THE EXPLORER: Weds., June 27, 2007
Council opens tap on water impact fees
By Patrick McNamara
The Oro Valley Town Council approved a duo of increases to water impact fees at Wednesday's council meeting. Members of the council voted to adopt a fee schedule with annual increases over the next five years.
The first increase will take effect Sept. 19. The final increase is slated for Sept. 19, 2011, when the water impact fees attached to new home construction, for example, will top $7,000.
Fees are set according to the size and usage – commercial or residential – of water meters.
Money raised from the fee hikes will go toward the construction of additional water infrastructure and a CAP water delivery system, among other projects.
Members of the building community and Oro Valley residents used the occasion of the meeting to drop the gloves and face-off one more time over the contentious issue.
“Any increase is going to make it more difficult to make a profit,” said Thrac Paulette of Pulte Homes.
Paulette echoed the concerns of many in the commercial and residential building communities around the Tucson area who fear the added costs will drive away potential businesses and price homebuyers out of Oro Valley.
Members of the Oro Valley community present at the meeting couldn't disagree more.
“To use the argument that we're going to price ourselves out of the market is ridiculous,” said Oro Valley resident Art Segal. “The developers pretty much run the town.”
Council member Ken “KC” Carter moved that the council adopt a one-time increase in fees but his motion failed to receive a second.
Water Utility Director Phillip Saletta said the phased approach was born out of talks with interested parties in the building community and is necessary to avoid the “rate shock” of a draconian one-time increase.