§ 56-62. Legislative findings applicable to correctional facilities impact fees.

The Board of County Commissioners of Columbia County, Florida, hereby finds, determines and declares that:

(a)

The correctional facilities of the county are designed and intended to provide for the detention of persons charged with or convicted of felonies or misdemeanors committed throughout Columbia County, including within the boundaries of the municipalities.

(b)

The provision of county correctional facilities is the exclusive responsibility of the county imposed pursuant to Florida Statutes.

(c)

Development necessitated by the growth contemplated in the comprehensive plan and the correctional facilities impact fee study will require improvements and additions to the correctional facilities to accommodate the new development generated by such growth and maintain the standards of service provided by the county.

(d)

Future growth, as represented by residential construction, should contribute its fair share to the cost of improvements and additions to the correctional facilities that are required to accommodate the impact generated by such growth.

(e)

The required improvements and additions to the correctional facilities needed to eliminate any deficiencies shall be funded by revenue sources of the county other than correctional facilities impact fees.

(f)

Implementation of the correctional facilities impact fees to require future residential construction within the county to contribute its fair share to the cost of required capital improvements and additions is an integral and vital element of the regulatory plan of growth management of the county.

(g)

The board of county commissioners expressly finds that the improvements and additions to the correctional facilities funded by the correctional facilities impact fee provide a benefit to all residential construction within the county in excess of the amount of the correctional facilities impact fee.

(h)

The purpose of this article is to require payment of correctional facilities impact fees by those who engage in residential construction and to provide for the cost of capital improvements to the correctional facilities which are required to accommodate such growth. This article shall not be construed to permit the collection of correctional facilities impact fees in excess of the amount reasonably anticipated to offset the demand on the correctional facilities generated by such applicable residential construction.

(i)

The data set forth in the correctional facilities impact fee study which was employed in the calculation of the correctional facilities impact fee rates imposed herein is the most recent and localized data available for the correctional facilities.

(j)

The administrative fee set forth in subsection 56-67(f) hereof constitutes the county's actual costs for collection of the correctional facilities impact fee including the actual costs related to the administration and the collection process.

(Ord. No. 2007-40, § 4.02, 10-18-2007)