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BOOK 88 <br />The Chairman called the meeting to order and announced that <br />this is a workshop only. <br />Utilities Director Terry Pinto came before the Board to <br />present a review of assessment methods and procedures. Director <br />Pinto explained that assessment methods should be distributed <br />equitably and in proportion to the benefits received by the <br />respective property owners. When one property owner's assessment <br />is reduced all the other property owners' assessments must be <br />increased to recover the total cost of the project. An information <br />packet was distributed to the Board, including a summary of <br />assessment procedures, a review of the three major assessment <br />methods (square footage, front footage, and per unit), rules for <br />calculating assessments on larger parcels of property, and examples <br />on each of the three methods. Director Pinto commented that the <br />square footage method is the method currently being used in Indian <br />River County and is the only method that has held up in Court. The <br />Board, sitting as an Equalizing Board, has authority to grant <br />special exceptions for unusual circumstances. <br />Director Pinto reported that the County's responsibility to <br />provide water and sewer service to urban service areas is defined <br />in the County's Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Priorities are <br />established based on lot sizes and identified problem areas. <br />Assessments are based on the service to individual pieces of <br />property, and impact fees cover the cost of master plan lines that <br />benefit the entire system. <br />Discussion ensued regarding the fairness of square footage <br />assessments charged to owners of oversized lots with one home, and <br />Director Pinto explained that the person could sell and the next <br />owner could build additional houses on the property. Deed <br />restrictions are not useful because they can be removed, and spot <br />zoning is not desirable. <br />Administrator Chandler agreed that the square footage method <br />is generally the most equitable way to allocate assessments. <br />Commissioner Bird asked about the time period for paying off <br />the assessment. <br />Director Pinto replied that people can take up to ten years to <br />pay them off. He added that completion of a project generally <br />takes a year or more, and the property owners are not assessed <br />until the project has been completed. <br />Chairman Eggert asked if anyone had any questions that <br />specifically related to this workshop. <br />John Tripson, 5060 12th Street, asked about the fee structure <br />on a project currently under way in South County. <br />2 <br />M M <br />