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Board adopts development fees for Burbank Paradise Fire Protection District
Summary
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on June 2 approved development impact fees for the Burbank Paradise Fire Protection District to pay for capital needs tied to new construction; a consultant said the fee is modest and intended to fund equipment and infrastructure expansion.
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors voted June 2 to adopt development impact fees for the Burbank Paradise Fire Protection District to help fund capital projects tied to growth.
Erica Agnosio, deputy executive officer for the county, introduced the item and said the fee would pay for capital projects rather than operations. Consultant Jeffrey Small of Capital Public Finance Group told the board the district’s asset base and future needs were spread across current and anticipated square footage of structures; he said the methodology produced a per-square-foot calculation and the district settled on a fee of $0.81 per square foot plus an administrative charge.
"This is not a money maker in any way," Jeffrey Small said, describing the fee as targeted to new construction and intended to ensure new development pays its proportional share of capital costs for the fire district.
Small and Assistant Fire Chief Chris Bernardi answered supervisors’ questions about what the fee does and does not cover, emphasizing that property tax revenues fund operations while the mitigation fee funds capital needs such as apparatus and equipment refurbishment. Small reported district assets of roughly $4.6 million and identified about $1 million in equipment refurbishment needs.
A member of the public asked whether the fee would apply to existing homes; staff and the consultant clarified the fee applies to new development and is calculated based on anticipated new square footage. After public hearing and questions, a supervisor moved to approve the staff recommendations and the board carried the motion.
The board’s action directs county staff to implement the fee schedule and the administrative reporting the consultant described, including required annual reporting under the Mitigation Fee Act. The decision is procedural; the district indicated it will not pursue fee increases without a new nexus study and public hearing.
The board moved on to subsequent agenda items after the vote.
