A joint meeting Tuesday between the Collier County Board of Commissioners and Naples City Council discussed issues that ranged from beach parking to affordable housing.
Collier County and the city of Naples have had an interlocal beach parking agreement for nearly 20 years. The agreement has been renewed and amended twice since it was established in 2003.
The current agreement is set to expire Sept. 30. County staff recommended to the commissioners and city to maintain the current interlocal agreement for another four years.
The county annually pays the city $1.5 million that goes toward beach improvements, which total more than 50% of the city’s overall beach and water revenue. The two groups discussed evaluating the city’s generated revenue and determining whether $1.5 million is still an appropriate amount due to rising overall costs.
“I don’t want the perception to be that the county is sort of a cash cow here,” Commissioner Burt Saunders said. “We have to be very careful about how we spend our money as well. I think this $1.5 million was a very fair agreement and, personally, I’d like to see that continue at that rate.”
Naples Vice Mayor Mike McCabe said an escalator clause, which would cause the annual payment to the city to increase each year based on market conditions, is something that should be considered before approving a new agreement.
“We’re not drawing a line and saying, ‘Give us more county money,’” McCabe said. “We’re literally saying for the residents of the city of Naples, give us the money we’ve already given in for the additional services that we have for the city. It’s no more complicated than that.”
The boards agreed to appoint an ad hoc committee to evaluate the different forms of beach revenue generated by both the county and the city to bring to the next joint meeting in September when the interlocal agreement will be finalized.
“It behooves us all to come together and understand the beach is a shared resource and that it’s very important to keep it up and it’s very important to keep our quality of life,” Commissioner Penny Taylor said.
Bob Middleton, the city’s utilities director, presented an update to the septic-to-sewer initiative. When the city completed a study in 2006 of unsecured areas within the sanitary sewer system, seven areas were identified that needed change.
So far, three out of the seven areas have been completed with connections from homes to the sanitary sewer system. The city is in the second phase, which includes finishing the remaining four areas. In 2019, the city entered into an interlocal agreement with the county to do the design and construction parts of the project. All the designs should be finalized by August, Middleton said.
The design cost of the entire area is projected to be slightly more than $800,000, which will be a special assessment charged to the residents. Phase 2 of the project represents 869 total connections and the city has budgeted $32 million for the next five years.
The county assisted in Phase 1 of the project by helping with the design cost and construction contracting costs. How exactly the county will assist in Phase 2 has not been finalized.
The next conversion projects will be in city areas 3 and 6, both neighborhoods between U.S. 41 and Goodlette-Frank Road, of the sewer master plan. The construction for the sanitary sewer system is $10.7 million for 285 connections. Based on the cost without grants applied, homeowners would be hit with a $40,000 special assessment. “We’re hoping that will reduce (the fee), but I am not looking forward to that discussion with the residents,” Middleton said.
Congressman Byron Donalds has applied for a community funding grant on behalf of the city. If approved, the project will receive $5 million in federal funding. This would cut what homeowners would have to pay to $20,000 each.
Residents should expect a public notification this summer including the cost and dates for public meetings with city and county staff. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2023. Phase 2 is expected to take two years or less to make all the improvements in the area, including the replacement of the water system and improvements to the stormwater system.
The commissioners and council members also discussed updates on the issue of affordable housing in the area. County emergency assistance programs have dispersed about $5.8 million in rental assistance.
Jake LaRow, the county’s manager of Housing Grant Development and Operations, presented to the staff recent affordable housing developments within the city. Housing affordability costs are based on a percentage of the area’s average median income, which is $98,600.
One of the new apartment complexes is Allura, holding 55 of the total 304 units for essential service personnel and 30 units for those who make 80% under the AMI. Currently, none of the units aimed to be more affordable are available in that North Naples community off Livingston Road.
Three other developments in unincorporated Collier County expected to be completed by the beginning of 2023 are considered affordable. Two of those are for residents more than 62 years old.
“We’re in a crisis, there’s no question,” Commissioner Taylor said. “Affordable housing has morphed into a rental crisis and, at this point, the state is not helping us at all with this. We, as a county, are reacting but that’s all we’ve had, that time frame to react.”
