Williams has impact fees in place to handle development
Type 2004 2013
Single family $1 $1.67
Multi-family $1.41 $2.47
Mobile home 90 cents $1.49
Retail 64 cents $1.06
Office 95 cents $1.59
Medical 89 cents $1.49
Educational 69 cents $1.15
Manufacturing 37 cents 62 cents
Other 32 cents 53 cents
Fees are per square foot.
Williams has its focus on bringing new commercial and industrial development to the east side of the city, and the fire authority believes it now has the fees in place to handle the impacts of that growth.
Colusa County supervisors recently approved new impact fees for the Williams Fire Protection Authority, which serves the city and the rural area around town.
"Our fees were established in 2004 and we try to update them every five years, so we are actually about two years behind," Fire Chief Jeff Gilbert told the board on Jan. 8.
The authority study actually sets the fees at a higher rate than was adopted, but after the city's own study came back with lower recommendations, the fire board decided to just go with those rates.
Gilbert said the fees are in line with similar districts such as Maxwell.
The study states that of the estimated cost of impacts from growth through 2030, including facility expansion and equipment, will be $4.9 million.
"Costs attributable to fire protection are then spread across the projected new development according to the relative valuation of each type of development on the theory that the more valuable a piece of development is the greater need it has for fire protection," the report states. "Fire protection costs are calculated to average $9.02 per $1,000 in new building valuation."
The fees were increased across every category, but much of the focus is on the commercial and industrial costs.
That is different than in 2004 when the fees were last set. At that time, the city was anticipating a residential boon, which fizzled in the latter part of the decade.
There is always a concern that development fees will discourage new growth, but city officials have said they do not think the fees, including fire and other impact assessments, are so high as to scare off projects.
That is particularly critical for Williams, which not only sees developing the Vann business park as a way to secure the city budget, but also as a way to fund improvements in the downtown and other areas with the tax revenue generated.
Impact fees are paid only by new development to offset the cost of services in those areas.
