By DOTTY NIST
Kelley Mossburg identified two questions that citizens must ask themselves when considering incorporation of south Walton County: Are you willing to control your own destiny, and are you willing to pay for it?
Mossburg, South Walton Community Council (SWCC) president, was featured speaker at the April 2 30A Republican Club meeting at the Rosemary Beach Town Hall. Mossburg was accompanied by his wife Debbie. The possible incorporation of south Walton County as city was the topic for the meeting.
The term city has been used for simplicity in discussion on incorporation. Incorporated areas may alternatively be called “town” or “village,” according to the desire of residents. An area referred to as a city may be large or small.
Mossburg explained that the SWCC was taking the role of providing information to the community on incorporation rather than advocating for the possibility. The organization had hosted a Feb 26 forum featuring information on incorporation presented by Lynn Tipton of the Florida League of Cities.
Mossburg handed out written material from the Feb. 26 forum.
He told attendees that there are currently 411 cities in Florida, with a little over 50 percent of the state population residing in cities.
The primary reason for areas incorporating over the past 15 years has been to take on responsibility for zoning and planning, Mossburg said. There have been other reasons, as well, including citizens’ desire for a service that their county does not provide.
The four types of local governments in Florida consist of counties, school districts, special districts, and municipalities (cities, towns and villages), Mossburg explained. Schools and special districts are set up for a specific purpose only.
There are 67 counties and 67 school districts in the state, along with approximately 1,600 special districts, Mossburg continued.
Cities have corporate powers and provide services for a fee, he explained.
A city cannot be established without residents voting in favor of incorporating their area, Mossburg told the group. However, there are a series of steps before a vote can take place.
The first step in a feasibility study, which a consultant is usually enlisted to undertake. Such a study includes the city boundaries, tax structure and revenue sources for the city and initial ideas on governmental structure. A feasibility study may take six months or more, Mossburg said, adding that he is told that the cost of such studies runs from $30,000 to $50,000. Feasibility studies are paid for through private funding, and groups supporting incorporations typically raise this funding, he explained.
The support of both the area’s Senate and House legislators is required in order for an incorporation bill to be introduced into the Florida Legislature, Mossburg detailed. The bill is called a special act.
Special acts for incorporation must be filed on Sept. 1 or earlier in advance of the legislative session.
With approval of the special act and signing by the governor, a referendum on incorporation of the area is scheduled, Mossburg noted. Some incorporation efforts have failed due to voters turning them down.
“It’s really up to the citizens in that community to decide what level of service they want,” he explained. Ranges of services provided by a city can range from limited to full services, Mossburg explained.
The city’s plan must cover law enforcement, fire protection, and a comprehensive plan, he noted. It is not required for the city to be the source of law enforcement or fire protection services, but it must arrange for these services to be made available to its residents.
Cities may opt to outsource services with the exception of some key aspects that residents want the city to be responsible for, such as land development, Mossburg said.
“It’s a very inclusive process,” Mossburg said of the incorporation effort. The process includes a lot of community dialog, he noted. The timeline for the process averages 18 months, although it may range from 15 months to two years, Mossburg said.
Pros for incorporation include residents having “more say,” and cons include that services provided by a city are “not free,” he noted.
Alternatives to incorporation include working with elected officials to reach goals or creating an overlay plan for an area, Mossburg told the group. However, incorporation is one of the most effective ways for areas to bring about change, he said.
Mossburg was asked why an effort to incorporate south Walton County about 15 years ago had failed.
Club member Jim Anders responded that developers with large tracts of land, vacant at the time, had “killed” that previous effort because they had not wanted another level of taxation to be imposed.
Mossburg was of the opinion that the Hampton Inn proposed for CR-30A served as a “spark” to reignite the incorporation effort. The feeling, he said, is that there is “a lot of gray area” in the county’s comprehensive plan that seems to benefit developers.
There is also a feeling that the county commission is “not aligned” with residents’ concern about the many development proposals coming forward with the recent emergence of the area from recession, Mossburg added.
Bob Hudson observed that another concern of some residents is that more law enforcement is needed, in their opinion, south of the bay, especially with the number of tourists present during spring and summer.
Debbie Mossburg relayed a friend’s interest in having more use and control over sports fields used by children living south of the bay. She added that Tipton had pointed out that an area that is incorporated as a city has “a seat at the table,” and a greater voice in a county.
“I do think that this is a very special place,” Debbie Mossburg said.
The next 30A Republican Club meeting is scheduled for June 4. Attendees were encouraged to return at that time.
