Panel considers transportation impact fees

Kalispell’s impact fee committee meets tonight to consider how much the city should charge for transportation impact fees over the next two years.

The committee will meet with public works staffers to review the fee proposals and the future road projects and inflationary pressures used to justify them, City Attorney Charles Harball said.

Fee proposals then would be forwarded to the Kalispell City Council for approval or amendment.

Kalispell charges impact fees on new construction, expansions, additions and even renovations that place additional demand on city infrastructure.

The city has charged water and sewer impact fees for years.

More recently, it has added impact fees for police, fire, stormwater and transportation, all of which raise dedicated revenues to pay for future capital improvement projects that are needed because of growth.

The city’s impact fees must be reviewed and adjusted every two years.

When adopted in 2009, proposed transportation impact fees of $969 per single-family home, $695 per apartment and $606 per townhouse or condo were cut down by the council to $352, $246 and $215, respectively.

Transportation impact fees for commercial projects are calculated on a case-by-case basis using traffic estimates.

Since their adoption, the transportation impact fees have raised about $131,000. None of the money has been spent to date.

The impact fee committee already has reviewed two-year adjustment proposals for the sewer, water and stormwater impact fees.

Council members have not yet reviewed those proposals, which are expected to be brought forward at some point by City Manager Jane Howington.

“I think maybe one of the things she wanted to do was get past the election so these wouldn’t be election issues,” Harball said.

Adding up all of Kalispell’s impact fees totals $6,709 for the construction of a single-family home.

The impact fee committee also is set to elect a vice chairman.

A vacancy on the five-member committee has gone unfilled since April 30 and the city has had to use its own certified public accountant because no one else has stepped forward to fill the voluntary spot.

Tonight’s meeting is at 7 p.m. in the first-floor conference room at Kalispell City Hall.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.