CENTERVILLE -- The city is considering whether its impact fees, which haven't been updated in more than 13 years, need to be changed.
Currently, a park impact fee of $1,200 per residential unit is charged.
City staff have approached the council and said that, to comply with the intent of state law regarding impact fees, the city should review and update the fees periodically.
The city council recently discussed what could be done, but nothing has been approved.
Centerville had a management intern do a preliminary analysis, which showed the city has justification to raise its fees if it so chooses.
Cities are allowed to charge impact fees for parks, recreation facilities, open space and trails, as long as there is a reasonable relationship between the fees imposed and the needs generated by the new development, according to Utah code.
Parks fees, specifically, are used to sustain the current level of service, though not to increase the service.
Projects financed through impact fees must not exceed the established standard, which is something the city looks at when considering fee changes.
Centerville currently has the lowest fee in south Davis County, with the exception of Bountiful, which does not charge a park impact fee, according to the initial city study done by the intern.
Meanwhile, the study lists the average fee for single-family dwellings as $2,378.75 and multiple-family dwellings as $1,847.84.
These fees combine for an overall average of $2,113.30.
Centerville has a population of 15,335 and a total of 86.5 acres of park land. Of that, 64.5 acres are developed and 22 are undeveloped.
According to the study, it is assumed that build-out would be at 20,000 residential homes with an average of 3.14 people per household.
Given those assumptions, the study states that the city will need an additional 19.62 acres of developed parks and 6.69 acres of undeveloped parks to maintain its current level of service for parks through build-out.
Total cost to acquire and develop these parks is estimated at $4.6 million. These parks would serve an additional 4.665 people, or 1,486 households.
Spreading the costs equally among these additional households would justify an increase from $2,250 to $3,000, which is comparable to surrounding communities, according to the report.
The city council has had preliminary discussions regarding these fees, though more work and official approvals are to come.
Assistant City Manager Blaine Lutz said the next step is to have the parks and recreation committee review and potentially update the capital facilities plan.
There are no immediate plans for a third-party review of fees, but it would be part of the process if the council looks at making a change.
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