Garden City council hears Ada County proposal for countywide impact fees; staff to brief on comp‑plan amendment

Garden City council members on Monday discussed a proposal from Ada County to establish eight countywide development impact fees to fund paramedic services, the sheriff's jail and coroner functions.

City staff member Charlie Wadhams told the council the county is asking cities to adopt the county's capital improvement plan (CIP) into each city's comprehensive plan as an early, nonbinding step. "This is it's to help fund paramedics, jail, and coroner services countywide," Wadhams said, adding that the county's plan functions only if all participating cities agree.

The proposal matters because, if adopted by cities across Ada County, the fees would be assessed at permit time to channel growth-related costs to development rather than current general revenues. Wadhams said the city would need to form an advisory committee, produce a capital improvement plan and make a comprehensive plan amendment or addendum before enacting any fee ordinance.

Representatives from Ada County joined the meeting by video. Steve Rutherford, speaking for Ada County, said the county will work with cities to draft ordinance language and to address administrative burdens. "We are really in a position of working with you to help you draft an ordinance that will allow us to collect these fees," Rutherford said. He said phase 1 is an agreement in principle reflected in comprehensive plans, and "phase 2" is the ordinance and code changes that allow collection at permit issuance.

Leon Lettson, also on the call, described resistance and procedure concerns at some cities. "Meridian is a little concerned about this idea that they're gonna go through this process and another city is gonna kinda back out at the last minute," he said, explaining why Meridian sought a memorandum of understanding. Wadhams and county staff said Meridian and several smaller cities have expressed conditions; Boise's legal review was still pending.

Council members raised administrative questions about who would collect and administer fees and whether the county would reimburse cities for staff time. Rutherford said interlocal agreements could include transactional fees per permit and indemnification. "We are fully prepared to work with any city that needs something like that to make their staff whole," Rutherford said.

Mayor John G. Evans said the draft fee levels discussed previously would generate several hundred dollars per housing unit in his calculations. "These impact fees, I think they're $750 on a single family residence," he said, adding a two figures estimate for multifamily units: "those are $519 a unit if I did my math right." The mayor characterized those amounts as the city's way to shift growth costs onto development under current state law.

Council did not take a formal vote to adopt any fee ordinance. The council instead directed staff to pursue next steps: staff was asked to consult with legal counsel and return with a briefing on the procedure to amend the comprehensive plan. Council President said, "I'll get with Jenna and we'll figure out, and get our briefing in 2 weeks on the procedure to amend the comp plan and what that means." Wadhams confirmed the likely next steps are forming a development impact fee advisory committee and drafting a capital improvements plan.

What remains unresolved are Boise's sign-off, Meridian's requested memorandum of understanding, who will administer collection in each city and whether the coroner function qualifies as a law enforcement service under state law. Rutherford and Lettson said the county will continue outreach; Wadhams said Garden City staff will evaluate resources needed and discuss the comp-plan amendment route.

The countywide proposal and Garden City options will return to the council for further study; no ordinance was introduced or adopted at Monday's meeting.