Condition to incorporation OK'd

The Metro Planning Advisory Board wants county commissioners to approve a countywide revenue-sharing plan before any community decides to form its own city.

With the recommendation, the PAB changed its stance: In May, it recommended that Pinecrest, Destiny, East Kendall and West Kendall residents vote on incorporation.

Only two communities — Pinecrest and Destiny — won approval from commissioners. Residents of those areas are gearing up to vote on incorporation in September.

The resolution is scheduled to go before the Metro Commission on July 11. At that time, the commission will decide whether Pinecrest and Destiny will be exempted.

Having a revenue-sharing plan in place is important to county officials, who worry that affluent areas will leave the county financially strapped to pay for services in poor communities.

The PAB resolution has a loophole: If a revenue-sharing plan is not implemented within three years, then communities should be allowed to proceed with the incorporation process, the resolution states.

No one told the Pinecrest incorporation folks about the PAB’s latest decision, said Gary Matzner, one of the leaders in the Pinecrest movement.

Matzner said he doesn’t think the resolution applies to Pinecrest.

The resolution also calls for the creation of a two-tier government system countywide. One tier would include dividing the unincorporated area into districts and allowing residents of each district to elect a council. That council would decide on local issues such as building and zoning.