Justin Lucas, a representative of the Ada County Highway District, told the Kuna City Council that ACHD is proposing a major update to its capital improvements plan and impact-fee program. Lucas said the district has historically used a single service-area model and that the draft plan under consideration would create two service areas and update cost estimates that drive the fee.

"Historically, since 02/2012, ACHD has had a single service area model for our impact fee program," Lucas said. He added: "To put this in context, our current single service area impact fee is approximately $3,900 for a single family home." Under the draft, Lucas said, the proposed fee would be about $8,900 in the West service area and a little over $5,000 in the East service area.

Lucas told the council the service-area lines are drawn from travel-pattern data, not political boundaries, and that the West area shows more projected projects and growth. He said the West service area retains more than 70% of trips within that area by the available data while the East retains about 65%.

Council members raised concerns about several consequences of a two-area model. Mayor Steer and Council President Bruce asked whether large industrial or employment sites that attract workers from across the county — including projects in the Mayfield area in neighboring Elmore County — would be treated fairly under a geographic fee split. "When it comes to employment rather than housing, it is a little bit more difficult to know where employers are gonna draw from," Lucas replied, noting that some large employers draw workers countywide and that Idaho law limits ACHD's options for parcel-level adjustments.

Council members also asked whether the proposed higher fees in the West would worsen housing affordability. Lucas said affordability is not a parameter in the state-prescribed impact-fee calculation and that the district's calculation follows state code. "From the staff and the analysis perspective, that's not something that we take into account directly as part of the impact fee calculation," he said, explaining there are methods to reduce fees by removing project elements or limiting right-of-way purchases to lower near-term costs.

Lucas said ACHD is soliciting comments and hopes the commission will consider adoption in early December; he encouraged the City of Kuna to submit a formal comment letter signed by the mayor if the council wishes to weigh in. He also said ACHD has reviewed the draft for compliance with state law and hired legal and consultant support to check it.

No formal action by the Kuna City Council was taken on the draft at the meeting. Lucas said ACHD will accept written comments and that the commission directed staff to bring the draft to public hearing and deliberation in coming months.

The presentation included maps and project lists showing significant roadway and intersection projects inside Kuna over a 20-year planning horizon. Lucas said most arterial expansion work is managed and constructed by ACHD, funded in part by collected impact fees.