Panel recommends impact fees
An advisory panel is recommending Northside Fire implement development impact fees on new construction to keep pace with growth and to preserve response times within the district.
(Photo courtesy NORTHSIDE FIRE DISTRICT)
PONDERAY — An advisory board is recommending the Northside Fire District implement development impact fees to keep pace with growth and protect response times.
The advisory board unanimously recommended approval of the fees following a meeting on Jan. 27, according to Galena Consulting, a Boise firm hired to develop a capital improvement plan and an impact fee study.
The advisory board is also recommending that the district begin working with the cities of Ponderay and Kootenai, in addition to Bonner County, to collect the fees for new development within the district.
The one-time impact fee assessment would apply to new residential and commercial development in the cities of Ponderay and Kootenai, in addition to unincorporated portions of Bonner County served by the district.
Census data puts the district's current population at 8,608 people and that figure is forecasted to increase to 11,602 by 2030, a net increase of 2,994 or 35 percent.
There were 3,587 residential units in the district in 2020 and that number is expected to grow to 4,834 units by 2030, a net gain of 1,248 units. The district has 3 million square feet of nonresidential space and that sum is anticipated to increase by 1 million square feet over the next decade.
Idaho's Impact Fee Act required the establishment of an advisory committee, which will review the data points and projections annually for accuracy and amend the capital improvement plan if need be.
The study contemplates a $4.3 million capital improvement plan, $1.4 million of which is eligible for funding via impact fees, which can only be applied to serve new growth within the district. The plan proposes a $2 million remodel and expansion of the district's main station and the acquisition of a ladder truck to serve an increasing number of structures which exceed one story.
The draft impact fee is calculated at $785 per residential unit and $0.39 per square foot of nonresidential space.
Landowners who build sheds or garages would not have to pay impact fees even though it is technically new construction, according to Galena.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com or followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee