund loan for the police station and the wastewater project. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: North Port City Commission searches for ways to pay for costly needs
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Coachella Valley to host five US Open golf local qualifiers, PGA West added to rotation
A former PGA Tour course in the desert is joining the list of five Coachella Valley courses that will host local qualifying sites for the U.S. Open this year. New to the local qualifying rotation this year is the Palmer Private Course at PGA West in La Quinta, a former host course of The American Express PGA Tour event. The Palmer Course was the site of David Duval's famed final-round 59 in winning the 1999 American Express, and the course was the host of that event as recently as 2015. Local qualifiers are the first step for most amateurs and professionals looking to play in golf's national championship conducted by the United States Golf Association. The five desert sites are among the 110 local qualifiers to be played in late April through mid-May in 43 states. The Palmer Course replaces Bermuda Dunes Country Club as one of the five desert courses hosting qualifying. The other four courses from recent years remain the same. On May 5, Indian Ridge Country Club will host a qualifier on its Grove Course. On May 6, Andalusia Country Club in La Quinta will host a qualifier, to be followed on May 8 by the qualifier at PGA West. Classic Club in Palm Desert will be the site of the May 12 qualifier, followed by the South Course at Ironwood Country Club hosting on May 13. More: Big week for LIV: A dedicated U.S. Open berth and Trump taking a hand in negotiations Typically, each qualifier has around 90 players in the field playing for five berths in the 10 sectional qualifying sites in the United States in early June. The California sectional qualifier will be played June 2 at Valencia Country Club. In recent years desert qualifiers have had some success stories, with Palm Desert's Charlie Reiter reaching the U.S. Open in 2022 and 2024 after playing in local qualifying at Bermuda Dunes. The 2025 U.S. Open will be played June 12-15 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs area to host five US Open local golf qualifiers
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Port commissioners to discuss proposed May 13 special election questions
NORTH PORT – North Port City commissioners are poised to set up a special election for May 13 to again ask the community give the city permission to borrow money, this time for emergencies or to pay for select projects. The commission opted for a piecemeal process after North Port voters last November narrowly rejected a charter change that would have allowed the city to borrow for both emergencies and for projects paid for by bonds that don't have to be paid back by property taxes. North Port is the only known municipality in Florida that does not have the ability to borrow in such cases without first getting voter approval. General Development Corp. created that provision 65 years ago, when the city was incorporated as North Port Charlotte in 1959. Commissioners are set for a final vote to set a referendum asking voters to authorize issuing debt in response to an emergency or disaster without voter approval. Current restrictions prevented North Port from participating in some state or federal low-interest loan programs following Hurricane Ian. Mayor Phil Stopes noted that the language in the ordinance specifically states that the funds would be used for emergency services such as debris removal and repairing or reconstructing public infrastructure or capital facilities damaged in the disaster. Many critics of that November referendum question – including newly elected city commissioners David Duval and Demetrius Petrow – favored the emergency borrowing provision but not a second issue that would have lifted the requirement for voter approval to issue bonds backed by special district fees. A preliminary vote to set the referendum for the emergency borrowing provision passed unanimously on Jan. 14. City voters would also be asked in the May special election to approve a bonds to be repaid through a dedicated property tax that would generate about $115 million to help pay for a new police station and is projected to meet North Port's needs through 2065. The current North Port property tax rate is 3.7667 mills. The owner of a typical house with an assessed value of $246.400, pays about $739.78 in city property taxes. To finance the $115 million bond, an additional 0.618 mills would be assessed, which would increase that overall tax bill by $121.38 annually. Another referendum question – one that does not involve property taxes – would allow the city to issue bonds backed by solid waste fees to build a new solid waste transfer station to serve the fast growing eastern part of the city. The city has about $2.5 million available for the project and needs an additional $12.5 million, which would be financed through revenue bonds backed by user fees already set aside to save up for a pay-as-you-go funding process. Voters will also be asked to approve the use of water and sewer fees to pay for two separate projects. The first is a $3.4 million master pumping station and force main to serve water needs for growth in the Toledo Blade and Price Boulevard area. The cost would be financed with a goal of starting construction in the 2027-28 fiscal year. The city also needs to borrow $15 million to pay for construction of a wastewater pumping station and corresponding pipeline. It currently has only $1 million of the projected $16 million project cost. That project is needed both for growth and to deal with existing wastewater transport needs during wet weather events, as flow already exceeds capacity during those storms. One referendum question also expected to be included on the special election ballot doesn't deal with money. Commissioners are expected to ask voters to to rewrite the city charter to remove residency requirements for the city clerk and city attorney position. The commission meeting starts at 6 p.m. in North Port City Hall, 4970 City Hall Blvd. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: North Port commission will discuss five questions for May 13 ballot
