Commissioners split on proposed development impact fee ahead of public hearing

St. Mary's County commissioners spent a significant portion of their April 4 meeting debating a proposed revision to the county's development impact fee and urging residents to attend a public hearing on the ordinance later that evening.

Commissioner Todd Morgan said the proposal in its current form contains "a huge pile of legal entanglements" and signaled firm opposition to the draft. "In the present form of the ordinance, I will not be able to support any way whatsoever increasing an impact fee," Morgan said during commissioner time.

Why it matters: The county has not changed its impact fee since 2000, when the fee was $4,500, even as population grew from about 86,232 in 2000 to 112,587 in 2016, according to figures cited at the meeting. Commissioners said impact fees fund capital needs tied to growth, including schools, roads and parks, and that updating the fee could shift more infrastructure costs to new development rather than existing taxpayers.

Discussion details: Commissioners and staff described disagreements over the fee methodology, the timing of capital projects the fee would finance and how other jurisdictions structure development charges. Questions raised included whether school capacity figures and land costs used in calculations reflect current plans (commissioners noted land such as Hayden Farm has already been purchased) and whether the county's water and sewer financing—handled by the independent St. Mary's County Metropolitan Commission—affects comparability with neighboring counties that include utilities in county government.

One commissioner summarized a phased increase outlined in staff materials: an initial jump from the current $4,500 to $12,744 on July 1, followed by a second increase that would bring the fee to roughly $25,488 a year later. Commissioners urged caution. "We need to slow down. I cannot support this ordinance the way it's written," Morgan said, calling for clearer methodology and accurate, transparent calculations.

Board action and next steps: No final vote on the ordinance occurred at the April 4 meeting. Commissioner Randy Guy, president of the Board of County Commissioners, reminded the public that a formal public hearing on the proposal would be held at 6:30 p.m. the same day in the meeting room to take comment from residents.

Context: Speakers compared St. Mary's to Charles County and Leonardtown, where impact fees and related charges differ in structure and scope. Commissioners noted other counties may collect utility hookup fees that St. Mary's does not, complicating direct comparisons. Several commissioners said that while they support updating the fee to reflect growth, they want a clearer, defensible formula before adopting a change that could more than quintuple the current charge.

Ending: Commissioners urged residents, including builders, Realtors and ordinary homeowners, to attend the public hearing and submit questions to staff on the underlying calculations and intended uses of any new revenue.