Public speakers were evenly divided at a Tuesday public hearing on the Sarasota County School District’s plans to build and fund as many as 11 schools by 2040.
Of the four public speakers, two spoke in favor of reinstating the impact fees, one-time charges on new construction to offset the cost of growth. Two, including an attorney who spoke on behalf of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, were against not only reinstating impact fees, the collection of which was placed on a moratorium in 2010, but also against the entire long-range planning study projecting the need for more schools.
The plans were based on a long-range-planning study by consultants who estimated as many as 6,000 new students could enroll in Sarasota County schools over the next 10 years and up to 13,000 new students could attend local schools by 2040.
