Liberty County holds initial public hearing on draft development impact fee ordinance

The Liberty County Board of Commissioners held an initial public hearing Aug. 5 to introduce a draft development impact fee ordinance and explain the steps needed before the county could begin charging new development for its “fair share” of certain capital projects.

The hearing matters because state law requires an ordinance and public hearings to create an impact fee program; if adopted, the fees would be assessed at building‑permit issuance in unincorporated Liberty County and could fund projects listed in the county’s Capital Improvements Element.

Planner Miss Paige, who presented the draft, told the board, "As stated, this is a an initial public hearing related to a draft development impact fee ordinance." She said the county’s consultant and a state‑mandated advisory committee had completed a yearlong study and that the Georgia Department of Community Affairs had approved the county’s Capital Improvements Element that identifies eligible projects for parks, fire/public safety and roads. Paige explained the draft ordinance outlines administration, appeals, credits and state‑required exemptions for affordable housing or economic development, and that any exemptions approved by the county would have to be funded locally if fees were waived.

Paige showed a maximum fee calculation that would cap per‑single‑family fees at about $7,900 if the county sought to recover the full cost of the CIE projects. The advisory committee recommended a lower target, roughly $2,000 to $2,500 per single‑family home; staff presented alternative fee schedules and sample nonresidential calculations illustrating how reductions in individual categories (parks, police/sheriff, fire, roads) would reduce fees across all land‑use types.

Commissioners and attendees asked how impact fees relate to water/sewer tap‑in fees. Paige and County Manager Mister Moseley clarified that water and sewer capacity fees are handled separately by utilities and that the draft county program would not cover water, sewer or stormwater; the impact fees under discussion would apply to parks, public safety and certain road projects. Commissioners also asked about administration: an impact‑fee administrator (for example the building official, planning director or county manager or designee) would receive appeals and the board would hear appeals and any requested exemptions.

Paige said Georgia’s Development Impact Fee Act limits what communities may charge; she noted the advisory committee recommendation was to adopt fees well below the statutory maximum. The draft ordinance will require at least two public hearings, spaced by at least two weeks; the board scheduled a second hearing later in August and can adopt the ordinance only after that second hearing. Board members asked staff to provide more detail before final action, including sample billing impacts for small builders and a clearer explanation of the process for exemptions and credits.

Next steps: staff will publish the second public hearing, refine the fee schedule options based on commission direction and return later this month for further consideration. The board did not adopt rates at the Aug. 5 meeting; staff emphasized adoption cannot occur before the second required public hearing.