Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Impact Fees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council continues debate over impact-fee formula; advisory committee to meet Feb. 10
Summary
City staff presented an impact‑fee study update and permit/activity data; councilors debated fundamental choices — fees per door vs. square footage, treatment of unfinished basements, and whether to move collections from 75% toward 100% of calculated costs. The Impact Fee Advisory Committee will meet Feb. 10 to consider additional data staff will provide.
Director Alexander reviewed the city's impact‑fee study update and the next steps for advisory and public hearings, saying the advisory committee will meet Feb. 10 and staff hopes to proceed to planning‑commission and council public hearings in March and April with an adoption possibility in May if the timeline holds.
Alexander cited permitting data for the 2025 calendar year: "A total of 1002 permits were issued for the following categories, 864 single families, 73 multifamily, 12 industrial, 18 institutional, 25 office and 10 retail," she said. She also said approved impact‑fee funded projects totalled about $3.66 million through Sept. 30, 2025.
The bulk of council discussion focused on how to calculate fees: the current proposal from the consultant considered moving from a purely per‑door basis to square‑footage (and whether to exclude unfinished basement area). Several councilors warned that square‑foot formulas raise complexity and may increase costs for larger homes, while others said per‑door better ties to occupancy and service demand. Councilors asked staff for additional analysis showing how alternative formulas would have affected last year’s receipts and how unpaid/queued permits should be labeled in public reporting.
Council directions and next steps: staff agreed to provide the advisory committee with additional permit and category breakdowns before the Feb. 10 meeting; council asked for analysis of what prior years’ revenues would have looked like under the alternate formulas. The committee will discuss recommendations and may return a recommendation to council for a subsequent work session.
