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Consultants present impact‑fee study recommending maximum road and park fees for Mayfield
Summary
Ensign Engineering presented a parks‑and‑roads impact‑fee study that outlines how developers would share capital costs; the firm proposed maximum fees of $1,739.43 per dwelling unit for roads and $3,281.25 per resident for parks and said adoption would require an ordinance and public hearing.
Kelly Chapel, an engineer with Ensign Engineering, presented the firm’s final impact‑fee study for Mayfield on Aug. 13, explaining what impact fees can fund and how the town would use them. "What an impact fee is is that's the cost that a developer or a home builder would incur," Chapel said, adding that the funds must be used for capital facilities projects and are "very regulated pretty heavily by the state."
Chapel said the study proposes two maximum charge limits the council may adopt or reduce: $1,739.43 per dwelling unit as the maximum road impact fee and $3,281.25 per resident as the maximum parks and open‑space fee. He emphasized these are the technical maxima supported by the analysis, not required rates. "You don't have to charge that much if you don't want to," Chapel said, noting the council can set any rate up to those caps.
The presentation covered key legal and program constraints: impact‑fee revenue must be spent on identified capital projects (not routine maintenance), funds must be earmarked and spent within a statutory window (the end of the fifth year after collection), and projects eligible for road fees are narrower (for example, multi‑use paths are eligible while standard sidewalks are not). Chapel listed potential projects included in the plan such as Canyon Road improvements with a multi‑use path, South Main Street, 400 East, and Park Road, and said the plan includes a draft ordinance the council could adopt if it chooses.
Council members discussed the study and asked clarifying questions about conversions for nonresidential uses and the planning horizon. Chapel said the study uses a 10‑year planning window for parks and that some items — for example, water — often produce higher fees in other communities, and that the town could update components of the analysis at different cadences. He also noted that adoption requires a public hearing and formal ordinance. Amanda (council staff) and other members confirmed the town paid for the study with a grant and that the Ensign bill will be reimbursed under the grant program.
No ordinance vote was taken at the meeting; Chapel and the firm left a draft plan and sample ordinance for the council to consider at a future public hearing. If the council proceeds, it must publish notice and adopt the ordinance in accordance with state impact‑fee rules.
