By Tony Judnich
staff writer
November 17, 2005

SEBASTIAN — Voters in Indian River County should decide whether to expand the Urban Service Area, a majority of the Sebastian City Council agreed Wednesday.

The council voted 4-1 to support county Commissioner Gary Wheeler's proposed resolution that would ask the Legislature for a special act allowing county voters to decide on any change in the area's boundaries. Councilwoman Lisanne Monier cast the lone "no" vote.

The Urban Service Area is the part of the county, mostly east of Interstate 95, within which high-density development is allowed at up to six homes or 10 condominiums per acre.

The county provides water and sewer lines, parks and rapid access to police and fire service in that area. Everything outside the area is restricted to a maximum of one home per five acres and limited to wells, septic tanks and slower emergency response.

Wheeler wants voters, not elected officials, to have the power over the boundary line.

"I believe without this act, and without it being in the hands of the voters, we will go the way of South Florida," Wheeler said Wednesday.

And most Sebastian council members agreed.

Voters should control the boundaries because they would be the ones paying higher taxes to support growth outside the Urban Service Area, Mayor Nate McCollum said.

And Councilwoman Andrea Coy, who has opposed the city growing via annexations of unincorporated county land, said letting voters control the boundary line is a "no brainer." Voters would approve expanding the line to make room for "worthy" projects, she said.

"If Microsoft comes to town, no one's going to say, 'No,' to that," Coy said.

Monier said she would like more time to study Wheeler's idea.

"I don't know what's going to come before (Sebastian) in the next 10 years, but I want to be able to decide," she said.

Local businessman and Realtor Damien Gilliams also opposed Wheeler's idea, saying he feared the local economy would suffer if voters controlled the boundaries.

The County Commission on Nov. 1 voted 3-2 against Wheeler's motion for his proposed resolution, but that hasn't stopped him from trying to drum up support for it. Before asking Sebastian council members for their support, he received the Orchid Town Council's backing of his efforts and plans to ask the Indian River Shores Town Council and Fellsmere City Council for their support today.

Wheeler plans to take the results to the county's delegation of state lawmakers when it hears proposed local bills Nov. 30.

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