Committee backs forwarding bill to raise Sumner County adequate‑facilities tax to $1.50 per square foot

On June 2 Sumner County committee members voted to forward proposed state legislation to raise the county’s adequate facilities tax (impact fee) to $1.50 per square foot on new development and to send the measure on through the county approval path required for a private act. Proponents said the current fee structure — 70 cents per square foot for residential and lower rates for commercial/industrial — is inadequate to help pay school construction debt created by rapid growth.

A committee member summarized prior years’ borrowing and compared average annual borrowing during a recent five‑year growth period with average annual revenue from the existing adequate facilities tax. The speaker said the disparity was large and cited a recent back payment and ongoing revenue capture from a major industrial development as evidence that better collection and a higher rate can help service school debt. Committee members discussed legal qualification checks with the state comptroller and asked staff and the law director to ensure administrative responsibilities for revalidation every four or ten years are assigned to a county department.

The committee discussed statutory details and an exemption for state‑designated industrial mega‑sites (sites defined in state code as at least 1,000 continuous acres). Members noted an amendment limiting the impact on very large single buildings and reviewed the mechanics of a private‑act process requiring two successive county commission approvals and a two‑thirds legislative vote. The committee voted to forward the measure to the appropriate next committee for further review.