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Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs) About Grant-Valkaria Incorporation
Select a topic:
A.
Reasons for Incorporation E. Legislative Standards
B.
Feasibility Study F. Annexation J. Land Use/Zoning
C.
Charter G.
Changes in the Community K. Contact
Info
D.
Referendum H.
Town Government L. How can I
help?
This
document contains the most frequently asked questions regarding the
incorporation of Grant-Valkaria. These are questions that have been asked
by residents at Town Meetings and through emails. We will be adding to
the list of FAQs periodically, so check back.
Select
from the “hyperlinks” listed above to the subject you are interested in.
You can
also scroll through the whole set of questions and you can print them out.
A copy
of the FAQs will also be available at the Grant-Library.
Email GVPC if you have further questions or comments!
1. Question:
What is the primary purpose for incorporating
Grant-Valkaria?
Answer:
To preserve the existing
lifestyle in Grant and Valkaria.
Concerned by the tremendous
development going on or being planned around Grant-Valkaria, hundreds of
residents discussed the options and determined that incorporating and thus
obtaining “home rule” is the only way in which residents can protect the
community and preserve our rural lifestyle.
Zoning and land use decisions can drastically change and have lasting
negative effects on the community. Incorporation
removes zoning and land use decisions from the
These are some of the reasons
stated by Grant-Valkaria residents as to why they believe that incorporation is
the best path for the community:
To
preserve the rural character of where we live
To preserve quality of life
To have a direct voice in the
destiny/future of our community
To have direct control over how our
tax money is spent
To preserve the rural flavor of the
community
To preserve the small town
atmosphere and the history of the community
To preserve sense of community
(volunteerism, neighbors helping neighbors)
To preserve identity of long
established community
To grow, but have that growth managed by
residents
To encourage small businesses
To promote "fishing
village" tourism
To promote eco-tourism
To preserve environmentally
sensitive areas
2. Question
What happens if Grant-Valkaria doesn’t incorporate?
Answer:
If Grant-Valkaria does not
incorporate, they remain an unincorporated area of the County. Residents will not gain the benefits of home
rule and will remain subject to zoning and density decisions decided at the
discretion of the Board of County Commissioners and the surrounding communities.
1. Question:
What is an incorporation Feasibility Study and why was
one conducted for Grant-Valkaria?
Answer:
An incorporation Feasibility
Study is a study that looks at the character, the boundaries, the property
values, and the types of development in an area to determine whether it would
be viable as a legal entity known as a “municipality”. The study also looks at the expected revenue
and expenses of the community to determine if it could thrive financially as a
Town (or municipality)..
2. Question:
Who conducted the Grant-Valkaria Feasibility Study?
Answer:
The Feasibility Study was conducted
by Mr. David Laney of the Florida Institute of Government at the University of
Central Florida (UCF). The Brevard
County Board of Commissioners contracted the study with UCF. The Feasibility Study was completed in
November, 2005 and revised January 12, 2006.
3. Question:
Who paid for the Grant-Valkaria Feasibility Study?
Answer:
In May 2005, the Study was
authorized by the Brevard County Commission, and was paid for out of
“Contingency Funds.” The cost was
$20,000 for the research, documentation, and a Citizen Survey that was
conducted and documented. Over 1300 residents of Grant-Valkaria petitioned that
a feasibility study be performed as a step toward incorporation. This petition
was presented to the
In 2001, Brevard County
Commissioners also authorized and paid for a Feasibility Study for Port St.
John, and have recently authorized and committed payment for a Feasibility
Study to be conducted for the Mims area.
All three of the studies were paid for by all Brevard taxpayers.
1. Question:
How was the Grant-Valkaria Charter developed?
Answer:
The Charter was developed by
a large group (30-40) of Grant-Valkaria residents (Charter Committee) who met
weekly from June 2005 through October 2005.
The meetings were advertised locally and were open to all Grant-Valkaria
residents.
To develop the Charter, the
Charter Committee started with a workbook called “
The Charter Committee
thoroughly researched and discussed each section of the Charter, made
recommendations, and drafts of each section. The recommendations were presented
to the community during four Town Meetings held during the summer and fall of
2005. All major decisions were made by
consensus of those present at the Town Meetings (average attendance was 200).
1. Question:
Will all the residents of Grant-Valkaria be able to
vote on whether to incorporate or not?
Answer:
All residents of
Grant-Valkaria who are registered voters will be eligible to vote in the
incorporation referendum. Registered
voters who will be out of the area on the referendum date will be able to vote
by absentee ballot.
2. Question:
The Grant-Valkaria Charter calls for a referendum on
incorporation on or before August 1, 2006.
This is not a regular election time; a lot of residents may be out of
town. Why was this date selected?
Answer:
The August 1, 2006 date was
selected in order to give the candidates for Town Council time to decide to
run, organize, and qualify in time for the November, 2, 2006 General Election.
The Charter calls for the Town to hold 3 “Candidate Forums” prior to the
election so that all candidates will have a chance to address all the
residents. A date of August 1 allows time to schedule these forums.
If the referendum were held
in November along with the General Election, the Town would still have to
sponsor an election in January (or thereabout) for the Town Council
election. This would occur during the
busy Christmas season where, again, many folks are out of town. In addition, the Town Council election as a
“special election” would be more expensive than the referendum as a “special
election.”
So that residents are aware
of and can plan, the GVPC has made every effort to announce the August 1, 2006
referendum date, and will continue to do so.
3. Question:
The August 1, 2006 referendum is not a regular
election, rather a “special election”. Who will pay for this special election?
Answer:
The August 1, 2006 special
election will be paid for by the many generous Grant-Valkaria residents who
have contributed to the incorporation effort.
It is not paid for by tax dollars.
1. Question:
The
1.
A population of 5,000
2.
A population density of 1.5 people per acre
3.
A 2 mile separation from a neighboring municipality
4.
Compact and contiguous boundaries
5.
A proposed Charter must be developed
6.
The Charter must clearly state the form and duties of
the proposed government
7.
The Charter cannot prohibit the Town Council from
levying taxes according to law
Grant-Valkaria does not meet items 1, 2 or 3. How will
Grant-Valkaria be able to incorporate without meeting these statutory
standards?
Answer:
Historically, the state
legislature has consistently granted waivers for these items. In years past,
the most common reason for incorporation was that a community wanted to obtain
better “municipal services” such as police, fire protection, water, sewer,
etc. The Legislature determined that to
do this, a minimum population, density, distance from other cities, and a
compact nature of an area would be best suited to provide these services. In addition, the Legislature would require
the residents to state how they would govern the Town, to give the governing
body basic authorities, so they required a Charter.
In recent years, however,
communities have increasingly stated their reason for wanting to incorporate as
a desire to protect the character of their community and control unwanted types
of development, not desiring more services.
The Legislature also understands that it takes more than having a
certain population or density for a community to thrive as a Town. That is why the Feasibility Study also looks
at the history and accomplishments of a community.
When a community has not met
the legislative standards, they have asked for waivers. From 1974 to 2000, there have been 42 requests
for exemption from statutory standards from communities in
There are currently three
other communities besides Grant-Valkaria seeking incorporation in
1. Question:
Can
Answer:
Under current law,
2. Question:
Why are
Answer:
As
By becoming a municipality,
Grant-Valkaria can establish legal borders beyond which
1. Question:
Will incorporation in any way change the Grant
Community Club, or the Grant Seafood Festival?
Answer:
The Grant Community Club is a
private club and will not be affected in any way by incorporation. It is private in the sense that it is not
associated with any government. Only the
members of the Grant Community Club will decide if and how the club changes.
The Grant Seafood Festival is sponsored by the Grant Community Club, so again,
it will not change in any way if the members of the Grant Community Club
do not desire it to. In many ways, the
Town may even be able to help the Grant Community Club. This organization is an
illustration of the wonderful sense of community that drew many residents to
Grant-Valkaria – why would anyone want to change it? The Grant Community Club
and the Grant Seafood Festival is one of the aspects of Grant-Valkaria that the
GVPC and residents want to preserve.
2. Question:
Will my mailing address change if Grant-Valkaria
incorporates?
Answer:
No, your mailing address is
determined by the US Postal Service. You
will still continue to be served by the Grant, Malabar, and
3. Question:
I live in an unincorporated area of the County partly
because there are less rules and regulations than in a town or city. Will there be new regulations and
restrictions after Grant-Valkaria incorporates?
Answer:
Upon incorporation, the
ordinances of the County that applied to Grant-Valkaria as an unincorporated
area will still apply. It will be
totally up to the residents of Grant-Valkaria which of these ordinances they
want to modify or eliminate. These
modifications could either increase OR decrease requirements.
4. Question:
If Grant and Valkaria incorporate into one Town, what
would the Town be called?
Answer:
The Charter uses “Grant-Valkaria” because a name had to be used for the new legal entity (municipality). The Charter provides for the residents and Town Council to determine a method of selecting a name for the Town should the residents desire it.
1. Question:
Will incorporating add another layer of government?
Answer:
Yes, it will add the most
direct, local level of government. However, the residents have indicated that
they want that government to be minimal and this is reflected in the
Charter. The Town government will be
directly elected by the residents of Grant-Valkaria and its actions will be a
reflection of what the residents desire. A local government, implemented by
Grant-Valkaria residents will be much more responsive to the residents than the
current County government.
2. Question:
What will the Town do for a Town Hall?
Answer:
The Grant Community Club has
graciously agreed to rent the Community House to the Town for monthly Town
meetings for at least a year. As soon as
the Town Council is elected, they will be responsible to find a suitable office
or building to house the Town Administrator and Clerk. There are funds in the budget to cover
this. The Town Council and residents
will have to discuss a future Town Hall and make decisions regarding it.
1. Question:
Won’t the Town be required to raise taxes in order to
provide services for its residents?
Answer:
No, according to the
Feasibility Study, the current level of taxes paid by the residents of
Grant-Valkaria will cover the expected expenses. The study indicates that there is no need for
additional taxes. Additionally, all cost estimates in the Feasibility Study
were based on estimating expenses high and revenues low. There are also
additional sources of revenue (other than property taxes) available to all
municipalities, which will add to the revenue stream, assuring a viable
financial status for the Town.
The Town will not need to
establish its own police force, fire department, road department, or parks and
recreation department. The Town will obtain these municipal services from the
County.
The study indicates that the same
amount of taxes residents currently pay the County for services will continue
to be used by the Town to pay the County for the same level of services. If the
County decides to raise taxes for the municipal services county-wide,
Grant-Valkaria’s taxes will increase also whether we incorporate or not.
However, this will be a function of the County, not the Town. The Town will
also be able to negotiate on behalf of the residents to some extent.
2. Question:
In looking at my tax bill, I see a long list of taxing
units. How will my tax bill change as a
result of Grant-Valkaria incorporating?
Answer:
The tax bill you receive
should not change significantly. The only probable change would be that the
MSTU taxing units currently assessed as 5 separate line items will be combined
into one line stating “Town of Grant-Valkaria……….4.369 mils”.
All the other County taxing
units will remain the same. The amounts of the County taxes, of course, may
change, but not due to Grant-Valkaria incorporating.
3. Question:
Will Grant-Valkaria lose any services by
incorporating?
Answer:
No. All the County-wide services will continue as
well as the “municipal services” that would be the responsibility of the Town.
4. Question:
Will the cost of municipal services provided to
Grant-Valkaria by the County change after incorporation?
Answer:
No,
The residents have indicated
in the Survey done as part of the Feasibility Study that they are satisfied
with the current level of services, so there is no reason to expect the cost of
municipal services to change.
5. Question:
Will I be “double taxed” for the same services - once
from the Town and once again from the County?
Answer:
No. The taxes you currently pay
to the County for municipal services will come instead to the Town. The Town
will pay for the municipal services from the County using those same funds.
There is no duplication of services or “double taxing”. The Town will not
establish its own police, fire, roads and parks & rec departments – it will
pay the County for these services.
Will the
Answer:
No,
according the Brevard County Property Appraiser’s Office, they do not come out
and re-assess an area’s property values just because that area has
incorporated.
7. Question:
Will the 3% cap on property assessment
still apply to the Town of Grant-Valkaria?
Answer:
Yes, as it is an
amendment to the Florida Constitution. The cap limits the increase in the annual
assessment of homestead properties in
6. Question:
Will the current zoning of vacant land in
Grant-Valkaria be changed after incorporation?
Will Grant-Valkaria be required to generate a
Comprehensive Plan for the Town?
Will the future land use of vacant land in
Grant-Valkaria be changed after incorporation?
Answer:
No, current zoning
will be “grandfathered” in. After
incorporation, new zoning requests will be heard by the Grant-Valkaria Town
Council, not the
As a Town, Grant-Valkaria
must by law, develop a Comprehensive Plan within 3 years of
incorporation. How this is accomplished
is entirely up to the residents and the Town Council. A volunteer Comprehensive
Planning Board could be established. The
Town would likely require the services of a professional planner to participate
in the generation of the Comprehensive Plan. The Town Council would propose and
the State Dept. of Community Affairs would approve the Comprehensive Plan and
file it with the State.
The future land use of
vacant land is specified by the Comprehensive Plan. Since the residents of Grant-Valkaria would
be developing a new comprehensive plan, it could be that the future land use
will change.
1. Question:
Where can I get information?
Answer:
Official GVPC Website - www.grantvalkaria.com
Email GVPC - gvpc@cfl.rr.com
Call GVPC – 952-7771
GVPC Mail –
Send GVPC your email address
– regular updates are sent out
Meetings – another Open Forum
meeting will likely be held before the referendum
Watch for mailings, flyers,
posters and, Grant “Shoreline”
Read Feasibility Study and Charter
at the Grant Library
1. Question
How can I help our community and the incorporation
effort?
Answer:
·
Collect as much
information as you can to help you make an informed decision on the
referendum.
·
Attend future
“Open Forum” Town Meetings for information (coming soon – we’ll contact you!)
·
Encourage your
neighbors to research, get informed and vote.
·
Send any questions
you may have to the GVPC via email, mail or phone.
·
Send any ideas
you have regarding sharing information, fund-raising, etc.
·
Volunteer your
special skills and resources to the incorporation effort and to the future
Town.
·
Register to vote
if you are not currently registered.
·
Host a
“Neighborhood Meeting” for your neighbors and friends in Grant-Valkaria – call
GVPC for details
·
Volunteer at the
next GVPC fund-raiser (coming soon – we’ll contact you!)
·
Think about
volunteering to run for the Grant-Valkaria Town Council.
2. Question:
Where can I contribute?
Answer:
Send checks to:
GVPC
Make checks payable to: “GVPC
Campaign Fund”
Any amount welcome!
1.
Question
The Constitution of
Answer:
Article X, Section 4 of the
Constitution also states that the 160 acre protection afforded to homestead
property outside a municipality will not be reduced due to that property being
included into a municipality unless the owner consents to the reduction.
What this means is that
current titleholder of property which properly claims a homestead within unincorporated Grant-Valkaria
will be unaffected as to its properly claimed exemptions from forced sale. The
exemption remains for the owner’s surviving spouse and heirs. However, when the
homestead property is sold to another party, the protection which applies to
homestead property within a municipality (1/2 acre) will apply.
2.
Question
Will my $25,000 homestead exemption be affected by
incorporation?
Answer:
No, the $25,000 homestead
exemption from property taxes will not change due to incorporation.