Mineral Wells council hears Kimley‑Horn overview of impact fees; no fee adopted

The Mineral Wells City Council received a presentation from consultants at Kimley‑Horn about the mechanics and legal limits of municipal impact fees, but did not adopt a fee schedule or take formal action on the proposal.

Kimley‑Horn consultant Pete Kelly told the council that “impact fees are a one‑time fee for new development,” designed to recover infrastructure costs required to serve growth for roadways and water and wastewater systems. He said eligible uses under the state statute include capital improvements identified in an impact‑fee capital improvement plan, associated engineering and planning costs, land acquisition and debt service for CIP projects; ineligible items include routine repair and operations, upgrades solely for existing development and administrative operating costs for the impact‑fee program.

Kelly explained that water and wastewater service areas are typically citywide while roadway impact‑fee funds must be spent within a service area limited to roughly a six‑mile radius of…