What if parts of unincorporated East Orange County were to become an incorporated city of its own? That’s the question a few East Orange County residents are considering with the professional support of NJC Corporate Enterprises, Inc. and its president James D. DeCocq. One benefit of incorporating is the creation of a local government entity that is closest to and most responsive to its citizens. A new municipal government fills in for the government services that the county is supposed to provide but doesn’t, usually because of limited resources.

Due to the sheer size of unincorporated East Orange County, some residents feel that the services provided by Orange County could be handled more efficiently. The benefits to residents living in a newly incorporated municipal government include: local control, maintaining or reducing tax rates, and better services in the areas of police, fire/rescue, building, zoning, and planning, recreation, public works, solid waste management, and emergency planning and recovery.

NJC conducted a financial analysis of one proposed region that could be used as the boundaries for a new municipal government in East Orange County. The region used for this initial study included an area of about 28,000 square acres that sits south of Highway 50 to the Beachline, extends east to the Econolahatchee River and west to Alafaya Trail. DeCocq says, “Based upon the best available data, both Avalon Park Proper and the East Orange County Study Area seem to posses taxable values that indicate a strong potential for financial independence from Orange County, Florida through either annexation or incorporation.”

The sticking point at this time is deciding the boundaries for the new municipal government. “Once official boundaries are established, an estimate of costs for services provided by Orange County to East Orange County residents within those boundaries can be provided,” says a spokesperson from the Orlando Property Appraiser’s office. These expenses are currently assessed through the county millage rates applied to property taxes. “Then parties involved in establishing a new city need to determine the administrative costs as well as cost provisions for the same or some of the services currently provided by the county. These costs would add up to the millage rate the new city would assess its residents,” the spokesperson explains.

While the assessment of millage by a new municipality on property owners sounds like increasing taxes, it’s really not. According to DeCocq, “City services provided to the unincorporated tax districts (UTD) in Orange County is co-mingled for services to all UTDs in Orange County.” Therefore, monies that should support East Orange County could be used elsewhere in the county. “The point is to make local government local. Incorporating a new municipality is more akin to rearing a child than getting divorced from the county,” adds DeCocq.

One way that citizens might see immediate positive consequences resulting from incorporating is through the maintenance of common areas, including the medians between the four lanes of Avalon Park Boulevard, among other areas. What takes the county three months or more to mow could be mowed more regularly. The responsibility, or burden, of such public works is relieved from the county and taken over by the new city. “Property values usually increase as soon as a city becomes incorporated,” says DeCocq. He explains that well maintained landscaping and the “branding” of cities, as seen through street furniture, including street lights, benches, garbage receptacles and the presentation of retention ponds help build a city’s reputation as a safe and clean place to live.

Another key component in the success of incorporating a new city is inter-local agreements. These agreements may involve the county contracting the new city to provide services for outlying communities. For example, if it is economically feasible for the city formed in East Orange County to provide recreation, public works or landscaping services to common areas in Bithlo or Wedgefield, Orange County may pay for such services to relieve the burden placed on their limited resources.

Residents interested in exploring the incorporation of part of East Orange County have a long process ahead of them. At this point the group has contacted and received support from State Representative Sandra Adams, so now they will move forward with a feasibility study. A committee is charged with raising funds to support the study. According to James DeCocq, the newly formed political committee will strive to present a completed feasibility study to the Florida legislation for the March 2010 session.

It is important to note that legislative approval is not a vote for incorporation. Legislative approval simply assigns a date for the people in the affected areas to vote on the incorporation plan. That vote will make or break the entire effort. Stay tuned for more information about the progress of the political committee and the incorporation of East Orange County into its own municipal government.

Article by Evelyn Cichanowski