COURTESY : Ocala Star Banner
Published July 26, 2003 
BY CHRIS CURRY

THE VILLAGES - For the first time since 1999, Villages residents will see a hike in their monthly amenities fees, starting Oct. 1.

On Friday, the board of supervisors in control of major purchases for the retirement community approved an increase from the current $104 rate to a maximum monthly rate of $109 for the 2003-04 fiscal year and $114 a month in the 2004-05 fiscal year.

"These are the maximums, worst case scenario," said George McCabe, chairman of the Village Center district board of supervisors.

Village Center administrator Pete Wahl said the increase was necessary to balance the district budget in the face of employee salary raises, and increased costs for golf course landscaping, insurance premiums and, maintenance.

But Joe Gorman, president of the Property Owners Association, a watchdog group of Villages residents, questioned if the district was hiking the fees to pay off increasing bond debt. Gorman cited budget reports which projected maintenance and administration costs dropping slightly from the current $13.7 million level to $13.6 million in the next fiscal year. The same budget report showed the district's debt service on bond repayments rising to $13.3 million, nearly half of the district's projected $26.9 budget for 2003-04.

"We're in a situation where the debt seems to be growing and growing and growing," Gorman says. "As a board, you're going to lose credibility on this issue."

The Village Center district board uses resident amenity fees as one of the leading source of funds to repay bonds issued to fund infrastructure improvements and purchases such as the recreation centers the Villages developer builds and then sells to the district. Gorman said he believes the Center district board, made up of business associates of the developer, was paying too much for items purchased from the developer, including a $60 million purchase of recreation facilities valued at $10 million by a title insurance company.

Also Friday, the board of supervisors scheduled a public hearing for 1:30 p.m., Sept. 5, on the potential purchase of Little Sumter Utilities, a water and wastewater company, that a partnership led by Villages developer Gary H. Morse now owns. The center district board has already authorized staff to borrow up to $25 million through bonds if the board chooses to purchase the utility.