Consultants recommend substantial increase to municipal and utility impact fees; commission asks for workshops

Consultants from Rafftellus Consulting presented an updated impact‑fee study on April 16 that recommends higher city impact fees to cover planned capital investments in police, fire, parks and general government facilities and higher water/wastewater capital facility fees. Commissioners asked staff to bring the full package back for workshops before final ordinance readings.

The consultant said municipal impact fees — covering police, fire, parks and general government — reflect major capital needs the city has not fully funded since the last study. Using current local data and the city’s capital plan, the presentation showed increases for a typical single‑family home from roughly $2,900 in combined fees to about $3,800 (an increase of roughly $900, or about 32%). Fire fees were singled out as the largest driver: recent and planned fire station investments, including a major Fire Station 1, substantially raise per‑unit capital costs.

On utilities, consultants presented water/wastewater…