FLAGLER PERSPECTIVE: Local government disputes bad for both sides

Palm Coast and Flagler County are at it again.

While city and county officials contend the two local governments enjoy a good working relationship, a dispute over water and impact fees reveals some discord between the entities that could end up in litigation.

At issue is the county’s plan to extend water and sewer lines at the Flagler County Executive Airport to a parcel adjacent to airport property for a commercial development, apparently bypassing a 2007 agreement with the city to cooperate on utility matters and circumventing the payment of impact fees to the city.

The move by county officials to work with a developer to bring new business to the area is laudable, but at what cost?

The $180,000 in impact fees that would be demanded by the city may present a stumbling block to the planned commercial development, but the larger impact goes beyond dollars and cents to the nature of the relationship between Palm Coast and Flagler County.

It is not uncommon for there to be friction points between local governments. Since the creation of the city in 1999, Palm Coast and Flagler County have battled over several issues — including water service — but have always managed to find some common ground.

On Tuesday, members of the Palm Coast City Council discussed the matter and approved a resolution that allows them to communicate directly with county commissioners, which could lead to an amicable resolution of the issue.

Finding a way to work out disputes is important beyond whether or not Flagler County gets another small commercial development on State Road 100.

Officials with both entities have their own ideas about economic development and how to bring jobs and opportunities to the community. But those short-term goals run the risk of short-changing real cooperation on the deeper issues of diversifying the tax base to give residential taxpayers a break and insulate the community from economic shocks.

As the economy continues to improve and the county continues to grow, these kind of disputes are likely to increase as more developers seek to jump on the Flagler County bandwagon.

But if local governments cannot learn how to cooperate when these inevitable conflicts arise, that progress is likely to stall, limiting opportunities for growth and leaving a bad taste in residents’ mouths.