Community Development District 12 supervisors are at odds on the red-hot topic of the future of impact fees to be paid in Sumter County by the Developer of The Villages.
Supervisor Andrew Bilardello at Thursday’s board meeting at Everglades Recreation Center attempted to rally his fellow board members to attend a crucial March 23 meeting of the Sumter County Board of Commissioners. The meeting, also to be held at Everglades Recreation Center, is scheduled to include a vote on raising impact fees on the Developer.
Bilardello, a resident of the Village of Fenney, said Villagers at the south end have the most to lose if the impact fees are raised.
“The raising of the impact fees will limit the amount of commercial development down here. We’d all like a Wawa, a Cracker Barrel and a Chick-fil-A,” he said.
However, fellow Supervisor David Robbins said Bilardello’s fears were not based in reality.
“If you’ve got people, businesses will come. The whole center of The Villages is moving south,” Robbins said.
He added that recent conversations with business leaders confirmed that belief.
Robbins contended there has been “lots of misinformation” about the impact fees.
CDD 12 Board Chairman Jon Roudabush agreed with Robbins on that part of his argument.
“I don’t think we’re getting the full story,” Roudabush said.