About 42 ,000 people call Okeechobee County home.  Though small, projections say steady growth will push the rural-heartland area to about 49,000 people over the next 25 years.  

And that sustained growth necessitates additional public capital facilities, said Jessica Bezares, a special projects manager at Okeechobee County.

That means more school classrooms, roads, law enforcement, fire stations, parks, library and even jail space.   
 
That’s why for the better part of a year Okeechobee County has been discussing impact fees -– one time charges for new development to help off-set the cost of growth.  

If passed at its final public hearing next month, fees of roughly $11,000  would  need  collected before a small single-family home could be built.   

Fees for things such as restaurants that draw more people onto roads go far higher.  

Wes Williamson, the chairman of the local Economic Council of Okeechobee County, told the commission his members discussed the impact fee proposal recently during one of their membership meetings.

"We discussed it and decided to take a position on it and it was unanimous of the members that were there to be in favor of impact fees," he said. "We know there are some details that you all have worked  through and I think really come through to some intelligent   conclusion for but our organization is definitely in favor of that and that position has not changed.”
     
 The final public hearing on impact fees is February 12. If passed fees would start being collected in May.

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