Purpose of the Proposed Item:
The Mobility Fee ordinance was adopted in order to provide the Town of Miami Lakes an alternative to traditional traffic concurrency requirements when considering the impact on traffic of new and re-development. In particular, the Mobility Fee allowed the Town to consider other forms of transportation as a means to significantly reduce the impact of vehicular traffic due to development. Over the past year the Fee has generated approximately $850,000 to fund mobility initiatives throughout the Town, and is currently being utilized to fund projects within the Town's Transportation Master Plan. The Town of Miami Lakes has identified $24,000,000.00 in Mobility Initiatives that would benefit from the Fee.

Major Points of Proposed Item:
Significant changes have occurred since the adoption of the mobility that would warrant a review of the current fee and its application now and in the future.

1. Time: Upon adoption, it was unclear what type of impact the Mobility Fee Ordinance would have over time on development. The Mobility Fee Ordinance has been in place for over a year and as a result we now have a better understanding of the intended and unintended consequences of the Fee. With this knowledge we have an opportunity to review and ensure that the Mobility Fee Ordinance is accomplishing its objective.

2. Alternative Funding: Subsequent changes to the way Miami Dade County allows Road Impact Fees to be applied, so that they directly fund transportation initiatives within the Town, have helped accelerate some of the much needed traffic improvements along our most congested corridors. This raises the question: How does this impact the way we fund our Strategic Traffic Master Plan, if at all?

3. Hybrid Approaches: Innovative approaches that accomplish the flexibility of the Mobility Fee while at the same time addressing the impact of vehicular traffic on our most congested roadways prior to project completion may arise as part of a review of the Fee. Could new “best practices” be identified which help us reach our goals?

Reason for Action:
Stated above.

Action Desired:
I intend to move that the Mobility Fee Ordinance be evaluated by staff with a report back to the Council with recommendations (if any) of changes that would help the Town continue to reach its mobility goals effectively. This evaluation would include, but not be limited to, a review of the current Fee Structure, Forecasted Development Projects and Roadway Improvements (Timeline), Projected Tax Revenue from new or redevelopment subject to or forecasted to be subject to the Mobility Fee, Alternative Approaches (Hybrid Model), and any other recommendations based on the evaluation. Once the staff completes its evaluation and presents its findings, the Council will then have an opportunity to exercise its oversight function and discuss the findings and determine what, if any, changes are needed.

Fiscal Impact: High