MERIDIAN, Idaho — Roads, bridges, and sidewalks are things we all use every day. According to Megan Anderson the Impact fee administrator for A.C.H.D, the fees are a one-time charge to new developers to offset the cost of improving the infrastructure. But exactly how do impact fees work and who pays for them?
- How do impact fees work?
- A.C.H.D. uses impact funds to improve infrastructure
- Avimor developer says they pay fees for every house they build
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"The goal of an impact fee is to allow for growth to pay for growth, said Megan Anderson, Impact Fee Administrator for the Ada County Highway District.
Roads, bridges, and sidewalks are things we all use every day. According to Megan Anderson the Impact fee administrator for A.C.H.D, the fees are a one-time charge to new developers to offset the cost of improving the infrastructure.
"Which is used to build arterial roadways that will add capacity so that we're not diminishing the level of service we currently provide to the residents of Ada County and existing businesses of the county," Anderson added.
For instance, the new roundabout and widening project at Eagle and Lake Hazel is paid for in part by impact fees." I met Megan at another future site. The Linder Road overpass project in Meridian. The project that will give motorists another access point to get across I-84 is still years away.
"Future plans on how this roadway will be developed and the impact fees will play 70 percent of the cost," said Anderson.
I asked one of the Valley's larger developers, Dan Richter at Avimor how the fees directly impact him.
"Impact fees for the roads are 35 hundred dollars per house. You build a house; you have to write ACHD a check for 3500 dollars, and all that goes into improvements on the local roads."
Richter estimates he's paid around three million dollars in impact fees and understands A.C.H.D. decides where those funds will go but believes it should be focused on where the money is collected. A spokesman for A.C.H.D. says yes that is true, but there are requirements on how and where those impact fees will be distributed. Developers can also appeal impact fees if they feel it's unreasonable.
