MILTON — Thursday's Santa Rosa County Commission meeting did not have many attendees, but that did not stop emotions from erupting over infrastructure and growth.
On one side was the resident group Santa Rosa County Voters Against Overcrowded Roads & Schools, demanding commissioners bring back impact fees. On the other side of the dais were the commissioners, who voted to suspend collecting impact fees on new developments in 2008.
Santa Rosa County Voters Against Overcrowded Roads & Schools believes that if developers paid impact fees, infrastructure would improve and grow at the same rate as subdivision development.
Commissioners instead have relied on a half-cent sales tax to pay for infrastructure and first-responder needs. In addition, they have talked about putting another one-cent tax on the ballot this August. Commission Chairman Sam Parker has said that the sales tax money allows them more options on where and how they can spend the money. Impact fees have more restrictions on their usage.
At the meeting, Sharon Dickenson Miller from the SRCVAORS group said she wanted the commissioners to deny a preliminary plat and construction plans on a subdivision called Dixon Preserve, a 105-lot public subdivision off Chumuckla Highway.
This led to a heated exchange between Miller and Commissioner Bob Cole.
"We are trying to get you all to reinstate the impact fees so developers and builders will have to pay for some of the infrastructure rather than the citizens of the county," Miller said. "We are against giving any more zoning changes, approving any more subdivisions until impact fees are in place. Our group is growing daily. We are going to be in your face. So we are not going away. So that's something you guys need to consider."
"I can respect you folks getting together and hopefully you can respect us and the job we have to do, in how we treat each other, in how we talk to each other," Cole said.
Cole then started to explain how commissioners wanted to put a one cent sales tax on the ballot this fall and suddenly stopped. Apparently a woman in the crowd was shaking her head no.
"Nobody wants to give things a chance," Cole said. "Nobody knows everything they need to know before they make a decision."
Cole told Miller that he wanted her to take an open mind back to her group.
Miller countered with "Our group, we don't want a tax."
"That's not how we work together," Cole responded.
Miller told Cole that the tax "Was not going to happen."
"Well then the roads will stay the same," Cole said.
Parker stepped in and and said the best thing to do was for Miller to give her email address to staff and they would help her find information she wanted on infrastructure projects and information on impact fees and where they can be used.
Miller apologized for her approach saying that the infrastructure issue can get the best of her emotions.
"We all have a passion for this community," Parker said. "We all want to improve it."
Later that afternoon Parker announced the county would hold a special budget and infrastructure workshop to discuss the issue further with the community. The workshop is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. April 15 at Woodbine Church and is open to the public.
Parker said he would like to see resident groups attend. Commissioners and staff will have documentation that explains what can and cannot be done with certain funds, and they will go over what they have been doing to help improve infrastructure in the county.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Infrastructure discussion turns heated at meeting