Fayette County

commissioners Thursday are expected to adopt the ordinance that will govern

collection of impact fees to help pay for fire services.

State agencies

recently approved the paperwork, and the County Commission is expected

to vote on the ordinance at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex.

Impact fees

are charged to developers to help defray the costs of new government facilities

and services made necessary by growth. If the ordinance is approved, the

charge will be $600.57 for each new home. Businesses and industries will

pay on a sliding scale based upon their size and type.

Commissioners

conducted the first of two required public hearings on the ordinance March

8. The only resident who spoke during the hearing was Bob Craft, who said

he likes the idea of charging the fees. "A quality developer knows

the importance in helping build the infrastructure needed because of their

development," he said.

Fayette's Department

of Fire and Emergency Services already has begun construction of four

new fire stations, and the cost of those projects will be supplemented

portion of the cost that can be attributed to future growth.

Impact fees

can begin to flow into county coffers to help pay for these projects and

future equipment needs by mid-May if all the involved parties approve

the impact fee ordinance on schedule.

Tyrone and

Brooks city councils are expected to act on the ordinance at their April

4 meetings, and Woolsey's council has scheduled public hearings for April

9 and May 14. Peachtree City and Fayetteville have their own fire services

and will not be involved in the impact fee.

Officials are

hoping to collect about $16.7 million over the 20-year life of the impact

fees to help repay the debt on the fire stations and for future equipment

needs.

The county

also had considered charging impact fees to help pay for a new county

jail, but an agreement between the county and its cities to govern those

fees bogged down in a dispute over the county's plan to levy additional

per diem fees to keep municipal prisoners in the jail.