The Community Development District 7 Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved a $2.6 million budget for 2020-21 despite ongoing friction over funding for the Project Wide Advisory Committee.
CDD 7 supervisors are concerned that nearly half of its budget is devoted to PWAC, which shares infrastructure costs among CDDs south of County Road 466. PWAC responsibilities are now beginning to stretch south of State Road 44.
The PWAC average cost per rooftop for the 4,765 homes in CDD 7 is $271.22. CDD 7 actually has the lowest cost-per-rooftop for PWAC. CDD 12 down in the Village of Fenney has the highest PWAC cost-per-rooftop at $679.95.
CDD 7 supervisors are worried that the growth of The Villages will put more pressure on PWAC – and the CDDs who pay the freight. Last year, CDD 7 signed on to a 20-year agreement under which PWAC will be expanded. Though there were reservations at the time, the CDD 7 supervisors now say they were bullied into signing onto the agreement.
Fueled by that buyer’s remorse, CDD 7 supervisors have threatened to withhold funding from PWAC. But with a budget deadline looming, CDD 7 supervisors were forced Thursday to approve the budget or make good on that threat. The budget received unanimous approval, with the caveat that CDD 7 could still refuse to pay its share for PWAC.
In recent weeks, CDD 7 has received communication from its own attorney and the attorney for the Sumter Landing Community Development District, the Developer-run board with power over PWAC. Both attorneys have warned of the consequences of not following through on the funding.
CDD 7 supervisors agreed that the original intent of PWAC was worthy, but they now fear that CDD 7 residents will be on the hook for a larger and larger portion of the growing PWAC budget. They pointed to the new golf cart bridges, walking paths and other infrastructure south of State Road 44 as ongoing maintenance that will be part of future PWAC budgets.
