The Anne Arundel County Council is hiring its own consultant to review proposed fee increases for developers after concerns over the significant hikes.
“I think we need a new set of eyes on this,” said Councilman Ed Reilly, who proposed the last-minute resolution for a new consultant that passed unanimously.
“This could affect the dollars coming in for the county, and it could have an adverse affect on construction. We need to take time to look at this closely.”
The council had several qualms about impact fees proposed by County Executive John R. Leopold and his consultant, whose data was used to create the new fees.
If approved, it would cost four to seven times more to build in the county, which could hinder development officials say.
But Leopold said Anne Arundel is underpaid for development?s impact on schools, roads and public safety, leading to more taxpayer dollars going toward improvements developers should pay.
“The council hiring its own consultant is perfectly appropriate … in making an informed judgment,” Leopold said.
The council sets aside money every year for accountants and consultants. County Auditor Teresa Sutherland has fielded a few consultants.
Once a consultant is hired, it could take about a week for a review of the proposed fees, officials said.
“The legislation proposed by the county executive was an ultimatum ? accept this or nothing else,” said Council Chairwoman Cathy Vitale, R-District 5. “Impact fees are far too important to only hear one point of view.”
The council introduced Leopold?s impact fee bill recently, and the fees are slightly lower than first proposed to the Planning Advisory Board.
Leopold said the consultant used updated data, which lowered the fee for road construction. As a result, most of the residential fees went down about $2,000.
Also, a bill was introduced that would have a chart rating public school capacity tied to the passage of the impact fee bill.
Once an impact fee bill is passed, a new school capacity chart will go into effect. Officials said the linkage will provide more money for school construction, while allowing the council to approve new fees before a wave of development occurs once a new chart is formed.
“They should go hand in hand and make sure we recoup the maximum amount the county is entitled to,” Leopold said.
