School Dist. One OKs New Construction Impact Fees
Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 9:05PM Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County School District One trustees on Tuesday night approved moving ahead with plans for new construction impact fees to provide adequate funding for the expected expansion of public schools in the district.
The proposed maximum impact fee for new single-family housing is $11,208, while the proposed maximum fee for multi-family unites is $7,779. Current residents of the district could see a decrease in tax millage rates once the impact fees are in place.
Impact fees are a one-time payment imposed by a local government on a property developer and are intended to offset the financial impact a new development places on public infrastructure, in this case schools.
“We are really excited and believe this is certainly a win for the current residents of Anderson School District One,” said Superintendent Robbie Binnicker. “It will certainly go a long way in helping us to fund additional building needs to accommodate growth.”
District one is home to the fastest growing area of Anderson County, with as many as 2,000 new housing units approved or under consideration in the area in recent months, including 732 already improved in Piedmont alone (Wren schools).
“The Anderson School District One board took a step in the right direction in planning for an improved future for residents of their district tonight,” said Anderson County Councilman Jimmy Davis, who represents the district. “I appreciate the hard work the school board did to make this happen.”
Per South Carolina law, the school district hired consultants to help determine the need and how best to address challenges of future growth.
“Impact fees will also help lessen the burden of the existing taxpayers in the area, something that is more fair to the people who have been here so long and helped build the current school system,” said Davis. “This puts some of the cost of growth on the shoulders the people moving to the area. It’s very transparent, so people can see exactly where the money is being spent.”
Binnicker agreed.
“Current residents of the district should be delighted because it is going to help lower their millage rate,” Binnicker said. “Impact fees pay for growth and assures those involved in new construction are paying their fair share.”
School district base figure for determining school population needs based on housing is 1.5 children per household, which has created an urgent challenge for Anderson School District One.
District one released the following figures to outline building costs per student based on current figures:
- Elementary School, $22,058 per student
- Middle School, $26,278 per student
- High School, $39,482 per student
Current the district has approximately 11,000 students, with five elementary, three middle and three high schools.
The proposal for the impact fees now goes the Anderson County Planning Commission, where it expected to receive approval before sending to Anderson County Council for permission to begin collecting the fees.
Other school districts in the South Carolina have already been using impact fees, or are currently considering them, to help provide financing to make sure school budgets can meet the demands of rapidly growing populations in the districts.
In 2018, the Fort Mill School District in York County began collect impact fees of $18,158 for Single- Family units and $12,020 for Multi- Family units to meet the demands of growth.
Davis said with limited options available for school funding, the impact fees are currently the best solution for district one.
“At the end of the day we’ve got to plan for the growth, and putting more burden on the existing taxpayers is not the answer,” said Davis.