Friday, September 5, 2003
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Friday, September 5, 2003 |
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Senoia moving forward on impact fees By JOHN THOMPSON
By the end of the year, Senoia should be ready to collect impact fees from developers. During Wednesday afternoon's City Council work session, the council learned the impact fees will go to improve the city's police department, library and recreation needs. "What about a new city hall?" asked Councilman Bill Wood. Town planner Bill Johnston explained that new administration facilities were not allowed under the state law governing impact fees. "I really can't explain what the legislators were thinking when they drew up this law," Johnston said. Once the impact fees are approved, each developer would pay an additional $1,564 for each single family home built in the city. While the city will fund some of the improvements to the facilities through local funding, any improvement tied to growth will be funded by impact fees. In the city's lengthy Capital Improvements Element report, cost for the new facilities total $840,756, which include: Addition to the library building $154,770. Addition volumes at the library $228,561. Expansion of the police department $114,625. Land for future parks $127,800. Components for future parks $215,000. The costs for the projects are based on similar costs in other jurisdictions, said Johnston. "What sort of funds can we expect to start collecting next year?" asked Wood. Based on projections of at least 50 homes being built next year, Johnston said the city would receive about $75,000, which would be put in a separate account and used for expanding the projects at the needed time. The first public hearing on the Capital Improvement Element and impact fees is set for Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
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