News Archive - 2013

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Utility discusses future of impact fees
Harlingen Valley Star, TX – December 25, 2013
Alternatives to impact fees that the Harlingen WaterWorks System assesses builders and developers are under review. The fees are used to fund capital improvements to the city utility to meet demands of the new growth. The review includes eliminating …

City Council votes on school impact fee ordinance
Snohomish County News, WA – December 25, 2013
The City Council is being asked to meet the day after Christmas to vote on school impact fees. If the school impact fee ordinance passes, the Monroe School District will lose an additional 25 percent of the fees charged to developers. The ordinance …

Nashua aldermen OK fee waiver; Hayden Green developers to get $7K returned
The Telegraph, NH – December 24, 2013
A divided Board of Aldermen voted Monday to waive the school impact fees associated with Hayden Green Condominium, agreeing to return nearly $7,000 to the developers and forego thousands more in the future. The board voted 8-6 to grant a …

Pa. Supreme Court should preserve municipal autonomy
PublicOpinionOnline.com, PA – December 23, 2013
There’s an inherent trade-off to Pennsylvania’s system of municipal government: We gain proximity and easy access to local decision makers, but sometimes pay for it with fiscal and operational inefficiencies. It’s long been a matter of debate whether…

Coweta eliminates impact fees to help businesses
The Citizen.com, GA – December 22, 2013
The Coweta County Commission on Tuesday made a calculated move to stimulate business growth in the county. Commissioners by unanimous vote eliminated the impact fees previously required with new development. Impact fees were introduced

Ruling elevates environmental rights amendment
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA – December 21, 2013
The state Supreme Court ruling striking down a state law limiting the ability of local governments to zone gas drilling marks the broadest application yet of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment to statewide legal issues, the amendment’s …

Nashua housing project seeks school impact fee waiver
The Telegraph, NH – December 21, 2013
The legislative season is winding down, but Nashua officials have a few more consequential decisions to make at their final meeting of the full Board of Aldermen on Monday night. One matter facing the board is whether to grant a request from the …

Editorial, 12/22: Impact fee issue heats up
Linclon Journal Star, NE – December 21, 2013
Mayor Chris Beutler’s veto of another freeze for impact fees brings to a head an issue that has been smoldering for years. It would take five votes to override the mayor’s veto, which seems unlikely. In any event, the mayor’s veto will give more urgency …

Homebuilder impact fees getting a closer look
Royse City Herald Banner, TX – December 20, 2013
City officials are taking a close look at the future of lower impact fees for homebuilders in Royse City. The city council officially lowered the impact fees for a two-year period in May of 2012, a move they believed would spark more home construction in Royse City. According to …

Beutler vetoes freeze of impact fees
Linclon Journal Star, NE – December 20, 2013
Mayor Chris Beutler has vetoed the City Council’s decision this week to freeze impact fee rates paid by developers on most newly built homes and businesses and some redevelopment projects. The veto means that impact fees, used to pay part of the …

Lincoln councilwoman lobbies hard for higher development fees
MebraskaWatchdog.org, NE – December 18, 2013
A Lincoln city councilwoman launched an all-out campaign over the weekend to convince Lincoln residents to turn out for a Monday public hearing revolving around development fees. But before you imagine hordes of Lincolnites converging on city hall with pitchforks to demand that their …

Mt. Juliet decides to wait on impact fee
The Tennessean, TN – December 18, 2013
A proposed impact fee on new development is on hold. Mt. Juliet commissioners have discussed ways to provide revenue so the city’s reestablished fire department can keep up with growth. The commission passed a first reading vote in October that proposed a $1,500 fee for …

County eliminates impact fees
Newnan Times-Herald, GA – December 18, 2013
After Jan. 1, Coweta County will still have impact fees, but only in theory. Coweta’s impact fee will become $0, following Tuesday night’s action by the Coweta County Board of Commissioners. The commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to the county’s Development Impact Fee…

Council freezes impact fees again
Linclon Journal Star, NE – December 16, 2013
For the seventh year in a row, the Lincoln City Council agreed to freeze impact fees, used to help pay for the cost of providing amenities primarily to new areas of the city. But this time the freeze is for just six months, giving a small committee of builders and business people a chance to talk ..

Group: Share cost of expanding water system
Linclon Journal Star, NE – December 15, 2013
A small group of Chamber and business leaders have come up with what they think is an improved system to reduce Lincoln’s fees on new and redeveloped properties by as much as 40 percent. The group suggests eliminating impact fees assessed to help pay for water and wastewater …

District weighs shortfall options School board also forwarding impact-fee issue to county
Hernando Today, FL – December 14, 2013
The school district’s chief financial officer presented five options during a school board workshop this week about what action the district can take to modify the state’s education funding formula this legislative session. Last month CFO George Gall offered a simplified view of the complicated …

Volusia builders brace for impact fee hike
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – December 12, 2013
It’s going to cost a little bit more to buy a new home in Volusia County starting Jan. 1. And not for the usual reasons of increased market demand and rising material, labor and land costs. The Volusia County school district is set to lift its two-year moratorium on building impact fees for …

Development impact fee changes coming
Peoria Times, IL – December 12, 2013
Things are looking up. Growth is coming. Peoria leaders ponder how the city’s revenues will meet or surpass the costs of that growth. Capital projects need to be constructed, but where will the money come from? And, with recent legislation, which brings with it more restrictions, how …

San Diego Ups Development Fees
LaJolla Patch, CA – December 11, 2013
The San Diego City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday to increase over two years the fee the city charges developers and uses to develop affordable housing. The city has collected the housing impact fee—about 1.5 percent of the overall development cost—since 1990, but it was cut in half in …

Palm Coast’s Ambitions for More Parks Soar
Flaglerlive.com, FL – December 11, 2013
Palm Coast’s park impact fees levied on new construction are about to decline by a few hundred dollars, though the city’s ambitious plans for new parks and recreational facilities over the next few decades are unchanged. It’s not quite a contradiction: population projections are in flux, …

Avon Park City Council discuss impact fee waiver, fire assessment options
Highlands Today, FL – December 11, 2013
With members previously split on possibly extending an impact fee waiver and varying opinions on looking into the best way to setting fire assessment rates, there was more of a consensus on both items Monday night. At the Avon Park City Council meeting, council members voted unanimously …

City Council votes to increase charges used to develop affordable housing
Channel6, CA – December 10, 2013
The San Diego City Council voted 5-4 today to increase over two years the fee the city charges developers and uses to develop affordable housing. The city has collected the housing impact fee — about 1.5 percent of the overall development cost — since 1990, but it was cut in half in 1996 …

Road Fee Study Nixed
Ocala Star Banner, FL – December 4, 2013
At a workshop on Tuesday, Assistant County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes made one of his periodic appearances before the County Commission seeking to boost the stagnant revenue sources that sustain the county’s road network. In years past, for example, Bouyounes, who …

Divided San Marcos council looks to increase impact fees
Austin American-Statesman, TX – December 4, 2013
The San Marcos City Council has given preliminary approval to raising impact fees, pitting developers against residents over who should pay for expanding infrastructure in one of the fastest growing areas of the country. In a split 4-3 vote Tuesday evening, the council supported …

Clark County commissioners challenge desert tortoise impact fee
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV – December 3, 2013
Clark County commissioners made it clear Tuesday that they think there are better ways to spend the nearly $16 million that has gone toward conservation efforts to aid the desert tortoise since 2001. In stark contrast to their view is that of the county’s former environmental manager, …

City Council to vote on school impact mitigation fees
Monroe Monitor, WA – December 3, 2013
Council held discussion last week on 2013 comprehensive plan amendments directly relating to school mitigation fees. The amendments, if approved, would reestablish the 50 percent discount in an effort to encourage and attract residential development within the city of Monroe. Impact …

Manatee County settlement with developer Carlos Beruff would pay him more than $312,000
Bradenton Herald, FL – December 3, 2013
The Manatee County Commission will consider a settlement agreement Tuesday concerning road impact fee credits that would pay developer Carlos Beruff $312,219. The case involves how impact fees were figured for the Gamble Creek Estates development in northeastern Manatee County, …

County Extends Impact Fee Moratorium
The Ledger, FL – November 19, 2013
Developers will be off the hook for paying county impact fees for another 18 months. County Commission members approved the extension unanimously Tuesday, the third time since imposing the moratorium in 2010 on impact fees for roads, parks, police, jail, ambulance, fire …

Local developer narrowly wins impact fee credits from the city
Albuquerque Journal, NM – November 17, 2013
By a split vote, the Rio Rancho Governing Body has approved giving impact fee credits to a developer for building major drainage infrastructure. The vote came at the governing body meeting Wednesday at City Hall. The city used to give developers impact fee credits for building …

Monrovia residents say impact fee elimination would be developer boon
Frederick News Post, MD – November 17, 2013
Critics of a 1,510-home project in Monrovia are asking whether talk of changing county growth policies will lead to letting developers off the hook for millions in school construction fees. The proposed Monrovia Town Center is projected to add 840 students to surrounding schools, and …

Local developer narrowly wins impact fee credits from the city
Rio Rancho Observer, NM – November 17, 2013
By a split vote, the Rio Rancho Governing Body has approved giving impact fee credits to a developer for building major drainage infrastructure. The vote came at the governing body meeting Wednesday at City Hall. The city used to give developers impact fee credits for building …

Is Rio Rancho’s impact-fee moratorium paying off?
Albuquerque Journal, NM – November 17, 2013
Supporters billed it as a sure way to boost construction activity and tax revenue for Rio Rancho. Top city staffers had their doubts, predicting that the city would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars – money used for roads, water lines and other infrastructure and services to support …

Impact fee moratorium helped Rio Rancho, but how much?
Albuquerque Journal, NM – November 16, 2013
A moratorium on impact fees in Rio Rancho may have helped construction activity to forge ahead, but it’s unclear if the partial ban is solely responsible for the positive outcome. In any case, it’s good news and city officials are happy to claim it as a bright spot in what have been tough …

Ascension growth prompting fresh look at impact fees
The Advocate, LA – November 15, 2013
The seven-member Ascension Parish Planning Commission is developing a plan for one-time impact fees on new development, three months after several Parish Council members suggested revisiting the concept. The push for impact fees, which failed once before in the mid-2000s …

Impact Fee Moratorum To Last Five Years
The Ledger, FL – November 15, 2013
If you have an opinion on impact fees, the County Commission is scheduling a public hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon to once again consider  extending the impact fee moratorium. This time it looks as though the moratorium won’t expire until  July 31, 1015, the fifth anniversary …

Hernando school board recommends reinstating impact fees
Hernando Today, FL – November 14, 2013
The Hernando County School Board is recommending that the county reinstate education impact fees, which could raise the cost of a new home by several thousand dollars. A moratorium on the fees, which help the school district pay for infrastructure and pay down debt, has been in place …

Concord considers incentives for downtown redevelopment
Concord Monitor, NH – November 12, 2013
In hopes of encouraging redevelopment downtown, the Concord City Council is considering waiving certain impact fees – a change that could save thousands of dollars for business owners and landlords. The city charges fees when the use of a building changes, such as converting a …

City Council removes some impact fees
Lake Geneva News, WI – November 12, 2013
With little fanfare and less discussion, the Lake Geneva City Council on Monday approved an ordinance amendment that cuts away three of five impact fees imposed on new homes and residential developments in the city. First enacted in the 1990s, the city charged a $4,805 …

Government regs cost dealership $486,000, Boyd says
Hendersonville Lightning, NC – November 11, 2013
Boyd Chevrolet spent $486,000 on stormwater treatment, erosion control, landscaping, sidewalks and other improvements the city of Hendersonville required for its new dealership on Spartanburg Highway, L.C. “Cam” Boyd II said in a letter to Mayor Barbara Volk and the City Council. …

Ivins to cut water impact fees in half
Spectrum.com, UT – November 7, 2013
Ivins officials are hoping the culinary water master plan approved Thursday night will prove to be an incentive for new business as well as a boon for home builders. The plan, including an impact fee analysis and strategy for impact fee-related facilities, is reviewed at least every five years …

Ivins to cut water impact fees in half
Spectrum.com, UT – November 7, 2013
Ivins officials are hoping the culinary water master plan approved Thursday night will prove to be an incentive for new business as well as a boon for home builders. The plan, including an impact fee analysis and strategy for impact fee-related facilities, is reviewed at least every five years …

Carolina Beach To Consider Changes To Water And Sewer Impact Fees
Island Gazette, NC – November 6, 2013
The Carolina Beach Town Council will consider a recommendation to change the way water and sewer impact fees are charged for new home construction at their upcoming November 12, meeting at 6:30PM. According to Assistant Town Manager Ed Parvin, “The Town is evaluating …

Housing fee didn’t kill SF economy
San Diego Times Union. CA – November 6, 2013
I am both amazed and amused that the U-T has bought the argument that the increase in the linkage fee (“workforce housing offset”) is an “assault” on the local economy (“Assault on local economy cannot stand,” Editorial, Nov. 6). What is there about San Diego’s economy that makes …

Keeping future in mind, city tweaks impact fees
Palm Coast Observer, FL – November 6, 2013
Preparing for a population of about 203,000 residents is no small task — especially if that isn’t expected to happen for another couple of decades. But the Palm Coast City Council is trying to do just that. And it has spent the last few months tweaking its park impact fee system to try and …

Hernando School Board accepts impact fee study, forwards resolution to commission
Tampa Bay Times, FL – November 6, 2013
The Hernando County School Board has paved the way for the county to once again collect educational impact fees. But it didn’t come without some kicking and screaming, and with one builder warning that reinstating the fees would hurt the local home-building industry. In a …

Developer impact fees get scrutiny
SoMdNews, MD – November 6, 2013
The Charles County commissioners signed off Tuesday on most of the requests made last month during an annual public hearing on local legislative proposals, but asked for additional clarity on enabling legislation that would allow the county to impose impact fees on new development. …

City revisits giving school impact fee break to developers
Snohomish County News, WA – November 6, 2013
A proposal reducing school mitigation fees is back, putting the Monroe School District at risk of losing dollars homebuilders pay to mitigate student growth. The planning commission discussed the fees last week and is expected to make a recommendation whether to accept or deny the …

Council approves increase in water impact fee
Kalispell Daily Interlake, MT – November 5, 2013
Kalispell’s water impact fees are going up for the first time in more than five years, following the City Council’s passage Monday of a resolution to increase them. A mandatory two-year review of the impact fees dragged on through two rounds of contracted studies — one in 2010 and …

Frederick County work group to discuss impact fees, new transfer tax
Frederick News Post, MD – November 5, 2013
Real estate agents, homebuilders and politicians are about to take a crack at splitting the bill for the county’s schools and libraries. County commissioners agreed last week to form a task force to discuss whether charging impact fees on new development is the best way to collect funds for …

Is 2-year impact fee moratorium helping or not?
Albuquerque Journal, NM – November 2, 2013
Supporters billed it as sure way to boost construction activity and tax revenue for Rio Rancho. Top city staffers had their doubts, predicting that the city would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars – money used for roads, water lines and other infrastructure and services to support new …

Impact fee money still available to school district
Ocala Star Banner, FL – October 30, 2013
More than $6 million sits in a special Marion County School District trust, collecting a modest amount of interest while officials look for ways to spend it. The money comes from school impact fees collected from 2006-2011 that can only be used to pay for growth-related capital needs. …

Town Council may take a new look at impact fees assessed builders
Valley Breeze, RI – October 30, 2013
The Town Council has decided to look into whether the “impact fee” charged builders for each house they construct, $8,573, is too high. The suggestion came at the council’s Oct. 22 meeting from Democratic Councilman Bernard Hawkins, who said he has been contacted by some …

Builders oppose impact fees
Wilson Post, TN – October 30, 2013
Proposed impact fees to fund capital improvements for Mt. Juliet’s new fire department proved controversial Monday night at the city Board of Commissioners meeting. Former Mt. Juliet City Manager Bobby Franklin led off the opposition to the proposal, saying he doesn’t think the …

Mt. Juliet Considers Fee To Help Fund Fire Dept.
NewsChannel5.com, TN – October 28, 2013
City leaders in Mt. Juliet are considering a proposal that would charge new home and new business owners a $1,500 ‘impact fee’ to help cover the cost of operating the city’s new fire department. “One of the things the city has struggled with, how do you pay for this, how do …

Kalispell braces for higher impact fees
Kalispell Daily Interlake, MT – October 27, 2013
What some people are already criticizing as large, development-stunting increases in Kalispell’s sanitary sewer impact fees might be growing even larger. A proposal to increase the minimum fee from $2,499 to $4,257 has been caught in limbo for more than a year, with neither the Impact …

Massaging the impact: Peoria officials gearing for new plan, fee schedule
Arizona Newszap.com AZ – October 23, 2013
Peoria officials began the process last week to draw up new rules and a price structure for development impact fees after legislation passed last year redefining the practice for municipalities. Arizona Senate Bill 1525 placed greater restrictions on several fee categories by redefining …

Largo favors more breaks for developers over park impact fees
Tampa Bay Times, FL – October 22, 2013
The idea behind the city’s parkland impact fee is this: Developers should pay Largo money to provide parks for the residents who will be living in their new apartment complexes, condos and subdivisions. But for the past two years, Largo has had a moratorium on its parkland impact fee …

Editorial: Fumbling impact fee diminishes school board’s case
Tampa Bay Times, FL – October 18, 2013
Hernando School Board members will have a hard time convincing county commissioners, home builders and the general public on the need for a new, higher impact fee for education if they can’t even convince themselves. Last week, a board majority, with Dianne Bonfield absent, flailed …

$1,500 impact fees for building permits get nod in MJ
Wilson Post, TN – October 16, 2013
Growth and development have financial consequences for Mt. Juliet and its fire services, Fire Chief Erron Kinney told the Mt. Juliet Board of Commissioners Monday night as they listened and unanimously approved a proposed ordinance to adopt impact fees to offset fire protection …

Commissioners vote in impact fee for MJFD
The Chronicle of Mt. Juliet, TN – October 15, 2013
An impact fee on new residential and non-residential buildings coming into the city of Mt. Juliet will help expand the Mt. Juliet Fire Department as the city grows. The fee will be $1,500 for each unit in residential. A single family home would be just the $1,500, but residential units like …

Transfer Tax Could Be Added To The Commissioners’ 2014 Legislative Package
WFMD Talk Radio, MD – October 15, 2013
A new item could be added to the Frederick County Commissioners’ 2014 Legislative Package. Board President Blaine Young floated the idea of adding a bill to give the county authority to impose a transfer tax. “It captures all these dwelling units that had been built that paid …

Study says education impact fee of nearly $7,000 justified in Hernando
Tampa Bay Times, FL – October 11, 2013
As construction in Hernando County slowed to a virtual standstill during the recession, crippling one of Hernando’s largest industries, county officials tried to help. One major strategy: Discount or suspend impact fees, the one-time levies on new home construction. But with the economy now …

Brevard schools get OK to spend impact fees on debt
Florida Today, FL – October 8, 2013
The Brevard School District has received the go-ahead to use $8.3 million in impact fees collected by the county to pay off debt from various school construction projects. Brevard County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the plan to allocate facilities impact fees collected …

Council takes look at water impact fees
Daily Inter Lake, MT – October 2, 2013
Impact fees remain a point of contention among Kalispell City Council members who plan to vote next month on proposed water impact fee increases. During a work session on Monday, council member Phil Guiffrida III said one of his biggest complaints about impact fees is the confusion …

Commission votes to keep impact fees unchanged
News Herald, FL – October 1, 2013
The Bay County Commission overrode one commissioner’s objections Tuesday and kept all its impact fees at the same level as last year, which is substantially lower than the prescribed amount. Commissioner Mike Thomas argued the fees are needed as the county continues to grow, …

Commission votes to keep impact fees unchanged
New Herald, FL – October 1, 2013
The Bay County Commission overrode one commissioner’s objections Tuesday and kept all its impact fees at the same level as last year, which is substantially lower than the prescribed amount. Commissioner Mike Thomas argued the fees are needed as the county continues to grow, …

School impact fee study gets OK
Florida Today, FL – September 25, 2013
After months of political standstill and occasional name calling, Brevard County Commissioners and Brevard Board members agreed on Wednesday to commission a study on school impact fees, a move that officials on both sides say is a positive step forward. In addition, commissioners …

Lake County school board votes to bring back impact fees
WFTV Orlando, FL – September 23, 2013
Lake County school board members on Monday approved bringing back impact fees. Channel 9 has learned that in the past three years, schools have missed out on millions because those fees weren’t collected, but some say they won’t help much now. The impact fee is an extra fee of a..

Foreman needs to lead on Hernando school impact fees, not stand in the way
Hernando Times, FL – September 20, 2013
Hernando School Board Chairman Matt Foreman was right about one thing. Builders don’t pay impact fees, he said at a workshop last week, “the person who pays for the house (ultimately) pays for that.” Which is just the point. People who buy new houses often bring new children …

School board says impact fee study won’t be done in time
Hernando Today, FL – September 18, 2013
Five months after a $38,899 education impact fee study was approved by the Hernando County School Board, it appears the study will not be completed in time for county commissioners to consider before voting Oct. 8 whether to extend the moratorium on the fees. School …

Williams City Council reduces impact fees
Williams News, AZ – September 17, 2013
In an effort to promote economic development, the city of Williams will get rid of five impact fee categories starting next month. The change comes after a unanimous vote at the Sept. 12 Williams City Council meeting. Under a 2011 state law, cities must complete a study for the …

Lake schools are growing — cash isn’t
Orlando Sentinel, FL – September 16, 2013
School leaders at Sawgrass Bay Elementary in Clermont opened two new kindergarten classes to handle dozens of new students. At Lake Minneola High School — the district’s newest school — the campus is already about 100 students over capacity. Since school began last month, 918 new …

Pro/Con: Should developers pay increased fees to offset the cost of growth?
Victoria Advocate, TX – September 15, 2013
As Victoria continues to grow, so does the need for new roads, highways and thoroughfares. But who is going to pay for them? The city has begun weighing the option of charging developers a fee to help pay for the new roads after a resident raised the issue at a Sept. 3 City Council meeting. …

State Supreme Court reverses dismissal: Homebuilders’ lawsuit back to lower court
Summerville Journal, SC – September 12, 2013
A lawsuit filed in 2009 against Dorchester District Two by the Home Builders Association claiming the special legislation – passed in 2009 and allowing DD2 to collect special impact fees for new development – was been sent back to the lower court Wednesday, when the state Supreme …

State Supreme Court ruling breathes new life into homebuilders’ lawsuit
The Post and Courier, SC – September 11, 2013
A South Carolina Supreme Court ruling issued Wednesday has breathed new life into two homebuilder groups’ fight against an impact fee levied by Dorchester District 2 to help pay for new school buildings. A circuit judge in 2011 dismissed a lawsuit, brought in 2009, by the groups that …

Apartment developer wants Oswego School District 308 to lower impact fee
Beacon News, IL – September 11, 2013
The owners and developers of a sizeable proposed apartment complex in Oswego are seeking a tax break. On Monday, the Oswego District 308 School Board heard from staff a proposal to accept reduced fees, totaling nearly $8.7 million, for a new apartment complex planned for far …

Martinez extends fee break for developers
Contra Costa Times, CA – September 10, 2013
The City Council has extended for six months a 35 percent reduction in development impact fees for two long-delayed residential projects. Developers must pay the fee to compensate for a project’s impact on parks, traffic, cultural facilities, police and other city services. The Village at …

Local business owner unhappy with city impact fees
KKCO, CO – September 9, 2013
A local business owner trying to attract a new motel to Orchard Mesa is unhappy with the city and how they assess their impact fees on new businesses.  Most cities and communities impose impact fees for water, sewer and transportation. And one Orchard Mesa business owner …

Commissioners to consider use of impact fee money
Williamsport Sun Gazette, PA – September 4, 2013
Funding to relocate water and sewer lines near the site of the proposed YMCA facility in Williamsport is expected to come before the Lycoming County Commissioners for approval during their regular weekly meeting Thursday. A total of $180,000 in state natural gas impact fee money is …

Council needs to update growth impact fees
LompocRecord.com, CA – September 2, 2013
On Aug. 20, council member Dirk Starbuck tried to get the council to start a review of the impact fee schedule for new developments. He got no support. This isn’t the first time this issue has been discussed. Last Nov. 6, the council received a development fee impact status report as a part of …

Santa Clara approves changes
TheSpectrum.com, CA – August 29, 2013
City Council members approved changes in impact fees Wednesday that will raise the costs new developments must pay to support sewer and parks services, but lowered the costs they will pay for public safety services such as police and fire. The sewer impact fee will see a marked increase …

Commissioners Could Move On Impact Fees Next Month
Sanatoga Post, PA – August 26, 2013
A proposal that would allow Lower Pottsgrove to pay for future transportation-related expenses by collecting new fees from real estate developers, instead of potentially passing some or all of those costs on to local taxpayers, was put off Thursday (Aug. 22, 2013) for about two weeks. When …

Lower Pottsgrove eyeing traffic impact fees
The Mercury, PA – August 25, 2013
It’s unavoidable. With more development comes more traffic. With that traffic comes more wear and tear on roads, clogged intersections and shorter tempers. So township commissioners are considering a proposal to implement a traffic impact fee which ensures that the developers who …

Volusia mulls school sales tax, impact fee
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – August 24, 2013
A preliminary plan for moving ahead toward a 2014 referendum seeking to extend the current Volusia County half-cent sales tax to raise money for school construction, technology and buses will be presented to the School Board Tuesday. The current sales tax, approved by voters in 2001, …

Impact Fees On Township Commissioners’ Minds Tonight
Saratoga Post, PA – August 22, 2013
Experts from Lower Pottsgrove’s traffic and transportation engineering firm, and its community and parks’ planning adviser, will be featured speakers during tonight’s (Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013) meeting of the township Board of Commissioners’ meeting, as board members gather more …

Alvin council considering fee increases
Alvin Sun Advertiser, TX – August 21, 2013
During last Thursday’s Alvin City Council Meeting, members accepted the Impact Fee Advisory Committee’s written comments on the proposed amendments to the land use assumptions and capital improvement plan and impact fees. One council member voted against the plan. During …

Impact fee hike set for Centerville
Davis Clipper, CA – August 21, 2013
City officials are getting home builders to help pay for expansion of the city’s water system. The Centerville City Council approved a 69 percent hike in their water impact fees, which are paid only when a new home or business is built. The fees are expected to help with the cost of a new well …

Woodstock considering break in impact fees
Northwest Herald, IL – August 19, 2013
City officials are hoping a proposed break in impact fees for residential developers will encourage growth. The Woodstock City Council is set to vote Tuesday night on an adjustment to the city fees, which go toward balancing the fiscal impact per new individual on services such as schools, parks, …

Impact fees in Thompson’s Station headed higher
The Tennessean, TN – August 16, 2013
Any contractor building a new commercial project in this town has always been charged the same impact fee, regardless of whether it was a small day care center or a busy convenience store/gas station. But as this popular burg is poised for major growth, town officials say it’s time to begin …

Judge grants class status in city impact fee suit
News Leader, FL – August 15, 2013
The Nassau County Circuit Court has granted class certification in a lawsuit brought against the city for alleged illegal use of impact fees. The lawsuit – filed in August 2011 with lead plaintiff Joanne Conlon and about 700 additional plaintiffs that are residents of Fernandina Beach – claims the …

Traffic impact fee increases not popular
Stanwood Camano News, WA – August 13, 2013
Developers were predictably indignant about Stanwood’s proposed traffic impact fee increase. The increase, to be clear, would be huge: from $231 per trip to $1,162 per trip. For a new single-family residence, calculated at 9.57 trips, the cost would increase from $2,216 to $11,120. The …

Nolensville may raise road impact fees to cover upgrades
The Tennessean. TN – August 13, 2013
Nolensville is booming with new businesses, more subdivisions and commercial centers. And along with that growth comes more cars taxing the town’s roadway systems. In an effort to make sure developers “pay their way” as the town surges forward, Nolensville is in the process of changing …

Richland School Board lists impact fees, all-day kindergarten as top priorities
Tri-CityHerald.com, WA – August 12, 2013
Construction impact fees, all-day kindergarten and the possibility of a magnet school were identified as top priorities of the Richland School Board at a workshop meeting Monday afternoon. The impact fee proposal was recommended by board member Phyllis Strickler. The fees are used by …

St. John Town Council votes to hike park impact fees
St. John Community.com, IN – August 10, 2013
New park impact fees for future residential developments go into effect in 2014 after the St. John Town Council unanimously approved a 5 percent increase. The new $1,736.26 impact fee is $80 more than the current fee charged for each residential construction permit issued. It will be in …

Ascension takes another look at transportation impact fees
Baton Rouge Advocate, LA – August 9, 2013
The Ascension Parish Council is taking another look at transportation impact fees seven years after an earlier effort to impose them fell short and nine months after voters rejected a half-cent sales tax for upgrading roads. In a signal of renewed interest, a lawyer who played a key role in …

Make city water fees equitable
BlueRidgeNow.com, NC – August 8, 2013
In capping Hendersonville’s impact fees for new water and sewer customers, City Council tamped down a potentially explosive election-year issue. Moving forward, city leaders should make sure the city’s water fees and rates are equitable, reasonable and encourage conservation. Council …

City Planning Commission Puts Brakes on Roadway Impact Fee Study, For Now
KGNB 1400AM, TX – August 7, 2013
The City Planning Commission is proceeding slowly, as they question City Staff about many aspects of the 2013 Roadway Impact Fee Study; including the very need to have that fee in the first place. At yesterday’s meeting at City Hall, the Commission decided not only to table the issue for now, …

New idea for collecting school impact fees shows promise
Orlando Sentinel, FL – August 7, 2013
While the explosion at the Blue Rhino plant in Tavares was hogging the news last week, Lake County School Board members quietly asked the County Commission to meet with them on a new idea for how to collect the full impact fee on new homes for schools.. Stop the presses! Is it really …

Impact fee lowered original level of $2,714 in Washington Township
Record Herald, PA – August 6, 2013
Traffic impact fees in Washington Township were lowered to the original rate of $2,714 Monday in order to stimulate economic growth. Supervisors Stephen Kulla, William Conrad, Dick McCracken and Elaine Gladhill approved an ordinance to amend the rate — paid by developers — to $2,714 …

Impact fee lowered original level of $2,714 in Washington Township
Record Herald, PA – August 6, 2013
Traffic impact fees in Washington Township were lowered to the original rate of $2,714 Monday in order to stimulate economic growth. Supervisors Stephen Kulla, William Conrad, Dick McCracken and Elaine Gladhill approved an ordinance to amend the rate — paid by developers — to $2,714 …

Carroll commissioners to vote on keeping schools impact fee to zero for developers
Carroll County Times, MD – August 4, 2013
The fee charged to residential developers to cover new school construction or additions to existing schools to increase capacity could remain at zero following a proposal by the Carroll County Board of Commissioners. The board directed county staff Thursday to develop a resolution that would …

Impact fees on the rise
Forsyth News, GA – August 3, 2013
The annual impact fee program update reflected the trend that Forsyth County has been seeing — development is returning. Impact fees are charged to developers to offset the effects of building, and those funds support public facility projects. The county collected about $3.4 million …

No impact fee, no problem
Snohomish County News, WA – July 31, 2013
Next year’s school impact fee will be $8,000. Or $3,300 per multifamily unit. Either way, it’s a fee the Snoqualmie Valley School District won’t receive from any construction in the affordable housing area of Snoqualmie Ridge. And either way, it’s not a problem. We don’t really budget impact …

Flagler County workshop to address Palm Coast impact fees
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – July 30, 2013
Flagler County commissioners will spend a good portion of their time during a workshop Monday discussing city issues. Two hot topics are on the agenda: a new interlocal agreement with Palm Coast regarding transportation impact fee money; and, plans, if asked, to take over …

Crestview City Council to consider renaming impact fees
News Bulletin, FL – July 26, 2013
City officials have not raised the city’s water impact fees, despite water consultants Tetra Tech and CH2MHill’s recommendations.  Following Okaloosa County’s example, Public Works Director Wayne Steele has another idea: call the fee by another name. The county has begun …

Galt City Council reduces developer fees
News Sentinel, CA – July 23, 2013
The Galt City Council has approved an innovative fee incentive program to encourage construction of new businesses that create jobs and/or enhance retail sales and property tax revenue for the community. Under the program guidelines, developers will receive 25 percent off the current …

Kalispell committee still wrestling with impact fees
Daily Inter Lake, MT – July 21, 2013
Conversation about what to do with Kalispell’s water and sanitary sewer impact fees continues Tuesday among impact fee advisory committee members who have wrestled with the question for months. Earlier this spring, the committee agreed to recommend that Kalispell increase its …

Pending projects face impact fees
Our Colorado News, CO – July 19, 2013
Littleton City Council will vote Aug. 20 on whether to start charging developers fees to help offset the impacts their projects have on the community. It’s a timely discussion, as decisions on two major projects are scheduled to happen before that. On July 30, council will vote on the …

Salem to review impact fees
Eagle Tribune, MA – July 17, 2013
Selectmen authorized hiring a consultant to review the town’s impact fees, but only after they were told it should have been done several years ago. The board unanimously agreed Monday to pay consultant Bruce Mayberry $11,500 to review the impact fee structure and recommend whether …

First-ever impact fee challenge in Ohio continues
Middletown Journal, OH – July 17, 2013
The protracted litigation over impact fees in Hamilton Twp. is far from over, according to attorneys for the home builders. Last month the township asked Judge James Flannery to strike the home builder’s application for attorneys fees and for a revised court schedule which would delay the …

Palm Coast OKs impact fee resolution
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – July 17, 2013
In the eyes of the mayor, the long, drawn-out battle between the city and Flagler County has come to a peaceful end. Palm Coast will receive $3.5 million in impact fee revenue and use it to extend Palm Harbor Parkway to the north and connect it to Matanzas Woods Parkway. Doing so, …

Washington Township supervisors plan to lower impact fee
Record Herald, PA – July 16, 2013
After an hour-long discussion behind closed doors Monday, Washington Township supervisors announced their intentions to create an ordinance that would lower the municipality’s impact fees to $2,714. Supervisors are slated to discuss and vote on the ordinance at their meeting …

Park impact fees double in Pasco
KEPR 19, WA – July 16, 2013
Pasco continues to be the fastest growing spot in the state and the city is trying to keep up. New people need new facilities. It’s why Pasco is looking to charge more to build a home as the city continues to appeal to more people. Pasco wants more green space and residents agree. Neighbor …

Edgewater extends fee breaks in hopes of sparking economy
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – July 16, 2013
The Edgewater City Council, in three separate acts, voted to waive, defer or reduce fees in hopes of promoting economic development. “Hopefully, this is the last year we do this,” Councilwoman Christine Power said, referring to the economy turning around enough that the city would no longer …

Developers should pay up, says study
Littleton Independent, CO – July 15, 2013
Some citizens opposed to high-density projects in Littleton have complained that the city doesn’t charge developers for its trouble, but city council appears poised to silence that concern. “In light of renewed interest in development and the prospect of considerable future development …

Lake School Board wants to reinstate impact fees after losing $24 million
Orlando Sentinel, FL – July 15, 2013
Lake school district leaders Monday said they want impact fees reinstated to help pay for future school building needs after losing $24 million because of a two-year suspension. School Board members said they want the fees reinstated to help pay for new growth and also suggested they want …

Council to Consider Extending Polk City’s Impact Fee Moratorium
Ledger.com, FL – July 15, 2013
The City Council will be saving some of its heavy discussions for a weekend workshop but will still address a variety of issues in its regular meeting today. The council is expected to vote today on whether to put off collecting impact fees for another 12 months, except for water and sewage. …

Reader’s View, Dave Bieter: ACHD is wrong – its fees do discourage development
Idaho Statesman, ID – July 13, 2013
In her June 15 Reader’s View, Sara M. Baker, president of the Ada County Highway District, flatly declared that “it isn’t true” that ACHD’s impact fees are a disincentive to economic progress. Sorry, but it is true. Dozens of times over the past 10 years, builders and developers have told me that …

City Council sends water, sewer charge back to the drawing board
BlueRidgeNow.com, NC – July 11, 2013
An old issue bubbled to the surface at Thursday’s Hendersonville City Council meeting — how much of an impact fee charged to new water and sewer customers is too much? The city has pondered that question for months. On Thursday, Larry Rogers, executive director of Partners for …

Washington Township, Pa., traffic impact fee ruling delayed
Herald-Mail.com, PA – July 1, 2013
Debate about possibly lowering the Washington Township, Pa., traffic impact fees will continue. On Monday, the township supervisors delayed their discussion and possible decision about impact fees because two of the five board members were absent from the meeting. The board is considering …

Flagler lays out plan to hand over impact fee money
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – July 1, 2013
Palm Coast and Flagler County officials could sign an interlocal agreement regarding traffic impact fee money by the middle of the month — if both sides continue to work diligently to see that it happens. County Administrator Craig Coffey said Monday during a workshop meeting that …

Impact Fees to be assessed on all new building in Edmonds
Edmonds Beacon, WA – June 27, 2013
Developers in Edmonds are going to be paying more fees to the City. Beginning Oct. 1, developers will be required to pay a Park Impact Fee, which will assess fees on new construction and business expansions over 10 percent. New construction will mean additional users to the park system of the …

Collier extends impact fee breaks to businesses moving into older buildings
NaplesNew.com, FL – June 26, 2013
Based on its popularity, Collier County government will continue to offer a program that promotes redevelopment by reducing the impact fees paid by businesses moving into older commercial buildings. On Tuesday, county commissioners extended the program another year, until July 1 of next …

Lawsuits filed over impact fees
The Free Lance-Star, VA – June 26, 2013
A developer has filed a lawsuit against Stafford County alleging that the recently adopted transportation impact fees were not properly created under state code. Michael Stonehill, president and owner of Hour Homes Inc., Hour Development Corp., Brookstone Homes Inc. and …

City may eliminate impact fees
Lake Geneva Regional News, WI – June 26, 2013
Impact fees are apparently having little desired impact, and the city council seems ready to jettison them altogether. “The impact fee wasn’t doing much for the city,” said Alderwoman Sarah Hill, who chairs the Lake Geneva City Council’s Finance and Regulation Committee,. First enacted in the …

County axes subsidy for residents building homes
Gainesville Sun, FL – June 25, 2013
A County Commission discussion Tuesday over proposed changes to Alachua County’s impact fee relief program culminated in a narrow decision to eliminate the program at the end of this fiscal year. The Affordable Housing Impact Fee Relief Program provides funding to help cover the cost of …

City of Rogersville extends impact fee reduction for another year
southcountymail.com, MO – June 24, 2013
At the Rogersville Board of Aldermen meeting Monday, June 17, the board voted to extend the city’s impact fee reduction until June 2014. Mayor Jack Cole said it is important the city encourage businesses and homeowners to consider Rogersville as a place to build.; “If you are considering …

Rio Rancho OKs proposal to aid three housing developments
Albuquerque Business First, NM – June 24, 2013
The Rio Rancho City Council has approved an impact fee agreement and is willing to consider creating a special district to help with construction of the Stonegate, Milagro Mesa and Tierra del Oro housing developments. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the council passed both the …

One complaint left standing in Curb North lawsuit
Rio Rancho Observer, NM – June 23, 2013
A judge has dismissed three of four claims against the City of Rio Rancho in a lawsuit over impact fees. Curb North Inc., the developer of Cabezon, filed suit against the city last October after a majority of the Rio Rancho Governing Body approved a two-year moratorium on 50 percent of …

Impact fees may increase
Sidney Herald, MT – June 22, 2013
At this point, it appears the original impact fees for sewer, water and parks won’t be enough to pay for updated infrastructure, and the Sidney City Council must decide whether to double the fees or not. Last year, the Sidney City Council passed its first impact fees, water and sewer, at 25 …

Impact fee moratorium continues
Highlands Today, FL – June 19, 2013
Businesses and homeowners will be safe from higher taxes for another year. Without comment, the Highlands County commissioners voted 5-0 to suspend impact fees for a fifth year. A list of building permits since July 1, 2009 shows the county could have collected $3.7 million in the past four …

Audit indicates financial improvements for Surprise
Your West Valley New, AZ – June 19, 2013
Surprise approved its final fiscal year 2014 budget Tuesday, but the city’s highlight came from the fiscal year 2012 counterpart. The results of more than a year’s work, an audit of fiscal year 2012 and a detailed review of nearly a decade’s worth of impact fee transactions, were announced …

Redding considers impact fee study
Record Searchlight, CA – June 18, 2013
The Redding City Council at tonight’s meeting will get a consultant’s report recommending most impact fees for new development be raised, while another be lowered. The council meets at 6 p.m. at Redding City Hall, 777 Cypress Ave. The dollar amounts for fire, parks, sewer, traffic and water …

Las Cruces mulls impact fee repeal
Albuquerque Journal, NM – June 17, 2013
The City Council in Las Cruces will consider today whether to repeal impact fees for major road and drainage improvements. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the council adopted major road and drainage impact fees for new residential and commercial development in August 2011, but …

DeLand reinstates impact fees for developers
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – June 17, 2013
At least some impact fees will be making a return starting Oct. 1, city commissioners decided at a meeting Monday. Members of the City Commission unanimously directed city staff to let water and sewer impact fees return to their full amount effective Oct. 1. Water and sewer impact …

Warrenton may hike building charges for contractors
Daily Astorian, OR – June 14, 2013
System development charges, costs tacked on to the price of a building permit within the city, are set to increase in the next fiscal year – one year after they were adopted by the Warrenton City Commission to pay for increased strain on the water, sewer, storm water and transportation …

Bieter Vs. ACHD on Impact Fees; ‘He Said, She Said’
Boise Weekly, ID – June 13, 2013
Several hours after Mayor Dave Bieter’s June 12 State of the City Address before a packed house at the Boise Centre, the Ada County Highway District had a few remarks of its own. In his address, Bieter made particular reference to what he considered business-unfriendly impact fees …

Their View: Impact fees not the solution for city
Las Cruces Sun-News, NM – June 13, 2013
At the June 3 City Council meeting, the Council determined the current park impact fee is insufficient to develop new parks and voted to increase the impact fee to $2,600 per new home. The City Council continues to push for more parks even though the city has difficulty in maintaining …

City of Palm Bay to Waive Impact Fees to Spur Growth
Brevard Times, FL – June 7, 2013
In an effort to spark new commercial growth in the city, the city council on Thursday June 6th approved a resolution to temporarily waive the transportation impact fee for new businesses coming to Palm Bay. The Transportation Impact Fee Mitigation resolution is meant as an economic …

San Jose considers fee to fund housing
San Jose Mercury News, CA – June 7, 2013
San Jose officials took initial steps Tuesday toward setting a fee on new housing development that would generate money for lower-cost subsidized dwellings in the Silicon Valley city said to have the nation’s highest rent. The council’s 8-2-1 vote calls for the city to produce a study over the …

Palm Bay Waives Transportation Impact Fee For New Businesses
SpaceCoastDaily, FL – June 7, 2013
The Transportation Impact Fee Mitigation resolution is meant as an economic development incentive to build the city’s non-residential tax base and further stabilize revenue. The resolution authorizes the temporary suspension of transportation impact fees under specific criteria including …

City vs. county: Impact fee battle heats up
Palm Coast Observer, FL – June 7, 2013
A $3.5 million dispute has magnified communication troubles between Flagler County and Palm Coast. City officials say the county is dragging its feet on a legal obligation that would give the city $3.5 million in transportation impact fees. Flagler County officials say they have never been notified …

Will city park fees spike?
Record Searchlight, CA – June 7, 2013
When the City Council called for a review of development impact fees last year, the main proponents of that idea certainly didn’t think they’d be within spitting distance of doubling. Indeed, the whole idea was that they’d decrease — though City Manager Kurt Starman warned early …

Supes designate $13 million in TIF fees for SR 76
Village News, CA – June 6, 2013
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with the San Diego Association of governments which will allow SANDAG to use up to $13 million of Transportation Impact Fee (TIF) revenue for the widening of State Route 76. The supervisors’ 5-0 vote May 15 will …

City impact fees for parks more than triple in cost
Las Cruces Sun-News, NM – June 5, 2013
Park impact fees, which the city of Las Cruces must use to build new parks, will more than triple for residents who buy new homes. The fees, now assessed at $800 per dwelling unit, will increase to $2,600 on July 1. “For years, the fees for parks have been very, very low,” Councilor Gill Sorg …

Impact fee cuts create uneven playing fields
News Leader, FL – June 5, 2013
Southwest Florida’s topography is flat as a pool table but when it comes to impact fees there’s a noticeable tilt from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, builders say. But it’s a complicated issue that weighs more heavily on some types of construction than others. Most recently, on March 12 the Lee …

Bieter Spokesman: ACHD Owes Mayor Apology After Changing Tune In Impact Fee Flap
Boise Weekly, ID – May 28, 2013
The “he said, she said” war of words between Boise City Hall and the Ada County Highway District has a new wrinkle: “She said things a little differently.” During his June 12 State of the City Address before a packed house at the Boise Centre, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter made particular …

Palm Coast threatens to sue county over impact fees
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – May 26, 2013
Palm Coast officials want impact fee money from Flagler County they feel the city is entitled to and they’re tired of waiting so much so that the mayor has threatened legal action. A road in Palm Coast needs extending, so the money needs to start rolling in soon, Mayor Jon Netts said. He and his …

Editorial: Lawmakers should override veto of impact-fee bill
Seatle Times, WA – May 26, 2013
GOV. Jay Inslee’s veto of the impact-fee deferral bill is an unnecessary blow to Washington’s homebuilders and other industries involved in the planning, supplying, selling and furnishing of housing. Impact fees are typically used by urban counties and cities to pay for roads, schools and other …

Cottonwood contracts for impact fee analysis
Verde Independent, AZ – May 25, 2013
The City of Cottonwood has contracted with a consultant, Pat Walker, to prepare the analysis for renewed impact fees. Cost of the work is expected to top $50,000. Unlike many municipalities, Cottonwood only charges new home builders for water and wastewater services, but not for libraries, …

Hair salon won’t pay impact fee after all
News Leader, FL – May 23, 2013
After a public complaint to city commissioners, a local hair salon owner will not have to pay $7,000 in impact fees to open a new business on South 14th Street. In fact, she will pay no impact fees at all. City Utilities Director John Mandrick initially told Janet Miller, who applied to the city in …

Pitkin County ponders new way to calculate housing fee
Denver Post, CO – May 23, 2013
A new method of calculating the impact fee levied on development in Pitkin County to pay for worker housing is advancing, albeit tentatively, with a nod from county commissioners Tuesday. Commissioners, with Rachel Richards absent, peppered County Attorney John Ely and Tom McCabe, …

Los Banos school district OKs higher impact fees
Merced Sun-Star, CA – May 22, 2013
The Los Banos Unified School District is preparing for a housing boom this summer. District officials have more than doubled school impact fees for developers planning residential projects in the coming months. The board of trustees recently voted to increase the fees from $3.23 per square …

‘Mobility fee’ a possible source to pay for roads
News Leader, FL – May 20, 2013
By 2035, new shopping centers, industrial parks and warehouses could be sprouting up all over Nassau County, and new streets, sidewalks and intersections designed to relieve traffic could be joining them. An overhauled “fair share” system proposed to replace transportation impact …

Los Banos school district is doubling school fees
Los Banos Enterprise, CA – May 16, 2013
The Los Banos Unified School District is preparing for a housing boom this summer. District officials have more than doubled school impact fees for developers planning residential projects in the coming months. The board of trustees recently voted to increase the fees from $3.23 per square …

Boulder County will assess fees on oil and gas industry vehicles
Longmont Times-Call, CO – May 16, 2013
Boulder County commissioners decided Thursday night to assess impact fees on oil and gas companies drilling and operating future wells in unincorporated Boulder County to mitigate the wear and tear their heavy trucks and other vehicles are projected to cause on county roads. Those …

Homebuilders’ impact fee ordinance to be repealed
Las Cruces Sun-News, NM – May 16, 2013
A city ordinance that would have imposed new impact fees on homebuilders to pay for major road and drainage improvements on July 1 will instead be repealed by City Council. The repeal will be made official within a month when a resolution is presented to the council. The action comes after the …

Impact fee may be reduced in Washington Township
The Record-Herald.com, MD – May 16, 2013
Washington Township’s impact fee committee will hold a public hearing in June to hear comments about an amended capital improvement plan for Washington Township Boulevard and the impact fee. The hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, in Washington Township’s meeting room, …

Salem Rep Clashes with Town Staff on Impact Fee Issue
Salem Path, MA – May 15, 2013
A Salem state representative is battling the town over impact and betterment fees that he feels were improperly assessed for an accessory apartment above a two-door garage at his home. Appearing before the Board of Selectmen Monday, Rep. Ronald Belanger (R) brought forth the …

City of Frostproof to Revisit CRA, Impact Fees
NewsChief.com, FL – May 15, 2013
City Council members have decided to set up a workshop in the near future on impact fees and a community redevelopment agency. The last time the Frostproof City Council talked about those two funding mechanisms, the recession hadn’t happened. Now that it’s 2013, the city is overdue to …

Bill Would Ease Burden of System Development Charge on Affordable Housing
KUAM.com, GU – May 13, 2013
Senator Tom Ada has introduced a measure aimed at making the Affordable Housing System Development less burdensome for those who are building low cost and affordable homes.” The System Development Charge [SDC] is a fee imposed on the developer by the Guam Waterworks …

High Springs looking to collect slashed impact fees
Alachua Today.com, FL – May 9, 2013
Looking to increase revenues in city coffers, impact fees are on the table for the High Springs City Commission. At the April 11, 2013 commission meeting, commissioners discussed the impact fee study prepared by City Manager Ed Booth, which was provided to each of them for review during …

Impact Fee Delay Hurts Hernando Economy
Tampa Bay Times, FL – May 4, 2013
As most of you are probably aware, the current city council inherited quite a backlog of infrastructure transportation needs for our city. And, we’ve been pecking away at that list for the last five years. according to the consultant that we hired, the city of Brooksville is looking at $21 million …

Volusia schools, builders near impact-fee deal
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – April 29, 2013
Volusia County’s builders and the school district are one step away from approving a compromise on how much money residential developers will pay in impact fees starting next year. A committee represented by both sides unanimously agreed Friday to a $3,000 fee placed on each new dwelling built …

Hernando impact fee delay routes county to road congestion
Tampa Bay Times, FL – April 27, 2013
The Hernando County Commission is fine with congested roads and welcomes them in the future as the county’s population grows. That is the upshot of the commissioners’ continued pandering to homebuilders by delaying reinstatement of impact fees. They need to reconsider lest existing residents …

Road taxes, water impact fees back on Kalispell agenda
Kalispell Daily Interlake, MT – April 21, 2013
Following a long hiatus, controversial road-tax questions are back in front of the Kalispell City Council. Council members who voted more than a year ago to kill off a road-impact fee program that raised just $143,000 over several years were sure they could find a better way to pay for costly …

Debate grows over GWA’s System Development Cha
Guam News, GU – April 20, 2013
Guam – There is growing debate in the community about the System Development Charge and whether it should only apply to certain individuals, whether there should be a moratorium or whether it should be repealed altogether. Martin Benavente told KUAM News, “People see us as one …

School Board waives impact fee for third consecutive year
Ocala.com, FL – April 18, 2013
For the third consecutive year, the School Board plans to suspend collection of school impact fees — money levied on new residential construction to pay for growth within the school district. Though the board reached a consensus during a work session Thursday, the board must formally vote …

School Board agrees to deal
Hernando Today, FL – April 17, 2013
The school board approved 4-0 a memorandum of agreement with the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners, which provides funding for a portion of the educational impact fee study in the amount of $12,500. Among the approving votes was board chairman Matt Foreman, who  …

High Springs impact fees up for review
Alachua Today.com, FL – April 17, 2013
Impact fees in the City of High Springs, which were originally set at $9,000 per household, will now be reduced by more than one-third if City Manager Ed Booth has his way. Booth presented an impact fee study for review to the City Commission during the March 28, 2013 meeting. In it he …

Portage parks want impact fee reinstated
Portage Communities.com, IN – April 15, 2013
The Park Board on Monday night recommended the reinstating of the recreational impact fee. The fee was approved several years ago, but elapsed in 2011, Park Superintendent Jenny Orsburn said. She asked the board to approve adopting the fee again. The $700 per lot fee would be …

Impact fee moratorium may be helping city budget
Rio Rancho Observer, NM – April 14, 2013
The City of Rio Rancho is well ahead of budget in development-related areas despite projected losses from the impact fee moratorium. However, Mayor Tom Swisstack has questioned whether the moratorium is the reason. Last fall, a majority of the Rio Rancho Governing Body voted to …

Life after impact fees
CDA.com, ID – April 11, 2013
For a year and a half, Rob Thomas scratched and clawed over impact fees. In the meantime, his storage unit project in the Hauser area was stalled because it didn’t make business sense to continue to build with the fee structure that was in place. He appealed the fees, lost and continued to …

Counties still offer impact-fee breaks despite homebuilding rebound
Orlando Sentinel, FL – April 10, 2013
Central Florida counties may be losing millions of dollars by continuing to give homebuilders breaks on the fees they’re charged to pay for the cost of growth. So-called impact fees, used primarily to build schools, parks and roads, were reduced, suspended or even eliminated in Orange, …

Panel passes impact fee bill
Herald Tribune, FL – April 2, 2013
Local governments across Florida have been slashing fees charged for new development in recent years to spark economic growth.  But state leaders may go a step further and temporarily abolish the fees altogether for small businesses under a bill gaining momentum in the Florida Legislature. The …

Small businesses could get impact fee break
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – April 2, 2013
A bill that the local homebuilding industry once hoped would cut out impact fees on new houses is still moving through the state Legislature but in a weakened state — a break on fees for small “mom and pop” businesses, instead. While the builders still support any reduction in impact fees, …

Jaffrey charges non-residential developers an impact fee
Monadnock Ledger-Transcript IL – March 28, 2013
The town will charge an impact fee on non-residential developments for the first time, after voters approved changes to the town’s existing Impact Fee Ordinance at the polls on March 12. The town will conduct impact fee assessments on commercial and industrial uses, in addition …

Eagle Point questions need for water system study
Mail Tribune OR – March 28, 2013
With water funds rapidly draining, city staff members asked the City Council to pay for a rate study that would determine what utility and system development charge increases are needed to put the water funds back in the black. But council members decided they needed more …

Impact fee payers make case in court
Middletown Journal, OH – March 21, 2013
Several Warren County impact fee payers came to court Wednesday to protest having to chip in 40 percent of their refund for attorneys fees. Judge James Flannery, who has presided over the six-year-old case that went to the Ohio Supreme Court, has taken most of the issues in the Hamilton …

Brawley council postpones development impact fee increases
Imperial Valley Press, CA – March 20, 2013
Following an intense discussion between the City Council, the city decided to ultimately postpone a development impact-fee hike and move forward with an increase of water and wastewater capacity fees for new development. The council voted 3-2 on each action at Tuesday’s meeting. Mayor …

Suspension of impact fee program to continue in Londonderry
Union Leader, NH – March 19, 2013
The town will suspend its impact fee collection program for at least another month, as auditors work to complete a final report analyzing two decades of fee collections, town officials said this week. During Monday night’s Town Council meeting, councilors discussed the matter in detail with …

New-home building permits soar: Is it the result of impact-fee moratorium or economy?
Rio Rancho Observer, NM – March 17, 2013
Single-family building permits exploded in Rio Rancho in January, showing the largest monthly total in the last year, according to information released in a housing market newsletter written by Jan DeMaggio of DataTraq, which compiles construction data for the Albuquerque housing market. …

Editorial: Fort Pierce city commissioners should back off from impact fee moratorium
TCPalm, FL – March 15, 2013
Fort Pierce commissioners agreed this month to raise taxes on all city residents and property owners. But, that’s not what they’ll admit in their decision to initiate a one-year moratorium on the collection of impact fees on new developments. Rather, they’re claiming that the moratorium …

Hernando Impact Fee Plan Undermines Smarrt Growth
Tampabay.com, FL – March 13, 2013
Smart growth just took a backseat to any growth in Hernando County. Tuesday, county commissioners, with only Nick Nicholson dissenting, killed an idea to promote in-fill development and targeted employment growth. The reasonable plan would have guided new construction into existing …

Hernando Commissioners Prefer Discount For All if Impact Fees Return
Tampabay.com, FL – March 12, 2013
If Hernando County commissioners ultimately reinstate impact fees, they have no intention of rewarding people who build what and where county officials prefer. Commissioners on Tuesday rejected developing a new impact fee structure that would provide financial incentives to those who …

Lee County correcting impact fee mismanagement
NBC2News, FL – March 12, 2013
Lee County commissioners made a mistake when transferring funds from the Lehigh Acres park impact fee district to pay for the soccer fields at JetBlue Park and improvements at a Fort Myers park. Now they hope to self-correct their mistake using taxpayer dollars. Veterans Park in Lehigh …

North Idaho activist’s anti-impact fee bill killed in House committee
The Spokesman-Review, ID – March 6, 2013
North Idaho activist Larry Spencer proposed legislation in the House Local Government Committee this afternoon to create what he called a “deferential standard” in cases in which people challenge local government impact fees. His bill, HB 246, was modeled after a Florida law that …

Lee commissioners toy with impact fee cut, seem to nix all-out moratorium
naplesnews.com, FL – March 4, 2013
Although an all-out moratorium looks increasingly unlikely, Lee County commissioners seemed to agree Monday that a reduction in impact fees could benefit builders and the local economy. But the size of the reduction remains to be seen. A presentation by staff showed Lee County’s impact …

Who pays if an impact fee moratorium passes?
Cape Coral Daily Breeze, FL – March 2, 2013
The League of Women Voters of Lee County, Florida is extremely concerned about the current consideration by the Lee County Commissioners to implement a moratorium on impact fees. After much research and discussions with elected officials, we have the following questions to the …

Santa Monica Transportation Fee Could Raise $50 Million-Plus For City Hall
Santa Monica Mirror, CA – March 1, 2013
Santa Monica City Hall may generate between $50 million and $60 million within the next 20 years to help the City achieve its ambitious transportation goals. Council members unanimously approved on Tuesday evening a transportation impact fee (TIF) to be applied to developers who build …

Charlotte County impact fee refunds are clarified
BocaGrandeTalk.com, FL – February 27, 2013
A recent agenda item brought before the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Feb. 12, discussed the language relating to the timing of refunds of previously paid impact fees. Citizens should be aware that impact fees are only eligible for a refund if the county has …

Chamber Of Commerce Expresses Concern Over Transportation Impact Fee
Santa Monica Mirror, CA – February 26, 2013
Dear Mayor Connor and Councilmembers: We are writing with respect to Staffs latest revisions to the proposed Transportation Impact Fee. While we commend Staff for making some positive changes from the previous proposal (e.g., auto dealership rates, reoccupancy), we remain …

Impact fee established in Liberty
GreenvilleOnline.com, SC – February 26, 2013
The city of Liberty has established an impact fee for new commercial projects in an effort to prepare for future growth, a city leader said. City Council approved on final reading an ordinance to create a $1,400 impact fee for new commercial projects, including newly constructed businesses, …

Orland studying impact fee rates
Orland Press-Register, CA – February 26, 2013
Orland Planner Scott Friend is busy meeting with city department heads to discuss their needs as he formulates an impact fee study. Friend told the City Council last week he does not have concrete numbers to present on fees at this time. He noted development impact fees are charged …

The Impact Tax: Commonly Referred to as an Impact Fee
NaplesNew.com, FL – February 25, 2013
The Impact fee is not a fee, it is a tax, and it should be referred to as such. Impact taxes are used to pay for infrastructure needs caused by increases in population and must pass a dual rational nexus test to be legal. The local government must demonstrate a reasonable connection, or rational …

Deltona is right to keep fee moratorium in place
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – February 23, 2013
With Deltona still healing from the bruises inflicted by the Great Recession, city leaders did the right thing in voting to keep a moratorium on impact fees in place. Questions arose when at least one Deltona City Commission member advised the board to remember the purpose of the city’s …

Atlanta City Council Approves $1.17M Land Purchase for New Buckhead Park
Buckhead Patch, GA – February 20, 2013
The Atlanta City Council approved legislation on Monday to allow the city to purchase approximately 2.54 acres of land to create a new public park on Lenox Road in Buckhead. National nonprofit organization, The Conservation Fund, originally purchased the 2.54 acres to create the …

As deadline looms, School Board looks to buy land with millions from impact fee
Ocala.com, FL – February 20, 2013
The School Board on Thursday gave district administrators the OK to begin negotiating the purchase of 92 acres in Marion Oaks just south of SummerGlen Country Club — acreage that one day would be the site of Marion County’s next high school. Officials believe the Marion Oaks area …

Judge to rule on $1M in attorneys fees
MiddletownJournal.com, OH – February 19, 2013
The legal wrangling in a Warren County impact fee case continues as the two sides argue over who should pay an estimated $1 million in attorney’s fees. The Ohio Supreme Court decided impact fees that Hamilton Twp. was charging home builders are impermissible taxes …

CG council meeting moved to Tuesday
Casa Grande Dispatch, AZ – February 18, 2013
If the Casa Grande City Council approves a new development impact fee plan Tuesday evening, builders will pay more to construct homes within the city limits. Final adoption of revised development impact fees is on the agenda for the council during its 7 p.m. Tuesday meeting …

Indian River County looking at lowering business impact fees
TCPalm, FL – February 16, 2013
When County Commissioner Tim Zorc considers the $555,600 in impact fees paid by the 400,000-square-foot CVS distribution center, on State Road 60 west of Interstate 95, he says, something isn’t right. “It’s a big building, but it doesn’t generate a big (truck) trip rate,” …

Council to consider second impact fee
Sidney Herald, MT – February 16, 2013
The Sidney City Council will consider whether to adopt the second of five impact fees the city plans to implement on new developments Tuesday. The park impact fees come after water and sewer and are intended to address impacts to parks due to increased population. …

Lee County delays decision on impact fee moratorium
NaplesNews.com. FL – February 13, 2013
Despite nearly two hours of public comment on the proposed two-year moratorium on impact fees, the Lee County commissioners delayed voting on the issue for 30 days.  Commissioner Larry Kiker requested Tuesday that commissioners wait to vote on the issue until they …

County commissioners table impact fees issue
Fort Myers BeachTalk, FL – February 13, 2013
The decision to reduce or suspend impact fees across Lee County for two years to allow the stimulation of economic development in the area will have to wait for another month. The Lee County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a motion by Commissioner …

Panel debates impact-fee levels
Daily Inter Lake, MT – February 2, 2013
Large proposed increases to Kalispell sewer impact fees are drawing opposition from two members of the city’s advisory Impact Fee Committee. Chairman Chad Graham and Jason Mueller argued the increases would stifle growth and development in Kalispell. But they …

Tualatin City Council to address raising water rates, system improvements
Oregonian.com, OR – January 29, 2013
Tualatin residents could see increased water rates starting next year. City Council plans to propose a 4.25 percent increase for next year to fund improvements to the city’s water supply that is slowly becoming outpaced by projected growth. If improvements to Tualatin’s system …

City Commission carries over impact fee discussion
Bozeman Chronicle, MT – January 29, 2013
The Bozeman City Commission will make another run at a resolution to set impact fees charged on new construction to pay for city streets. Discussion of the resolution ran late at Monday night’s meeting, and with the mayor absent, commissioners decided to carry over the issue …

City’s Impact Fee Ordinance Faces Legal Challenges
Albuquerque Journal, NM – January 24, 2013
The city of Albuquerque faces a pair of legal challenges to its new impact fee ordinance from companies who say the new system established fees so low that it ruined the value of credits they earned under the old system. Developer Curb Inc. filed a notice of appeal earlier…

Residents, officials argue against impact fee moratorium
Naples Daily News, FL – January 23, 2013
A steady stream of residents and county officials urged Lee County commissioners on Tuesday to reconsider a proposed 2-year moratorium on impact fees. More than two dozen people spoke during a 3-hour hearing on the proposal during Tuesday’s commission meeting, …

Londonderry digs for impact fee answers
Union Leader, NH – January 22, 2013
Representatives from the firm that conducts the town’s audits were grilled this week about how the mismanagement of the town’s impact fee program could have gone on for so long.  “Now that we’ve discovered there’s been a problem with the impact fees, I wonder if this was…

Lee County’s quality of life will suffer with impact fee freeze
News-press.com, FL – January 21, 2013
Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann Sr. First elected to the commission in 2006. Reelected in 2008. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. And there’s no such thing as “free impact fees.” Put simply, if impact fees, paid for by new residents for the most part, don’t pay for …

Ernst: Arbitrary impact fee decision is a mistake
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL – January 17, 2013
After a 90-minute discussion about numbers, drama at the end of a County Commission meeting underscored the fact that impact fees remain a hot-button topic in Sarasota County. On Wednesday, the commissioners had just voted to keep impact fees at an artificially …

Lee County votes on impact fee
NaplesNews.com. FL – January 17, 2013
Bonita Springs officials are worried that a proposed two-year moratorium on the collection of county impact fees could affect the city’s bottom line. The Lee County Commission will discuss the moratorium, meant to give the local building industry a boost, during its Jan. 22 meeting. …

At least three Lee commissioners leaning toward impact fee moratorium
NaplesNew.com, FL – January 15, 2013
At least three Lee County commissioners either support or are leaning toward supporting a 2-year moratorium on impact fees to give the local housing industry a boost. But they won’t make any decisions until the public weighs in first. Commissioners discussed the proposal for about …

Fort Worth’s proposed impact fee hike too high, business groups warn
Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX – January 15, 2013
A proposed increase in Fort Worth city impact fees on new development to help pay for arterials is too high, and could endanger the nascent rebound in the local housing market and push construction to neighboring suburbs, real estate and business groups told the City …

Builders win delay of Palm Beach County ‘impact fee’ increase
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com, FL – January 15, 2013
Builders’ concerns persuaded the Palm Beach County Commission Tuesday to delay fee increases on construction of new homes and businesses.  Palm Beach County hasn’t raised “impact fees” since 2006, due to concerns about the drop off in home building.  Builders argue …

Impact Fee Audit Now Underway
LondonderryPatch.com, NH – January 15, 2013
Per court order, Londonderry has hired Melanson Heath and Company, PC to audit the town’s complete record of impact fee collections and expenditures starting in 1994, Acting Town Manager William Hart announced Monday evening. Hart said he chose the consulting firm …

Lee commissioners to discuss temporary impact fee moratorium
NaplesNew.com, FL – January 13, 2013
Building in Lee County could become a lot cheaper — at least temporarily. During their management and planning meeting Monday, Lee County Commissioners are expected to discuss a 2-year moratorium on impact fees. The proposal, spearheaded by Commissioner John …

Impact fee equivocating should end
Tampa Bay Times, FL – January 9, 2013
Hernando County commissioners on Tuesday begrudgingly acknowledged they must have a better plan for the future by asking new residents to pay their fair share for government services. A three-year experiment of reduced impact fees failed to re-energize the home-building …

Impact fee restructuring under way at City of Prescott
The Daily Courier, AZ – January 9, 2013
After August 2014, new homebuilders in Prescott can expect myriad changes in the impact fees they pay to the city. Prominent among the changes will be the likely elimination of two of the fee categories: parks and library. And, depending on the findings of a rate study that …

Judge: ‘Widespread Misfeasance’ in Impact Fee Case
Patch.com, NH – January 8, 2013
A judge has ordered the town to hire an independent auditor to audit Londonderry’s impact fee collections and expenditures over the past two decades. Rockingham Superior Court Judge Marguerite Wageling issued an order dated Dec. 31, 2012 requiring the town to employ …

Whitefish studies impact-fee fate
Daily Inter Lake, MT – January 5, 2013
A committee tasked with reviewing Whitefish’s impact fees has recommended for a second time that the city should drop some of the fees. The committee will present its findings to the Whitefish City Council on Monday. Then it’s up to the council whether to schedule a vote …

St. Tammany Parish Council lowers impact fees on developers
Times Picayune, LA – January 4, 2013
Effective immediately, developers in St. Tammany Parish will pay significantly lower impact fees to parish government to offset the effects their projects have on drainage and traffic. After a brief discussion and a few questions from the public, the Parish Council voted 11-0, with …