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ACHD presents draft 2025 CIP; council told single-family impact fees could nearly double in parts of Ada County
Summary
Ada County Highway District showed Star council a draft 2025 capital improvements plan and proposed two-service-area impact-fee model that would raise single-family home fees in the West service area to roughly $8,900 and to about $5,300 in the East; ACHD plans commission review in November and possible adoption in December.
Justin Lucas, chief of operations and infrastructure for the Ada County Highway District, told the Star City Council that ACHD’s draft 2025 capital improvements plan is intended to connect future development to roadway projects and to update the district’s impact-fee program.
Lucas said ACHD is proposing to move from a single countywide service area to a two-service-area model and that “a single-family home, within the West service area, that impact fee would be a little under $9,000 at about 8,900. In the East, it's about $5,300.” He said the difference reflects the number and cost of projects anticipated in each service area.
Lucas also stressed legal limits on impact fees: under Idaho law, impact fees must be tied to growth-related projects and cannot be used to remedy existing deficiencies. He said ACHD hired a consultant and updated cost estimates — in part because pre‑COVID estimates are no longer realistic — and that increases in the draft reflect national inflationary pressures on construction costs.
Council members asked about timing and implementation. Lucas said the commission will review the draft in a November work session and could adopt it in December. He noted a statutory minimum 30-day wait before collecting a newly adopted fee and said ACHD may provide a multi-month transition window to ease the change for builders and cities while staff adjusts its collection systems.
Mayor Chadwick and council members raised local concerns about traffic on Pollard and Star Road and whether ACHD or the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) could accelerate projects; Lucas and staff said ACHD can prioritize projects but does not have unlimited funding and that coordination with ITD and rights-of-way acquisitions will affect schedules.
NEXT STEPS: ACHD’s draft CIP and impact-fee materials are available for public comment; ACHD plans a November work session and possible December adoption before implementing any fee changes.
