BEAVERCREEK — Since 1993, the City of Beavercreek has been implementing a traffic impact fee to help with infrastructure improvements within a specific designated District No. 1, which is the northern portion of the city.
Since 1997, the fee has remained steady, until now. Because of increased cost and traffic, the need for the increase arises.
A traffic impact fee are funds to be used to improve capacity and are not allowed to be used for maintenance in busy business districts that have increased traffic. It helps spread the cost of needed infrastructure within the district.
Since Beavercreek does not have a city income tax, implementation of a traffic impact fee was the tool that has been used to fund projects.
Mayor Bob Stone asked if there was any way to compare the increased rates with other municipalities because he felt the fee was too high.
Councilwoman Vann indicated that even though an impact fee is not very common in Ohio municipalities, it is common in areas such as Illinois.
“In my brief research, by 2002, at least 25 states have laws that explicitly allow municipalities to impose fees on a new or proposed development to help offset the cost of new infrastructure costs attributed to the development. These fees are to help defray some of the costs associated with building or improving the public infrastructure,” Public Administrative Service Director, Mike Thonnerieux wrote in a Sept. 6 memorandum to the City Manager.
“The Impact District was defined so that the developer would share the costs of capital improvements in that district,” Councilwoman Vann said. “You just have to figure out the balance to make it fair for the rest of the residents.”
In order to determine the increase of the fee, the City of Beavercreek, utilized the services of TEC Engineering, Inc. The fee will be reviewed again in two years.
“Under the current impact fee the City had committed to funding 20% of the total roadway improvement costs. As part of the proposed impact fee recommended for approval by City Council the City has committed to funding 50% of the total roadway improvement cost,” Thonnerieux wrote.
For more information or to see if you will be impacted by the fee increase, contact the City of Beavercreek.
