A sweeping proposal to raise impact fees on new construction in Anne Arundel County by as much as twelvefold is scheduled to be introduced this week, but lawmakers are suggesting it is dead on arrival.
Relying on a study by a nationally known consultant, County Executive John R. Leopold is calling for substantial increases in the fees levied on developers -- and, in the cases of homes, typically passed onto the buyers. The current flat rate of $4,904 for a single-family home would increase to $28,315 for a four-bedroom house and $39,257 for a home of five bedrooms or more, according to the study. The highest proposed residential fee would be for a condominium or apartment of four or more bedrooms: $53,322, or more than 12 times the current top rate of $4,274.
Leopold said his bill, which the council will introduce Tuesday, seeks to offset the full burden that new building -- homes, hotels, hospitals, warehouses, nursing homes, offices, marinas and retail -- places on roads, schools and public safety. The figures in the bill have not been finalized.
"The essential purpose is to generate the money that should have been generated" since impact fees were created in 1987, Leopold said. The bill compensates for the "artificially low fees" that have been in place for the past two decades, he said.
Some lawmakers questioned the methods used to calculate the proposed fees -- which in some cases are more than $30,000 above the highest levies for residential property in Montgomery County -- because formulas and the underlying figures have changed several times. The consultant hired by the county, James C. Nicholas, staggered impact fees for homes based on the number of bedrooms in the later drafts of his study.
Chairwoman Cathleen M. Vitale raised the possibility that the council would hire its own consultant to perform an independent review, after the council heard Nicholas' testimony at a work session Tuesday. The seven lawmakers previously agreed not to introduce the bill Jan. 7 as they sought more feedback from county officials on the framework of the legislation.
Other council members said Leopold sent down a bill knowing that it stands no chance of passage. They accused the county executive of using the bill as a political ploy in hopes of currying favor with anti-growth interests.
"I don't think [Leopold] is being honest with the citizens. ... It's just politics," said Councilman C. Edward Middlebrooks, a Severn Republican.
