With more than 200 upset residents staring them down, the Coweta County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to exempt churches and private schools from the county’s new impact fees.

When the county’s church leaders discovered that the churches would have to pay impact fees on new construction, the issue spread like wildfire through the community. Emails zipped through the county and church leaders urged their followers to attend Tuesday’s meeting and protest the taxation on the churches.

But before the first minister could head to the pulpit Tuesday, the County Commission defused the issue and voted to allow the exemptions. Commission Chairman greg Tarbutton explained that area churches do provide an economic impact to the community and also provide services to many residents.

Cokes Chapel’s minister John Hagen thanked the board for their decision.

“I am truly grateful for this decision. A lot of people support impact fees, but not on churches,” he said.

The board then voted to start impact fees April 4 after the building department incorporates new computer software to calculate the fees. The fee for a single-family home will be $1,485, while a fast-food restaurant will pay more than $4,000 per 1,000 sq.ft. Impact fees will pay for additional park space, jail upgrades and capital improvements in the county’s fire and sheriff’s department. The board decided to eliminate impact fees for a 911 center and libraries.

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