Senate committee hears debate on using development impact fees to pay for new school construction

Senators on a Georgia Senate committee heard testimony and public comment on Senate Bill 38 on day 12 of the legislative session, a proposal to let high-growth school systems levy development impact fees to pay for new school construction. The sponsor, Senator Dolezal, framed the measure as a mechanism to require new development to pay a pro rata share of the infrastructure costs it creates rather than placing those costs on existing homeowners.

The bill would add schools to the list of capital items that can be funded under the state's Development Impact Fee Act and would limit impact fees for schools to districts the bill defines as "high growth." Under the bill's triggers discussed in committee, a high-growth school system would be one that has experienced 20% or more population growth over the preceding 10 years and has incurred $250,000,000 or more in expenditures for new educational facilities. "You need to argue, from my perspective, why I need to be paying to build new schools for the new neighborhood that's going in down the street," sponsor Senator Dolezal said in committee.

The Georgia School Boards Association, represented by Stephanie Tanner, supported SB 38 at the hearing. Tanner told the committee that rapid economic growth increases demand on school systems and that school districts need additional tools to respond to that growth. "Our members are looking forward to the prospects of paving the…