Friday, February 1, 2002
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Friday, February 1, 2002 |
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Fairburn takes steps toward impact fees By JOHN
THOMPSON Fairburn officials took the first step toward developing an impact fee proposal Monday night. Impact fees are charged to developers to help pay the cost of new government facilities and services made necessary by growth, and are touted by government leaders as a way to shift some of the burden of growth from existing homeowners to future ones. The City Council passed a capital improvement element that must be approved by state officials before the city can craft an impact fee ordinance. The capital improvement element outlines the projects the city would fund with the impact fees. City Administrator Tony Cox said the hefty 50-page document was sent to the state late this week. The city has identified several projects that impact fees would help fund. Included in the projects are an expansion of City Hall, a second fire station, improvements to the road system and an expansion of the city's park system. Impact fees can fund only items that can be directly attributed to the new growth in the area, and Cox said the city is already bursting at the seams and will have to upgrade its services to handle the future growth. After the state analyzes the element, it will send it back to Fairburn for comments. When the program is approved, Fairburn's leaders will then write an impact fee ordinance and conduct public hearings before it becomes law, Cox said.
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