Council signals plan to raise impact fees in stages, asks staff to model phased path

City financial advisors presented the results of an impact‑fee facilities plan and proportional‑share analysis covering parks, police, fire, transportation, culinary water, wastewater and stormwater. The study calculated a maximum allowable fee per equivalent residential unit based on projected demand, inventory of existing facilities, level‑of‑service targets, and the cost of growth‑related facilities.

The consultant noted the analysis yields a ceiling for each fee but that council is not required to adopt the maximum. Staff and the consultant presented three policy options: adopt the calculated maximum, adopt a lower uniform percentage (presented example ~58% of the maximum), or take a surgical approach (reducing buy‑in components for systems with excess existing capacity or adjusting individual fees differently). Peer-city comparisons were offered but the consultant cautioned those comparisons are not apples-to-apples due to differing levels of service and timing of past updates.

Council direction: members gravitated to a mid-range starting point (roughly corresponding to the presented ~58% option) with staged increases toward a 75%-of-maximum ceiling over a multi-year period (3–5 years discussed; staff to model exact annual increments and whether increases should be uniform or targeted by service type). Councilors asked staff to return with ordinance drafts and detailed schedules and asked staff to consider whether certain fees with buy-in components (already-paid capacity) should be reduced or phased differently.

What’s next: staff will model specific year-by-year fee schedules to implement the council’s direction, prepare ordinance language and return for formal adoption; a 90-day waiting period applies if fees are increased above current levels.