Compromise for a graduated scale mobility-fee waiver took a slight detour Monday, as two versions of the bill emerged with differing periods a waiver could be in effect.
City Council member John Crescimbeni worked with opponents and proponents of a moratorium of the mobility fee — paid by developers to support infrastructure needed for that growth — to develop a substitute to Council member Richard Clark's proposal to institute a three-year moratorium.
The compromise brought to a joint Council committee Monday was for an 18-month reduction divided into three six-month blocks with a graduated waiver. The first six months would waive 75 percent of the fee, the second six months would waive 50 percent and the last six months would waive 25 percent.
Of the money paid for the fees, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements would be paid first, with any remaining funds applied toward transportation projects within the affected area.
Crescimbeni also inserted language into the compromise legislation to begin the waiver period three months after the bill was enacted, which he said would allow companies and prospects to prepare for the waiver.
The three-month "ramp-up" period as Crescimbeni called it, was the subject of much debate Monday among members of the three Council committees, comprising Rules, Finance and Transportation, Energy and Utilities.
Council member Greg Anderson said his concern was that any company ready to begin the process would delay for three months. Council member Jim Love agreed with him, saying the three-month period will make "people sit on the sideline waiting to go."
The two proposed an amendment to Crescimbeni's substitute to turn the three-month "ramp-up" period into an additional three months of the first six-month waiver, making it a nine-month period with 75 percent of the mobility-fee waiver. With the amendment, the combined waiver period is adjusted to 21 months.
The Rules and Transportation, Energy and Utilities committees approved the amendment with 4-0 votes, but the Finance Committee vote resulted in a 2-2 tie, killing the amendment. Crescimbeni and Council Vice President Bill Gulliford voted against.
Crescimbeni said he made a commitment to the group for an 18-month waiver and he "cannot deviate from that."
Gulliford proposed an amendment to move three months of the waiver from the back end to the front to keep an 18-month waiver, but the proposal died for lack of a second.
The Finance Committee approved Crescimbeni's substitute bill without the amendment, meaning two versions of the bill will be before Council tonight. Which version of the bill will be voted on could be determined at the 4 p.m. agenda meeting or whichever is voted on first by the full Council.
Doug Skiles, an opponent of the moratorium, took part in the compromise discussion with Crescimbeni and proponents. He said he would be in favor of shifting three months from the end of the waiver period to the start, but "would like to see it stay at 18 months."
He was not in favor of Monday's results to broaden the period to 21 months.
"That's not what any of us agreed to," Skiles said.
Crescimbeni said he would propose an amendment to ensure it was 18 months, either by eliminating the ramp-up period or shifting months, but said if it remained 21 months he could not support it.
Regardless, he said he expects some version of the bill to be passed tonight.
(904) 356-2466