Home
Site Index
COST
OF DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT
INTRODUCTION
Providing
quality municipal services to the residents and businesses of the Town of Eagar
is of critical importance. As growth occurs, limited resources need to be
allocated to maintaining the existing systems and services, while simultaneously
increasing these to accommodate new demand. This issue is one that needs to
receive continuous scrutiny to ensure that the delivery standards of municipal
services are not being degraded by development activities. The Town wants to
continue to grow, but not at the expense of existing residents and businesses.
The purpose of this element is to ensure that new development is required to pay
a fair share of increased public service costs it imposes on the Town.
YESTERDAY AND TODAY
The Town of
Eagar funds capital improvements through a variety of sources, including its
general fund, the State Highway Users Revenue Fund (HURF), and other grants and
loans. Bonds have been used for road improvements. To ensure that new
development pay its share of the costs of infrastructure associated with it, the
Town has proposed development fees. To fund future improvements, the Town may
continue to consider a variety of revenue sources, including state shared
revenues, federal and state funds, grants, and loans.
[Top] [Table
of Contents]
PLANNING ISSUES
· New infrastructure, including water and sewer
lines, roads, and parks, will be necessary to
support new residential and commercial development.
· Housing growth and the demand for services is
increasing faster than revenues to fund
fund improvements.
·
Older infrastructure will be in need of upgrading
within the next decade. These upgrades may compete for funds with new and needed commercial and
employment development.
However, this is a burden that will likely be borne by all
development in the community.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND POLICIES
GOAL: PRESERVE AND ENHANCE THE EXISTING LEVEL OF PUBLIC SERVICES
FOR
CURRENT AND FUTURE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES.
Objective: Encourage land uses that are appropriate to existing
and planned
infrastructure and service capabilities.
Policy: Require a water needs and wastewater generation
assessment
for all new development.
Policy: Require a police and fire needs assessment for
all new
development.
Policy: Require a school capacity assessment for all new
development.
Policy: Consider adopting a property tax or other fee to
enhance Town
revenues.
Objective: Ensure that the burdens imposed on
new development for capital
improvements benefit the development and are reasonably
proportionate to the demand placed on municipal service by the new development.
Policy: Recover through a variety of funding mechanisms
100% of the
capital costs related to wastewater, water, parks and
recreation,
fire, police, roads and other municipal services and facilities
associated with new development.
GOAL: MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE THE FISCAL VIABILITY OF THE TOWN.
Objective: Diversify Town revenue streams.
Policy: Maximize the use of grants and subsidies to pay
for capital
projects and services.
Policy: Consider community facility districts (CFD) when
feasible and
appropriate.
Policy: Use development fees to address external impacts
of new
development where appropriate.
Policy: Investigate and use a variety of funding
strategies to finance
necessary capital improvements including bonds, taxes,
development fees, user fees, grants, state and federal funds,
special taxing districts and other appropriate sources.
Objective: Increase employment and wage levels
in Eagar.
Policy: Increase efforts to attract companies and
industries with above
average wages.
Policy: Continue to fund local and regional economic
development
efforts.
Objective: Protect the town’s retail tax base
and prevent sales tax leakage.
Policy: Protect future commercial locations from
residential downzoning.
Policy: Increase business retention efforts by working
with local
businesses to identify their challenges and enlisting the
support
of the Town in identifying strategies for correcting them.
Policy: Develop incentives to increase the retail and
commercial tax base
of the town.
Objective: Optimize the use of Town public
services in the long-term.
Policy: Update the Capital Improvement Plan on a regular
basis.
Policy: Support and fund long-range infrastructure
planning efforts.
Policy: Encourage dedication of open space parks and park
sites in
conjunction with development.
Policy: Explore partnering with other governmental
entities to reduce
construction and maintenance costs.
Policy: Construct oversize infrastructure in appropriate
locations to suit
long-range development needs.
Policy: Consider privatizing some Town functions when
feasible and
appropriate.
GOAL: MAINTAIN THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF GROWTH WHILE MITIGATING THE
EFFECT
ON EXISTING RESIDENTS AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
Objective: Ensure that development continues to pay its fair share
of the costs associated
with it.
Policy: Adopt a development fee ordinance.
[Top] [Table
of Contents]