Wednesday, October 25, 2000

By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@TheCitizenNews.com

Fayette County commissioners tomorrow are expected to set the wheels in motion for approval of impact fees to help finance a new county jail, now that local cities have gotten on the bandwagon.

Commissioners will have a public hearing and discuss the impact fee plan at their regular meeting Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex.

Tyrone, Peachtree City and Fayetteville have all approved the latest version of impact fees, and Brooks has delayed its vote on the fees only to wait until the other cities had settled on a final version, according to city officials.

Impact fees are charged to developers to help pay the cost of new government facilities and services made necessary by growth. The idea is to reduce property taxes for existing residents by charging additional fees for new development.

Commissioners Linda Wells and Greg Dunn, elected in 1998, promised to work for approval of the fees as part of their election campaigns. Commission Chairman Harold Bost also has favored use of impact fees ever since he was elected in 1996.

Commissioners Herb Frady and Glen Gosa have repeatedly voted against the fees, calling for use of other methods to finance the $25 million jail.

Fayette's governing body approved the concept of impact fees last spring, but it has taken all summer and into the fall to devise a set of impact fees that satisfy state law and local concerns.

As part of their original approval, commissioners included a requirement that all of the county's cities agree to charge the fees within their borders, since the jail is a county-wide project.

Cities have agreed in principle, but the devil has been in the details.

Tyrone's Town Council has repeatedly delayed action on the fees, objecting to various details. In the most recent version before the final one, the town objected because businesses 10,000 square feet and under were being charged the same as those up to 50,000 square feet, an unfair burden for small businesses, Tyrone officials said.

The latest version creates a new category for small businesses.

Under that plan, net fees would be as follows:

For each home $660.28 in 2000 and $770.92 thereafter.

Stores/10,000-50,000 sq. ft. $4,052.07 and $4,420.04.

Retail/50,000-110,000 sq. ft. $6,410.82 and $7,326.30.

Retail/over 110,000 sq. ft. $7,706.61 and $9,647.64.

Other/under 10,000 sq. ft. and storage warehouse $2,053.13 and $2,218.56.

Once the county and all the cities have approved the final version, the paperwork will go to the state Department of Community affairs and Atlanta Regional Commission for their approval.

County officials are hoping to begin charging the fees early next year.

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