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Wake Forest is facing some hefty bills
to pay for its new town hall, a future
police department building and three new
fire stations.
Tuesday night Commissioner
Frank Drake asked about impact fees as a
possible income source.
Back in 1989 the General
Assembly approved a bill allowing Wake
Forest to assess impact fees, called
facility fees in the ratified bill, to
“place an equitable share of the cost of
providing new community service
facilities upon all new inhabitants and
upon those associated with the
development process.”
For 17 years the town has
been able to assess new homes and
businesses for capital costs for
“community service facilities:” water
and sewer projects; parks, open space
and recreational facilities; sidewalks
and the right-of-way for streets or
roads; emergency medical service
facilities; fire stations; schools;
cultural facilities other than
libraries; libraries; and solid waste
collection, handling, disposal and
recycling.
The town has used impact
fees in three ways, to assess new
buildings to pay for future water plant
and sewer plant capacity and to assess
new buildings for future park
facilities.
In mid-2004, the town board
set up what was called the Ad Hoc
Subcommittee to examine how the town
could best pay for growth. The committee
was chaired by Commissioner David
Camacho and was made up of
then-Commissioner Chris Malone, planning
board members Bob Hill and Frank Drake,
and residents Ann Hines, Andy Ammons,
David Rattalade and Don Mendorf. It met
once a month from December, 2004,
through April of 2005 and recommended
using bond issues and impact fees.
The town board did ask
voters to pass a $16.5-million bond
issue that included $7 million for parks
and $9.5 million for streets and
sidewalks. It was approved in May of
2005.
A review of the meeting
minutes shows that the idea of using the
impact fees for fire stations was raised
only once, and Planning Director Chip
Russell ended the short discussion by
saying the fire department is not part
of the town. The town contracts with the
independent fire department for
first-responder medical assistance and
fire protection. Wake County does the
same for the area in the Wakette Fire
District outside the town limits. |
