Mobility Plan Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a Mobility Plan?
The City of Mascotte’s 2045 Mobility Plan is a vision, over the next 20+ years, for how the City’s transportation system will transition from moving cars towards a multimodal system focused on safely and conveniently moving people, whether they choose to continue driving their cars, or decide to walk, bicycle, ride transit, or use a new mobility technology.
Why does the City need a Mobility Plan?
Mascotte is showing signs of growth and strives to get ahead of future mobility enhancements rather than facing increased costs of revising built infrastructure. Most recently, the City has experienced increasing residential growth and anticipates commercial and redevelopment activity to meet the needs of citizens and visitors. This activity, combined with growth in County residents and visitors to the City, creates a need for mobility solutions.
What type of projects are included in the Mobility Plan?
The Mobility Plan consists of four (4) distinct plans that include projects for sidewalks, paths, trails, bike lanes, complete streets, and improved road connectivity. The four plans are specific to pedestrian, bicycling, transit, and streets and intersections projects and improvements.
How will the City prioritize Mobility Plan projects?
The projects identified in the Mobility Plan are prioritized in five-year increments between 2024 and 2045. The first increment will be six (6) years to reach 2030 and then follow the prescribed increments. Each year, as part of the City’s annual budget process, City staff will identify potential revenue sources over a five-year period and make recommendations to further prioritize the design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction of Mobility Plan projects. The City Council will prioritize the projects through the City’s annual Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Update.
How will the City fund the Mobility Plan projects?
The projects identified in the Mobility Plan will be funded primarily from the associated Mobility Fee. Additional funding resources include grants, developer contributions, and gas taxes.
What is a Mobility Fee?
A mobility fee is a one-time fee paid by a developer to the City to mitigate the development’s traffic impact to the City’s transportation system. Mobility fees are based on the multimodal projects adopted as part of the Mobility Plan and will be used to fund the identified multimodal projects in the Plan. Mobility fees were established by the Legislature to provide developers a simplified alternative to transportation concurrency, proportionate share, and road impact fees.
How is the Mobility Fee developed?
The mobility fee is based on the multimodal projects contained in the Mobility Plan and is based on detailed methodologies designed to meet what are known as the dual relational nexus test and rough proportionately test established by case law and Florida Statute. A detailed Mobility Plan and Mobility Fee Technical Report will be prepared to document how the mobility fee was developed and to demonstrate that the fee is legally and statutorily compliant.
Who pays a Mobility Fee?
Any new residential or non-residential development activity within the City that requires the issuance of a building permit and result in an increase in person travel demand (impact) above the existing use of property will be assessed a mobility fee. Mobility fees are not a tax, and they are not charged to existing homes, businesses, or property; unless there is an addition, change of use, expansion, modification, or redevelopment that requires issuance of a building permit and generates additional person travel demand above the existing use of property. Florida Statute exempts State of Florida governmental uses, and public and charter schools from paying mobility fees. The City is also proposing to exempt City and County governmental uses from mobility fees as these uses are funded by existing and future taxpayers.
When is the City going to adopt the Mobility Fees?
The City intends to hold two (2) public hearings in the Spring of 2024. The mobility fee, if adopted, would become effective three (3) months later, most likely in August. This time frame complies with Florida Statute, which requires a 90-day period between the notice by a local government to impose a mobility fee and the effective date of the mobility fee.
When does new development activity pay its Mobility Fees?
If adopted, mobility fees will be assessed at the time of a building permit application, effective after the required 90-day waiting period. Any valid building permits submitted prior to that date will not be assessed a mobility fee. The mobility fees would be required to be paid no later than issuance of a building permit, unless otherwise specified in an approved development order or agreement.
What is Transportation Concurrency?
In 1985, the Florida Legislature established the “Growth Management Act” to regulate new growth, requiring that local governments ensure that adequate road capacity would be available “concurrent” with new development to offset its traffic impact. An unintended consequence of concurrency was the limiting or stopping of development in urban areas, where it was cost prohibitive to add road capacity, and resulted in suburban sprawl where road capacity was either available or more affordable to construct. In 2011, the Florida Legislature replaced the “Growth Management Act” with the “Community Planning Act” that repealed statewide transportation concurrency and made it optional for local governments. In 2013, The Florida Legislature amended the “Community Planning Act” to encourage local governments to adopt alternative mobility funding systems, such as mobility plans and fees, as a repeal and replacement of transportation concurrency systems, proportionate share, and road impact fees.
How is a Mobility Fee determined for new development?
The Mobility Plan and Mobility Fee Technical Report and the implementing Ordinance include a simplified table, known as a mobility fee schedule, that provides the mobility fee rates for various land uses of property, such as residential, retail, industrial, and office. The mobility fee assessed is calculated based on the mobility fee rate and a specific unit of measure, such as square feet.
Are there credits available for the Mobility Fees?
Offsets of mobility fees may be available where redevelopment is replacing an existing structure. Credits maybe available for dedication of right-of-way, and/or the construction of multimodal projects identified in the mobility plan. The mobility fee ordinance contains details for off-sets and credits and administrative procedures would provide examples and additional details for determining off-sets and credits.
What happens to the Mobility Fees paid to the City?
Mobility fees are required by Florida Statue to be separated into a specific fund that tracks both payments and expenditures. The fund is subject to yearly audit by the State of Florida Department of Revenue. The requirement for a special fund is to ensure that: (1) mobility fees are not included in general revenues, (2) that the collection and expenditure of fees is transparent, and (3) the fees are being used for the purpose for which they were collected.
Where can the Mobility Fees be spent?
The collected mobility fees can be spent on multimodal projects anywhere within City limits as long as they are identified in the Mobility Plan or the Capital Improvement Program.
What can the Mobility Fees be spent on?
Mobility fees can be spent on multimodal projects included in the Mobility Plan or the Capital Improvements Program. The adopted Mobility Plan serves as the guiding vision for multimodal projects and is to be updated every five (5) years. During that time, there may be a need to fund multimodal projects that were not contemplated in the Mobility Plan. To expend mobility fee funds on multimodal projects not included in the Mobility Plan, the City would be required to amend its Capital Improvements Program to formally add the multimodal project.
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This FAQ has been prepared by Kiefer Professional Services for informational purposes only. The adopted mobility fee ordinance takes precedence in the event of any conflict between the Ordinance and this FAQ. Please reference the adopted Ordinance, the Comprehensive Plan, and the technical reports for specific details related to the Mobility Plan and/or Mobility Fee.
