Developer fees

Earlene Ward

10-16-01

The Yosemite Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees voted last week to defer the implementation of the new developer fee schedule until January 14, 2002.

District Superintendent Bill McCabe notes that area superintendents are working on a plan to provide a way for people to pre-pay developer fees prior to January 14.

The YJUHSD board recently passed a resolution to raise the fees on construction from $1.58 per square foot to the statutory limit of $2.05 per square foot. Elementary school district boards will consider a similar resolution in the near future.

Earlier this year, YJUHSD and the elementary districts in the area joined together to pay for a justification study for the fees. The cost of the study was approximately $8,500 with the districts splitting the cost based on student enrollment.

Mr. McCabe points out that the study was required before the fees could be raised. A copy of the study is available in the District Office for review.

In addition to the study, a public hearing was held before the board adopted the resolution.

Mr. McCabe notes that the mountain area school boards are not enthusiastic about developer fees but they are required to charge them to qualify for state funding. “History has shown that if you want anything from the state, you must maximize all resources available,” he says.

Mr. McCabe says area superintendents are working on the pre-payment option to accommodate people or businesses that know they will be building early next year. “Our goal is to be as user-friendly as possible,” he said.

He says the primary reason YJUHSD sought to increase the fees was so the district will be eligible for hardship funds for construction projects if money becomes available from the state. In order to qualify, a district must be charging the maximum allowable developer fee.

Developer fees were implemented statewide about 10 years ago to allow school districts to collect fees from people who are building a new home or business in their district or who are adding to existing buildings.

These fees can only be used for construction, modernization and equipment inside a school building.

The fees are to help schools offset the cost of building additional facilities to accommodate growth in their district.