Legislative tool will help county, city leaders sort out who pays for what

State legislators have given Lee County leaders a new tool to use when forging agreements with communities that incorporate or cities that annex new land.

The new legislation will provide a process for cities and counties to figure out who is responsible for providing needed services and facilities after an annexation takes place, Liz Donely, an attorney for the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council told members of the Metropolitan Planning Organization on Friday.

The legislation could also help counties and cities figure out what areas should be considered urban and what areas should remain rural, said Wayne Daltry, director of smart growth for Lee County.

That issue becomes more important as cities look to incorporate and develop environmentally sensitive areas in the eastern parts of the county.

In unincorporated Lee County, services such as roads, police and Emergency Medical Services are provided by the county. However, when communities incorporate or cities grow through annexation, agreements have to be forged to figure out who is responsible for providing those services.

"As the area's population grows, the nature of its demand for more services get more sophisticated," Daltry said. "We want to have agreements on the front end to decide who does what, where."

The county currently enters into agreements with municipalities to provide services but there is no formal process, which can lead to inconsistencies between agreements between the county and the various cities.

"This is formalizing something that is already being done," Donely said. "It's a means by which we can make it more uniform and easier for parties to engage in."

Lee County Commissioner John Albion proposed bringing leaders from the county and all municipalities together to craft a template for agreements that could be used countywide.

The legislation does not force cities to come to the table, but they should be motivated to do so, Daltry said.

After all, it's the citizens of those cities who need the county's services, he said.

"The ones who lose are the citizens if they are not getting sufficient and efficient services," Daltry said.