Today’s Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
District: Fresno County Contact: Sherri Martin, Contracts Administrator
Phone: (559) 453-5023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FCTA APPROVES REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION MITIGATION IMPACT FEE PROGRAM
FRESNO– With the passage of the Measure C Extension in November 2006, the Regional Transportation Program component of the Measure C Extension Expenditure plan requires that a Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee Program (RTMF) be developed and approved by the Fresno County Council of Governments (Fresno COG) and the Fresno County Transportation Authority Board (Authority) and adopted by ordinance by all fifteen incorporated cities and the County by January 1, 2009. The RTMF Program was approved by the Fresno COG Board on October 9, 2008 and by the Authority Board on October 15, 2008. The $1,727 per single family unit RTMF will be implemented with a three step phase-in as follows: the initial mitigation fee for 2009 will be $1,200, the mitigation fee for 2010 will be $1,450, and the mitigation fee for 2011 and thereafter will be $1727. In addition to the “phasing in” process, the Authority directed the consultant, PB Americas, to work with the Building Industry Association to resolve issues related to related to assumptions and costs differences, and with the understanding that the RTMF will be reviewed every two years at the same time the Measure C Extension Expenditure Plan is updated. The RTMF identified for commercial and industrial development is to be administered on a per square foot basis and will be granted the same phase-in approach as residential development (see grid below). The phase-in process estimates a reduction in anticipated revenue over the entire life of the fee program of 2.3 % or $6 million. Fresno COG staff has reviewed this revenue reduction impact on the proposed Tier 1 construction program and found that the only projects from the Tier 1 Urban and Rural project lists that are at risk of remaining unfunded due to the revenue loss and given current planning assumptions under this revised proposal are the 180 West Extension to I5 and the SR 99 – North/Cedar Interchange improvements. The next step will be for PB Americas to take the recommended RTMF to each of the incorporated cities and the County of Fresno and each agency must adopt the RTMF by ordinance prior to January 1, 2009.
