Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Murrieta Council introduces ordinance to continue regional transportation fee program
Loading...
Summary
The City Council introduced Ordinance No. 6‑30‑26 to keep Murrieta in the Western Riverside County Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee program and adopt adjustments tied to construction‑cost indices; councilmembers emphasized regional benefits and transparency about fee tracking.
Murrieta — The City Council on April 7 introduced an ordinance (No. 6‑30‑26) to continue the city’s participation in the Western Riverside County Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) program and adopt an updated TUMF schedule that allows annual automatic adjustments tied to construction‑cost indices.
Staff from the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) told the council that the fee review proposes an increase range of 2.45% to 2.66% for various land‑use categories beginning July 1, 2026, and would include an automatic annual adjustment capped at 5% to help preserve the purchasing power of the revenue.
"WRCOG administers the program and the fees pay for regional transportation upgrades," said Cameron Brown, a WRCOG representative. "This helps fund intersection and interchange improvements that benefit Murrieta as part of the Southwest zone." (attributed to Cameron Brown)
Councilmembers asked how the city tracks what is collected for Murrieta. "Collections are recorded in WRCOG’s database and there is an annual report and a five‑year expenditure report," a WRCOG staff member said. Councilmember Warren pressed whether cities receive timely notice of developer payments; staff said the city can review individual applications and collection totals but that collections go directly into the TUMF program rather than being held or spent locally by the city.
Mayor Pro Tem Holliday said he supported keeping Murrieta in the regional program. "It benefits the entire area — projects like the Keller Road/I‑215 interchange serve multiple cities," he said. (attributed to Mayor Pro Tem Holliday)
After the public hearing, the council voted to introduce the ordinance and the associated resolution (Resolution 26‑49‑22) and set the item for a subsequent meeting for final action.
What happens next: The ordinance was introduced for first reading; the council will consider adoption and any final findings at a later meeting. Staff said the full implementation of the updated schedule is slated to begin July 1, 2026, and member agencies will see annual reports from WRCOG.
Context: The TUMF program is a regional fee administered by WRCOG and divided into zone allocations. It is designed to pool developer contributions to pay for larger transportation projects that cross city boundaries.
