Council hears advisory board's park impact fee study; plan commission to review after ordinance removed for procedural error

The Maryville Town Council heard a presentation on Jan. 28 from the impact fee advisory committee on a proposed update to the town's park impact fee, which the committee said reflects new assets and aims to keep Maryville competitive for residential development. The council removed Ordinance 25-02 for a procedural error and directed the item to the Plan Commission for formal consideration.

The committee's representative, Mr. Rishami, told the council the committee met three times to review assets, service units and housing trends and to calculate a recommended fee. He said the town's asset base grew substantially after the addition of the Dean and Barbara White Community Center, which the committee treated as a new base for fee calculations.

"This fee only is applicable to residential developments," Rishami said, adding the charge applies to new residential construction and not to existing homeowners who renovate or expand. He also told the council the funds are restricted: "You cannot use them for employment. You cannot use them for maintenance of the parks. You cannot use them for salaries. And it is only for building capacity in the services that you provide."

According to the committee's summary distributed to council members, the committee set the townwide corporate boundary as the impact zone in line with state law and compared fee levels with neighboring communities. Rishami said the committee chose not to adopt the full calculated fee so the town would remain competitive, and recommended a schedule of gradual increases over a multi-year period; the specific five-year rates were included in materials to the council.

Councilman Griffin announced that Ordinance 25-02 would be removed because of a procedural error and that the Plan Commission would hear the item next. Town staff and the council indicated that, following a Plan Commission recommendation, the council would act on a zoning-text ordinance to adopt any fee change.

Next steps noted in the meeting: the Plan Commission will hold its hearing on the proposed impact fee; the council will receive the Plan Commission's recommendation and may then vote on a formal ordinance. The advisory committee's written study and the five-year rate schedule were provided to council members at the meeting.

The presentation and the council's procedural action leave the proposed fee in a review stage; no council vote to adopt a fee occurred at the Jan. 28 meeting.