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August 19, 2005
Nye County formally adopts impact fees
By PHILLIP GOMEZ
Four areas have been defined as being heavily impacted by growth: fire stations, deputy sheriff stations, parks and streets. Impact fees are the charges imposed by the county on new developments to finance the costs of capital improvements, such as fire or police stations. The fees come as the culmination of several months' work of the capital improvements plan advisory committee, Tri-Core Engineering and Tischler Bise, the county's planning consultants. The committee looked at projected population growth and land use assumptions for the Pahrump Valley over the next decade and made calculations for public facilities that would be needed. Only the costs of streets can be legally tied to the Consumer Price Index and its reflection of inflation on construction costs. Fees will be adjusted at least every three years, perhaps annually, to cover cost increases for parks, fire and police stations. According to the plan, the builder of a new single-family residential dwelling unit would pay $167 for fire stations; $137 for sheriff stations, $359 for parks and $1,238 for streets and roads. The total fee, presumably passed on to the homebuyer, would come to $1,901. Calculations for commercial developments are more complex. Tri-Core Engineering is expected to present its plan for flood control and drainage within four weeks, participants at Wednesday's commission meeting said. At that point, the capital improvement committee would present the county commissioners with new fees for flood control as well. The commissioners' discussion took up various issues, such as exemptions, the appeals process, and the role of the impact-fee administrator, refunds and guesthouses. Guest residences are defined as "any building or portion thereof used exclusively for residential purposes and ... is accessory to a dwelling unit on (the same) lot, (with) either a bathroom or kitchen facilities, (but not both). "Any such building that includes both bathroom and kitchen facilities is classified as a second residence," and would be subject to the impact fees. Pahrump resident John McDonald, who strenuously objected to not being allowed to publicly deliver his objections to the proposed impact fees two weeks ago, this time had another six-plus-page report, in single-space-type, giving his responses to the answers of consultant TischlerBise, who had meanwhile answered McDonald's original objections or questions. McDonald still insisted, "There are major problems in the impact fee schedule," among other issues he had with the entire concept, which he called a tax. The commissioners recessed for 40 minutes while they privately digested McDonald's multi-faceted critique. Afterward, commissioners Candice Trummell and Patricia Cox said they had contacted their legal experts and indicated they were satisfied that the questions raised by McDonald regarding the impact fees were of no concern. A few others commented on the fees as well, notably Julene Haworth with the Southern Nevada Homebuilders' Association. Haworth said her association had "reservations about how Nye County will raise its share (50 percent of the impact fees) from the existing community." Gidget Graham with Concordia Homes in Las Vegas had the same question for the commission. The motion by Commissioner Joni Eastley to adopt the fee schedule passed 4-1, Commissioner Garry Hollis voted in the negative. The effective date for imposing the fees is Sept. 1. |
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