Buckley reviews rewrite of parks impact fees to comply with new state rules and cover growth

At its Feb. 4, 2025, Buckley City Council study session, consultant Annie Seager told the council the city must revise its parks impact-fee methodology to comply with recent state law changes that require residential fees be indexed to dwelling size and limit accessory dwelling unit (ADU) charges to no more than half the fee charged for the primary residence.

Why it matters: The update would shift how new development pays for park acreage and facilities needed to serve growth, extend fees to some commercial development, and establish a routine indexing process so fee revenue keeps pace with construction costs.

Seager, a consultant with Seager Consulting who works with Framework Consulting, said Buckley’s parks impact fee had not been updated since 2016 until a December 2024 revision and that the Legislature’s changes take effect in July. “One of the things and the most important for tonight, is that there have been two changes in law. One is that your residential impact fees have to be indexed to the size of the property being built,” Seager said. She advised indexing by square footage rather than by bedroom count because “the definition of a bedroom is…