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NSBNEWS.net file photo and video by Sera Frederick / New Smyrna Beach Adam Barringer and the City Commissioners Lynne Plaskett, Jim Hathaway, Jack Grasty and Judy Reiker agree Tuesday night that with the new police and fire station complex built, now is an opportunity time to lure businesses to this seaside paradise by waiving police and fire impact fees for one year.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- In this downtrodden economy, New Smyrna Beach may now have an edge over other cities in Volusia County in welcoming businesses starting up or those looking to relocate: No impact fees for public safety services.
The City Commission voted unanimously tonight to waive non-residential impact fees for police and fire services. Nobody was more thrilled after the 5-0 vote than Mayor Adam Barringer, whose mantra from Day 1 when he was voted into office in 2009 was finding ways to spur economic development.
So why now? Why not?" the mayor responded in an interview with NSBNEWS.net following tonight's meeting at City Hall where the request to waive the fees as suggested by his economic development advisory board was unanimously endorsed by the commission.
"We now have the new police and fire stations built," Barringer said. "What else do we need those fees for."
The mayor believes the one-year moratorium will provide an "incentive for small business owners looking to hold down costs and they won't be so overwhelmed with paperwork."
For decades, New Smyrna Beach was known as a place where prospective busineses were turned off by all the red tape and associated costs. "Barringer added, "This is just another incentive to put in our tool box."