IMPACT FEES

I believe Raleigh's impact fees are too low. We need to allow impact fees to fund costs of future growth. Raising impact fees is not the only way to deal with costs of growth, but it is the fastest; most other revenue sources would require legislative approval. We should to be constantly researching the successful strategies of other areas of the state and the country that are dealing with similar problems.

The real issue is how development should be managed. Some areas have Adequate Public Facilities laws requiring that the public facilities must be in place before new developments are approved. Otherwise police, firefighters and sanitation workers have too large an area to cover effectively; parks become overcrowded, with land for new parks getting more and more expensive; inspectors and planners don’t have adequate time to do their jobs; air and water quality are threatened by overworked water and transportation systems. Residents new and old suffer.

The City Council has made some courageous decisions to deal with growth. For example, the recent 70% increase in the small existing impact fee, adding the stormwater fee, and the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update which includes protecting environmental resources, and linking land use to urban form. However, much more is needed.