Hendry County is considering impact fees for new construction. Home builders and some residents oppose the fees, saying they will slow down growth in Hendry.
But county leaders and other residents want the fees to help pay for what they call badly needed infrastructure improvements.
Lush pastures, sprawling live oaks and sabal palms give Hendry County the look and feel of country living. And Hendry has been desirable to those wanting to get away from the high housing costs and traffic jams of south Florida's east and west coasts.
But Hendry needs money for roads, schools and emergency medical services. Commissioner Mitchell Wills says fees on new homes could help. He spoke at a public workshop.
"Our residents are in a deficit," Wills said. "We can't afford the water plant, or the sewer plant we need. And every home that comes in here adds to that deficit."
The county is looking to add about $8,000 to the cost of a new home, which averages roughly $300,000 in Hendry. Fees of $8,000 would be slightly more than fees in Charlotte County. But they'd be considerably less than fees in Lee, Collier or Palm Beach counties, according to a fact sheet put out by Hendry County government.
Builders in Hendry say fees could add about $80 to $100 to the average monthly mortgage payment, and could turn off would-be buyers already discouraged by high interest rates.
Chuck Svirk is president of Country Homes and Land.
"We only do about 200 new builds a year, and most counties with fees do at least 2,000," Svirk said. "So it's not going to accumulate a lot of money, it won't move the needle much."
Svirk also said home building fuels the local economy and fills the pocketbooks of many Hendry residents.
"LaBelle and Hendry are packed with tradesmen," Svirk explained. "Roofers, painters, block people, fab people, etc. This is how they pay their bills, how they pay their rent or mortgages."
Longtime Hendry resident Fred Bosley said the county should forget one-time fees, and draw more home buyers who will pay property taxes for many years.
"The impact fee is bad," Bosley said. "It will stop the growth."
Right now Hendry has a population of just under 42,000. The county has projected that it will grow to about 48,000 in the next several years.
Other Hendry residents say they cannot pay for the demands that new people bring. They, and Commission Chairwoman Emma Byrd, are repeating an old saying: Growth should pay for growth.
"Nobody likes changes," Byrd said at a workshop on fees. "But it has to happen. There is growth, and we can't wait. I believe it has to happen now."
Hendry County had impact fees for a short time in the early 2000s. But the county repealed the fees during the housing bust of the great recession.
Current Hendry commissioners have discussed fees for months, and have scheduled a possible vote for early October.
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