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West Valley City Council reviews proposed increase to impact fees, citing rising construction and land costs
Summary
Staff presented a proposed update to West Valley City’s impact fee schedules for parks, roads, drainage, police and fire, saying inflation and higher land/construction costs justify higher maximum fees; the council was asked to adopt the facilities plan, analysis and ordinances to set new fees.
Council staff on Sept. 9 presented a comprehensive update to West Valley City’s impact fees, proposing higher maximum charges for parks, roads, drainage, police and fire to reflect higher land and construction costs since the last update.
Mr. Pastrick, who led the presentation, said the package includes an impact-fee facilities plan (which inventories the city’s capital assets), an impact-fee analysis (which calculates the maximum fees that may legally be charged), and an ordinance to change the city code. "One of the main reasons that we felt it was time to do an update to our impact fees" he said, citing higher inflation and construction costs since 2019.
The analysis uses current replacement and land values to determine the city's level of service per resident and then projects new residential growth to compute fees that preserve that level. Pastrick said the figures in the report represent the maximum the city may charge under state law, and that the council retains the policy discretion to set fees lower than the statutory maximum. "These represent the maximum we can charge," he said.
Council members asked how the model treats redevelopment and differences in trip generation by land use. Pastrick replied the city compares the prior use with the proposed use and often grants a credit for existing development; if a redevelopment generates fewer trips, the applicant may not be charged additional fees. On the question of developer deterrence, he said the council has the option to adopt a lower fee than the maximum established by the analysis.
Why this matters: impact fees affect housing and commercial development costs and are a primary tool for funding new infrastructure without shifting the entire burden to existing residents. The proposed increases align the fee schedule with higher construction and land prices the city says are now typical.
Next steps: Staff asked the council to adopt the facilities plan and impact fee analysis and to move forward with the ordinance; the transcript records the presentation and questions but does not record a final council vote on the ordinance during the study session.
