Ada County seeks Meridian—s cooperation on countywide impact fees for jail, EMS and coroner services

Ada County and the Ada County Emergency Medical Services District asked the Meridian City Council on Dec. 17, 2024, to consider a cooperative, countywide development impact fee program to help pay for future jail, emergency medical services and coroner facilities.

City staff described the request as informational, not an action item. Kurt (city staff) told the council the county needs participating cities because Idaho courts limit county ordinances to unincorporated areas; to cover incorporated areas the county must secure each city—s cooperation through an intergovernmental agreement and adoption of the county—s capital improvement plans (CIPs). Colin McElhinney of Tischler Bise, the county—s consultant, described the methodology and preliminary fee calculations used in the countystudy.

Why it matters: the county is proposing fees that would be charged to new development to preserve current levels of service as the county grows. County staff and consultants said the approach mirrors incremental expansion methods used in local impact fee studies and would fund facilities countywide—but the proposal requires Meridian and other cities to adopt the county CIPs and pass city ordinances to collect the fees within city limits.

What county staff proposed: McElhinney…