Utility may ease pain in Citrus Springs (Citrus Springs)
Florida Governmental Utility Authority officials said Monday that they would scale back the number of units in Citrus Springs that would pay proposed water extension line fees.
Last week, the utility said it wanted to levy a $2,330 water line extension assessment on 5,700 vacant lots in Citrus Springs. But at Monday's continuation of a hearing before the county's Water and Wastewater Authority, FGUA director of operations Charles Sweat said that special assessment area would be reduced to about 3,300 residential units.
The reduction came in response to a request by Robert Knight, director of utilities regulation, who said during Thursday's hearing that the original proposed assessment area was too large.
The utility is also proposing an annual fee of $16.55 in Citrus Springs and $37 in Pine Ridge for line maintenance. Those fees would be paid by owners of vacant property abutting water lines.
The Water and Wastewater Authority began meeting Nov. 9 to decide whether the proposed fees are fair and whether the FGUA's proposed water line construction is appropriate.
Because the authority received several new exhibit filings from FGUA officials Monday, the five-member board voted to postpone its decision on the fees until its Dec. 5 meeting.
At Monday's hearing before the Water and Wastewater Authority, an attorney for the FGUA and two attorneys representing property owners in Citrus Springs and Pine Ridge presented their closing arguments.
FGUA attorney Brian Armstrong summarized the utility's proposed fees. Owners of lots that had water lines in front of them before Dec. 5, 2003, would continue to pay the existing water line extension fee of $446. Owners of lots connecting to water lines extended by FGUA since Dec. 5, 2003, would pay $2,199 starting Feb. 1, 2006. And owners of lots in the special assessment district would pay $2,395 over 20 years, or $261 per year.
That assessment would be reduced to $1,924 if the owners decided to pay up front before the FGUA obtained bond financing, Armstrong said.
The fees are necessary to make growth pay for itself in areas that have seen rapidly increasing home construction, he said.
"Everybody is looking at areas like Citrus This is the place where you can still make that purchase as an investor. You can still buy an affordable piece of property," Armstrong said. "There's nothing worse than not being prepared for that growth when people start coming and want to build in these areas."
Emily Peacock, a Tampa lawyer representing the Citrus Springs Landowners Association, said creating a blanket special assessment would infringe on the rights of property owners who paid for utility service when they purchased their land.
Peacock and Tallahassee lawyer Mike Twomey, representing the Pine Ridge Property Owners Association, argued that the line maintenance fees were not fair or justified.
Charging line maintenance fees would be "undue discrimination under the law," Twomey said, adding that he would urge his clients to appeal if the authority approved the fees.
Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 860-7309.
Last week, the utility said it wanted to levy a $2,330 water line extension assessment on 5,700 vacant lots in Citrus Springs. But at Monday's continuation of a hearing before the county's Water and Wastewater Authority, FGUA director of operations Charles Sweat said that special assessment area would be reduced to about 3,300 residential units.
The reduction came in response to a request by Robert Knight, director of utilities regulation, who said during Thursday's hearing that the original proposed assessment area was too large.
The utility is also proposing an annual fee of $16.55 in Citrus Springs and $37 in Pine Ridge for line maintenance. Those fees would be paid by owners of vacant property abutting water lines.
The Water and Wastewater Authority began meeting Nov. 9 to decide whether the proposed fees are fair and whether the FGUA's proposed water line construction is appropriate.
Because the authority received several new exhibit filings from FGUA officials Monday, the five-member board voted to postpone its decision on the fees until its Dec. 5 meeting.
At Monday's hearing before the Water and Wastewater Authority, an attorney for the FGUA and two attorneys representing property owners in Citrus Springs and Pine Ridge presented their closing arguments.
FGUA attorney Brian Armstrong summarized the utility's proposed fees. Owners of lots that had water lines in front of them before Dec. 5, 2003, would continue to pay the existing water line extension fee of $446. Owners of lots connecting to water lines extended by FGUA since Dec. 5, 2003, would pay $2,199 starting Feb. 1, 2006. And owners of lots in the special assessment district would pay $2,395 over 20 years, or $261 per year.
That assessment would be reduced to $1,924 if the owners decided to pay up front before the FGUA obtained bond financing, Armstrong said.
The fees are necessary to make growth pay for itself in areas that have seen rapidly increasing home construction, he said.
"Everybody is looking at areas like Citrus This is the place where you can still make that purchase as an investor. You can still buy an affordable piece of property," Armstrong said. "There's nothing worse than not being prepared for that growth when people start coming and want to build in these areas."
Emily Peacock, a Tampa lawyer representing the Citrus Springs Landowners Association, said creating a blanket special assessment would infringe on the rights of property owners who paid for utility service when they purchased their land.
Peacock and Tallahassee lawyer Mike Twomey, representing the Pine Ridge Property Owners Association, argued that the line maintenance fees were not fair or justified.
Charging line maintenance fees would be "undue discrimination under the law," Twomey said, adding that he would urge his clients to appeal if the authority approved the fees.
Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 860-7309.
posted by Editor Facts & Myths @ 3:38 PM
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