By Hannah McLeod | Marana News
After months of discussion, the Marana council officially adopted the town’s streets, parks, recreation facilities and water fees during the regular meeting on May 6.
On Feb. 11, the town adopted a growth assumptions plan as well as a street facility and parks and recreation infrastructure improvement plan. Three days later, a public notice was posted and a public hearing was held on March 18. The total for impact fees, presented at the public hearing, have not changed – despite the removal of Dove Mountain from the fee benefit area.
Dove Mountain’s development has an impact waiver fee due to the large amount of infrastructure that is present.
Comment by Adam Trenk: “The anticipated pressures of expected growth, which vary by region, are reflected in impact fee adjustments. These fees changes are also a reflection of a community’s priorities and can be indicative of where a municipality is lacking in infrastructure.
“While some communities such as Marana are raising fees, others such as Cave Creek are expected to reduce them. Because impact fees can only be used to develop new infrastructure, and not to pay down debt on existing infrastructure, fee reductions are possible if infrastructure was overbuilt to accommodate growth that never materialized.
“If proper planning is done, increases to impact fees are justified in that they accommodate new development while ensuring existing residents don’t shoulder the burden of infrastructure expansion.”
