An important hearing is set for April 5, 2010 before the County Council on a bill with 4 sponsors to roll back impact fees.
This will shift more of the cost of new services for new development to taxpayers and the County at a time of great financial shortfalls in the County budget.
Please come out to the hearing and oppose this bill!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Will AA Co Impact Fees be Rolled Back?
DELAYING IMPACT FEES-County Council Bill 12-10
A principle that we learned from our Forum speaker, Eben Fodor, author of Better Not Bigger is that new growth does not pay for the increased services required to support growth.
A technique used by many jurisdictions is to impose an “impact fee” to recover part or most of the cost of growth-primarily additional costs for roads, schools and safety. Anne Arundel County has had extremely low impact fees for the past 20 years.
The Administration and the County Council crafted a bill in 2008 that was passed by the County Council that phased in impact fees to eventually recapture 80% of the cost of residential growth. The phased in schedule was in recognition of the tough economic times faced by us all. However, now 4 members of the County Council have introduced a bill that will delay increases in impact fees even further. These impact fees are real and when developers do not pay the full cost of development, the taxpayers pay it directly or indirectly by diminished quality of life. Growth Action members will try to allow a full an open debate on this issue so that it is clear who will bear the burden and why.
A principle that we learned from our Forum speaker, Eben Fodor, author of Better Not Bigger is that new growth does not pay for the increased services required to support growth.
A technique used by many jurisdictions is to impose an “impact fee” to recover part or most of the cost of growth-primarily additional costs for roads, schools and safety. Anne Arundel County has had extremely low impact fees for the past 20 years.
The Administration and the County Council crafted a bill in 2008 that was passed by the County Council that phased in impact fees to eventually recapture 80% of the cost of residential growth. The phased in schedule was in recognition of the tough economic times faced by us all. However, now 4 members of the County Council have introduced a bill that will delay increases in impact fees even further. These impact fees are real and when developers do not pay the full cost of development, the taxpayers pay it directly or indirectly by diminished quality of life. Growth Action members will try to allow a full an open debate on this issue so that it is clear who will bear the burden and why.
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