The meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors chambers, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The fee study, which was prepared for the Lake County/City Area Planning Council by Roseville-based engineering and planning firm Omni-Means Ltd., looks at how to provide partial funding for future transportation needs through the year 2030, according to the report.
The Lake County Transportation Impact Fee Program would enable adoption of a fee program based on AB 1600.
That 1987 law, called the Mitigation Fee Act, requires that jurisdictions must spend development fees in a timely manner, and must segregate them from the general fund, according to a report by the League of California Cities.
The Omni-Means report explained that a travel demand model – which included daily roadway traffic volume – was used to estimate future transportation improvement in the cities and the county. As well, current and future land uses were considered.
To arrive at the proposed fees, which are based on total peak hour trip generations during certain hours of the day, Omni-Means explained that it divided the estimated facility improvement costs by anticipated traffic volumes that new development would generate.
The study suggests some significant hikes in the fees, which would be charged to new development projects and significant redevelopment on existing buildings, the document states.
However, the specifics of how the fees will be collected and administered aren't laid out in an executive summary of the report. According to Lake County/City Area Planning Council minutes from February, those details are still being discussed.
A substantial growth in fees
Simply on their face, the proposed fees appear steep.
For example, the report's summary of fees shows that, in the Lakeport Planning Area and the city, fees would more than double.
Existing county and city fees, based on an estimate for a 2,000-square-foot single-family residence, currently are $20,520 within the Lakeport Planning Area and $22,300 in the city itself. The proposed traffic impact fee for both of those areas would amount to $24,119, raising totals to $44,639 for the Lakeport Planning Area and $46,419 in the city.
The rest of the county breaks down as follows:
Clearlake: Existing fees, $17,160; proposed fees, $11,739 fees; total fees, $28,899.
Lower Lake Planning Area: Existing fees, $20,520; proposed fees, $11,739; total fees, $32,259.
Middletown Planning Area: Existing fees, $20,520; proposed fees, $11,827; total fees, $32,259.
Kelseyville Planning Area: Existing fees, $20,520; proposed fees, $10,873; total fees, $31,393.
Rivieras Planning Area: Existing fees, $20,520; proposed fees, $10,873; total fees, $31,393.
Cobb Planning Area: Existing fees, $20,520; proposed fees, $10,873; total fees, $31,393.
Upper Lake/Nice Planning Area: Existing fees, $20,520; proposed fees, $13,214; total fees, $33,734.
Shoreline Communities Planning Area: Existing fees, $20,520; proposed fees, $13,214; total fees, $33,734.
The report notes that the new fees for Lake County “are significantly higher than those adopted by
adjacent agencies.” Those new fees also would put the total fees charged by Lakeport and certain parts of the county on par with areas in Sonoma and Napa counties.
In Sonoma County, total fees are $37,009, with an $8,915 local traffic fee. The city of Napa has a $6,820 traffic fee with total fees at $45,889. Higher still is the city of St. Helena, where total fees are $53,137, only $1,337 of which is charged for the local traffic fee.
However, Lake County/City Area Planning Council Executive Director Lisa Davey-Bates said that the proposed fees are the optimum amount to provide for all anticipated transportation needs, and lower fees could be accepted.
As if anticipating that possibility, the report adds, “Adoption of fees lower than identified within this study would require additional transportation funding from other sources.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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