Miami - Anyone looking to build new developments in North Miami soon might have to pay to become part of the city. On Tuesday, the council held a workshop meeting to discuss new fees that could be imposed on North Miami newcomers. The city is considering charging impact fees based on the size of a new construction.
The fees would be only for projects with new site plans after the ordinance goes into effect. And based on city numbers, a builder of a single-family home could expect to pay about $15,000 in fees, not including permits and other city costs.
Most of those funds impact on police, general government, parks, the library and transportation but about $5,000 will go to water and sewer. ''The main purpose of the impact fees is so that future growth helps pay for the future needs of the city,'' Mayor Kevin Burns said by phone Thursday. In the past, the city has charged only people building new construction in the city a fee for the impact the property would have on the city's water and sewer system.
But almost two years ago the city began to explore impact fees. ''This is a more comprehensive approach to making sure you get the dollars you need to provide the services,'' said Paul Tischler, from the fiscal, economic and planning consultant firm TischlerBise, hired to work out the fee schedules.
Tuesday's meeting was planned after the council decided to postpone adopting an impact fee ordinance in June because there were concerns the fees would discourage development in the city. Tischler said the water and sewer charges, which are based on meter size, now will be called capacity fees and will be raised. Most single-family homeowners would pay a one-time fee of $4,826. Someone with a 1 meter would pay $8,109.
''We just think that the new people coming into the city should pay their fair share of the impact so that the existing residents don't have to absorb the costs,'' Burns said. Someone building a single-family home would pay $635 for police, $1,306 for general government, $280 for transportation, $8,391 for park land and $772 for the library -- a total of $11,384.
Someone building a multifamily high-rise project would pay $352 for police, $724 for general government, $155 for transportation, $4,652 for parks and $428 for the library, which is a total of $6,311 per unit. Water and sewer fee increases should be implemented immediately and likely will be heard at the Nov. 27 council meeting.
Source: MiamiHerald.com