Residential

impact fees to help pay for a new jail and fire

service improvements in Fayette County will be

lower than anticipated.

That's

because the County Commission last week approved

a new schedule of impact fees that includes

commercial and industrial property.

Impact

fees are charged to developers to pay the cost of

new government services made necessary by their

developments. County planners have been working

for two years to develop the fees.

When

commissioners approved the fees earlier this

year, projections were that residential

developers would pay about $1,700 per new home.

But the county's governing body last week

approved a new plan calling for $527.25 per home

for fire services and $770.99 per home for the

jail.

The

group also approved a schedule of fees for new

business and industry based on the type of

business and number of employees. For instance, a

retail trade business employing 15 people would

pay $4,331.56 for the jail and $4,232.92 for fire

services.

The

bottom line should be about the same, said Dennis

Davenport with the county attorney's office.

"This should produce the same revenue as the

totally residential fund would have

produced," he said.

Commissioners

are hoping the fees will pay about $1 million

toward the $25 million cost of a new jail and

courthouse complex, and about $18 million over 20

years for new fire stations and equipment.

Now

that the final numbers are in, county officials

are waiting for Fayette's municipal governments

to approve collection of the jail impact fees

within their borders before sending the entire

package to the state Department of Community

Affairs for approval, after which collections can

begin.

But

it may be August before all the cities will

complete the required public hearings and get the

information back to the county, commissioners

said.

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