Board adopts developer-fee study and authorizes increase to Level 1 school facility fee
Loading...
Summary
After a public hearing and presentation of a SchoolWorks justification study, the Merced City School District Board adopted a resolution to collect the maximum Level 1 school facility fee the district may charge: $3.59 per square foot (two-thirds of the state-updated $5.38 residential rate). The increase takes effect after the statutorily required 60-day waiting period.
The Merced City School District Board of Education voted to adopt a developer-fee justification study and a resolution authorizing an increase to the district’s share of the state Level 1 school facility fee.
Director Brian Bain introduced SchoolWorks’ study, and a consultant presenting the analysis said updated state-adjusted Level 1 rates are $5.38 per residential project and $0.87 per commercial or industrial project, and that the district’s statutory share is two-thirds of the residential rate—$3.59. The consultant said the study calculated an average home size of 1,431 square feet, an expected 262 new housing units per year, a student yield of 0.388 students per unit and a facility-need figure of $12.56 per square foot. The presenter said those inputs justified the Level 1 fee for the district and projected average annual fee collections of about $1,374,000.
Trustees asked whether the fee applies across the entire district boundary or only within specific trustee areas; the presenter said the fee applies to development within the district boundary as a whole. Trustees also asked whether higher fees discourage development; the presenter said statewide experience shows small variations in Level 1 fees have not driven notable decreases in development.
The board opened the public hearing for the study and, after hearing no additional public testimony for that agenda item, approved the resolution on the consent calendar. Trustee Delgado moved the motion and Trustee McCutcheon seconded; the board voice-voted the motion and it carried.
Under state law, the increase will become effective after a 60-day waiting period from the board’s adoption if no further procedural steps are required; the presenter said that would make the new rates effective on 2026-06-13 if approved today.
The resolution authorizes the district to collect the statutory maximum Level 1 fee for new residential development; the study identifies eligible project types (new schools, additions, portable replacement, facility replacement, site acquisition and planning). The board took no additional implementation direction at the meeting and referred the usual next steps (administrative posting and implementing the new fee after the waiting period) to staff.
Votes at the meeting recorded the motion, the second, and a voice vote in favor; the formal resolution text and effective date will be posted with the district’s adopted resolutions and fee schedules.
The board’s action follows a public hearing and the district’s receipt of the SchoolWorks justification study; staff noted the study should be revisited with the state’s regular updates to account for future inflation and development trends.
