Newberry Development Impact Fees on The Table

NEWBERRY ‒ The Newberry City Commission on July 24 considered a number of financial matters including impact fees, the annual millage rate and the annual fire assessment fee.

The Commission is revamping impact fees it charges for new development within the city limits and approved an impact fee ordinance at its July 24 meeting. Municipalities use impact fees to maintain current levels of service if new development is to be accommodated without decreasing current levels of service, and impact fees are assessed when new homes and new businesses are built, or when existing businesses are expanded.

The Commission had previously considered and approved changes to existing impact fees, but additional changes were approved Monday night. Earlier, the Commission directed that the impact fees be staggered over a period of five years with implementation at 60 percent the first year and 10 percent the following four years.

If the impact fee ordinance is approved on second reading by the Commission at the Aug. 14 City Commission meeting, impact fees will be implemented 90 days after second reading.

Millage Rate

In other business, the Commission unanimously approved Resolution 2023 – 04, which sets the Preliminary Millage rate at 5.9999. Currently, the first public hearing is scheduled for Swept. 11 at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

The Commission set the preliminary millage rate at 5.9999, the highest rate they expect to adopt in September, although the Commission has authority to set the rate to a lower level.

Fire Assessment

The commission also approved a proposed Fire Assessment rate that includes an increase of $5 per dwelling unit to offset the increased fire department costs in Fiscal Year 2024. Proposed rates for Fiscal Year 2024 are $200 per residential dwelling unit, $0.17 per square foot for Commercial properties, $0.03 per square foot for Industrial/Warehouse properties and $0.23 per square foot for Institutional properties.

At the meeting, City of Newberry Assistant City Manager/CFO Dallas Lee said the special assessment for fire services can only be used to fund personnel costs, capital improvements, equipment and other costs related to responding to fire/non-medical emergencies and maintaining readiness to respond to fire/non-medical emergencies through staffing, training, procuring and maintaining facilities and equipment.

The Commission can consider lowering the amount when they approve the final Fire Assessment amount in August.

Proclamation

Parks and Recreation Director Travis Parker reviewed the status of the City’s recreation programs, number of participants and ongoing program development. Following his presentation Mayor Jordan Marlowe read a proclamation into the record declaring the month of July 2023 as Parks and Recreation Month.

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