Press: Impact Fees Costing Jobs

Should growth pay for itself? Darn right. But the problem with the way impact fees are currently structured in Kootenai County is, you'll get growth to pay for itself by eliminating growth altogether. Here is just one of numerous examples showing how local impact fees represent a good idea gone very bad. An established local company wants to construct a building that will cost about $190,000. Here's how impact fees would raise the cost of the project:

• EMS: Add $135.
• Jail: Add $3,629.
• Sheriff's Department: Add $1,881.
• Post Falls Highway District: $12,968. No, that isn't a typo.

And no, the project is not moving forward. When a simple, straightforward attempt to expand a business is thwarted by impact fees that push the plan into the realm of fiscal insanity, something is wrong with the way those impact fees are structured. This example is far from singular, and fortunately, our county commissioners are listening/Coeur d'Alene Press Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Do you support impact fees?