Committee forwards impact-fee study to full Richland County Council for further review

The Richland County Development and Service Committee voted to forward a staff-commissioned impact-fee study to the full county council for acceptance and further analysis.

The study compared Richland County's 2023 building permit data against impact-fee schedules from 11 other communities to estimate potential revenue ranges. The presenter summarized two summary graphs showing revenue that would have been generated in 2023 if Richland County had adopted each jurisdiction's fee schedule.

ACA Jensen, who prepared the analysis materials for the meeting, described the methodology: "I looked at 11 different communities that had impact fee programs. I took the actual data from our building permit department for 02/2023, and I plugged that data into the fee schedules of each of the 11 communities." Jensen noted the report separates categories the county would steward directly from other categories (for example, school and park fees) that are typically outside county stewardship.

The committee discussed which categories a county-administered impact-fee program might cover. The consultant and staff identified seven study categories appropriate for Richland County stewardship: sheriff, fire, EMS, transportation, solid waste, water and sewer, and (tentatively) stormwater. Staff recommended excluding stormwater from immediate study because the county lacks an approved stormwater plan. Committee members asked why schools, parks and libraries were not included; staff replied those are typically outside the county's stewardship and so were not in the scope of the county-paid study.

Committee members also clarified that the raw spreadsheet figures in the packet reflect permit valuations rather than fees collected. On that point, ACA Jensen explained that the table on page 62 shows permit valuation data used to run the scenarios against other jurisdictions's fee schedules.

Motion and vote: The committee moved and seconded forwarding the report to full council. The clerk recorded the committee vote as: Bridal: Yes; Terracio: Yes; Barron: Yes; English: Yes; Newton: Yes. The motion passed.

Staff noted that if council chooses to pursue impact fees, the county would need to contract with a consultant to develop a local fee schedule and supporting legal and fiscal documentation and that the consultant contract would require budget authority in the coming fiscal year.

What happens next: The committee's action sends the study to full council for acceptance and potential next steps, including a consultant procurement and a future ordinance process if council chooses to adopt impact fees.