Berkeley County sets public hearings on impact-fee plan; commissioners signal $5,500 single-family starting point

The Berkeley County Commission voted to publish an impact-fee ordinance and hold public hearings on June 17, with a follow-up workshop scheduled for July 2, moving the county closer to charging new-building fees meant to have growth pay for new capacity.

The action sets two public hearings — 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. June 17 in the Dunn Building multipurpose room — and a 10 a.m. July 2 workshop. Commissioners signaled a working consensus that a single-family impact fee should be about $5,500, while asking staff and the county’s consultant to refine rates for commercial, industrial and multifamily development and to include a low-income housing adjustment.

Chad Weinbrenner, a county staff presenter, said the county hired an impact-fee consultant in December and the firm identified five categories eligible for fees: county administration, fire and rescue, law enforcement, parks and recreation, and schools. "This process started when you all elected to engage Tish Reblaze back in December as your impact fee consultant," Weinbrenner said during the meeting, describing the consultant’s work and the timing for ordinance publication.

Commissioners discussed how the state’s Local Powers Act shapes local fee programs and were briefed by county counsel Anthony Delghetti on statutory constraints and required supporting documents. Delghetti said the county must adopt a capital improvements plan either before or at the same time it adopts the ordinance and that the statute lists specific types of capital improvements that can be funded. He also noted a statutory requirement for an adjustment for low‑income housing: "The Local Powers Act requires that you have if you have any impact fees on that you must have a reduction for low income housing," he said.

Board members debated dollar levels and how to apportion the fee among the five categories. One commissioner said the county should avoid raising property levies and described impact fees as "direct growth paying for growth." Another said the single-family fee could be set at $5,000 to $5,500; a later exchange produced what the chair described as a working consensus at $5,500 for a single-family dwelling.

Commissioners asked staff to return with more refined options for nonresidential charges, suggesting additional subcategories such as warehousing, healthcare, light and heavy industrial, and tiered square-footage rates so larger facilities would pay a lower per-square-foot rate. Staff confirmed the consultant can produce alternate calculations for nonresidential classes.

On implementation, Weinbrenner said there is a 60-day period after ordinance publication before the county may begin collecting fees, and staff encouraged early public meetings to solicit comment and give developers and residents time to respond. Delghetti described administrative details the draft ordinance addresses, including how to apply the state tax department’s residential index to determine eligibility for low-income reductions and how the assessor will be involved in any exemption review.

Commissioners voted to publish the ordinance and to hold the June 17 hearings and the July 2 workshop. No final fee ordinance was adopted at the meeting; commissioners instructed staff to return with revised fee tables and clearer nonresidential tiers for subsequent consideration.

What’s next: Staff will ask the consultant to draft the revised fee schedule and to prepare the capital improvements plan required by the Local Powers Act. The public comment hearings are scheduled for June 17 at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., with a staff workshop on July 2 at 10 a.m., all in the Dunn Building multipurpose room.