Wednesday, March 21, 2001
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Wednesday, March 21, 2001 |
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Commission to vote on fire impact fees By DAVE
HAMRICK
Fayette County commissioners Thursday are expected to adopt the ordinance that will govern collection of impact fees to help pay for fire services. State agencies recently approved the paperwork, and the County Commission is expected to vote on the ordinance at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex. Impact fees are charged to developers to help defray the costs of new government facilities and services made necessary by growth. If the ordinance is approved, the charge will be $600.57 for each new home. Businesses and industries will pay on a sliding scale based upon their size and type. Commissioners conducted the first of two required public hearings on the ordinance March 8. The only resident who spoke during the hearing was Bob Craft, who said he likes the idea of charging the fees. "A quality developer knows the importance in helping build the infrastructure needed because of their development," he said. Fayette's Department of Fire and Emergency Services already has begun construction of four new fire stations, and the cost of those projects will be supplemented by the impact fees. By state law, the fees can only be used to cover the portion of the cost that can be attributed to future growth. Impact fees can begin to flow into county coffers to help pay for these projects and future equipment needs by mid-May if all the involved parties approve the impact fee ordinance on schedule. Tyrone and Brooks city councils are expected to act on the ordinance at their April 4 meetings, and Woolsey's council has scheduled public hearings for April 9 and May 14. Peachtree City and Fayetteville have their own fire services and will not be involved in the impact fee. Officials are hoping to collect about $16.7 million over the 20-year life of the impact fees to help repay the debt on the fire stations and for future equipment needs. The county also had considered charging impact fees to help pay for a new county jail, but an agreement between the county and its cities to govern those fees bogged down in a dispute over the county's plan to levy additional per diem fees to keep municipal prisoners in the jail.
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