Christine Moore.
By Christine Moore
In Summary:
Christine Moore introduces readers to the Strong Towns movement and its approach to managing growth and infrastructure costs. She examines the organization's argument that long-term maintenance—not initial construction—is one of the greatest financial challenges facing local governments. Moore also invites residents to attend a Strong Towns Apopka discussion on transportation and infrastructure at Canon Coffee on July 16.
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Infrastructure – infrastructure – infrastructure.
It is all anyone can talk about. Strong Towns, led by civil engineer Chuck Marohn, has the best explanation I have seen about why the infrastructure deficits exist so robustly throughout the United States.
Related: Apopka can build a stronger future one bike ride at a time.
Marohn describes the current national suburban development patterns as a Ponzi scheme. He believes cities and counties cannot build themselves out of the infrastructure deficits through more suburban sprawl. Roadway and utility maintenance is never properly accounted for in public works budgets, leading to failing infrastructure budgeting. Additionally, the state of Florida makes it difficult for local governments to deny new development based solely on traffic considerations.
Marohn posits that the old school or pre-WWII method of building – incremental development - avoided the pitfalls of suburban sprawl and the cost of maintaining infrastructure. Small-time or local builders always construct near existing infrastructure. For those of you who didn’t study economics, if demand is high and supply is low, housing prices escalate. Thus, we must build better and more affordable products for future generations. Additionally, we must preserve small-town communities. In a future column, I will discuss this type of building in more detail.
Chuck Marohn and Strong Towns believe the total value of the county or city’s infrastructure should be 1/20th of the value of all private property. This is in order that the tax revenue received is sufficient to maintain and repair existing infrastructure. Urban 3 is a national corporation dedicated to determining a government’s financial health. Orange County Government, thanks to the citizens with the passage of a 2024 charter amendment, approved the creation of a tool created by Urban 3 to measure the “productivity” rate of new developments.
Developers and impact fees do a fairly good job of funding initial capital expenses – I know some of you would disagree. By state law, each developer is only responsible for their frontage and/or pays into a “proportionate” share of the new capacity account. It is important to monitor these accounts; it takes years to collect the millions needed for roadway expansion.
Adding to the complication is that impact fees are collected by one local government, while the other owns the roadway. The recent county transportation NOWCATS study seeks to remedy the partnership between the city and county. Yet, the county is $5 billion behind on infrastructure. To my knowledge, a deficit figure for the City of Apopka has never been provided. So, you should be asking candidates how they will find and share infrastructure costs needed with municipalities and how they will vote on new suburban developments.
If candidates claim infrastructure deficits are just an allocation or funding failure, they haven’t studied the issue sufficiently. The citizens voted down additional transportation funding multiple times. Voters should ask candidates tougher questions about solutions for infrastructure maintenance.
Please join Strong Towns Apopka on Thursday, July 16, at Canon Coffee at 5:30 pm for a conversation on transportation and infrastructure.
Key Points:
- Christine Moore introduces the Strong Towns movement and its approach to fiscally sustainable growth.
- The column explores how infrastructure maintenance costs can outpace the revenue generated by new development.
- Moore discusses the role of impact fees, transportation funding and long-term planning.
- She encourages voters to ask local candidates thoughtful questions about infrastructure funding.
- Strong Towns Apopka will host a public discussion on transportation and infrastructure at Canon Coffee on July 16.
