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The Five Findings for Development Impact Fees
Most every municipal finance officer is aware of the five findings (in Government Code §66000) required to adopt development impact...
Scott Thorpe
Dec 8, 20193 min read
Do Development Fees Affect Home Sales?
At about every other Council or town-hall meeting I attend there is the question about whether development fees (planning fees, permit...
Scott Thorpe
Aug 12, 20192 min read
Determining Development Impact Fee Land-Use Categories
The land-use database inventory is the spine of any Development Impact Fee (henceforth DIF ) calculation effort. It is a data table that...
Scott Thorpe
Jul 15, 20194 min read
Framing the Case for Fees
As the typical reader of the RCS blog articles, you are a technically skilled government finance professional and can make a strong...
Rick Kermer
May 12, 20193 min read
Circulation Infrastructure Nexus
In my early years of calculating development impact fees (henceforth DIFs) I had to experiment with different nexus factors for...
Rick Kermer
Mar 17, 20194 min read
Thirty Years of Impact Fee Experience
This last January 16th I watched with no small amount of pride while the Chino City Council adopted an updated set of development impact...
Scott Thorpe
Jul 13, 20185 min read
Mandatory Approval of Accessory Dwelling Units
In July I wrote about the State Legislature requiring easier paths to increasing residential Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) construction...
Eric Johnson
Nov 13, 20173 min read
Accessory Dwelling Units
Many of you have been wrestling with integrating the recently passed State legislation (AB 2299 and SB 1069) that requires most cities to...
Scott Thorpe
Jul 7, 20173 min read
Two Not-So-Scary DIF Collection Requirements
I often get asked about two Development Impact Fee “problems.” The first is the “five-year requirement” and the second is the difficulty...
Scott Thorpe
Apr 16, 20174 min read
Development Impact Fees for Mature Cities
A little over two years ago I got a call from Chu Thai, the Management Services Director with the City of Monterey Park. He called to...
Eric Johnson
Nov 13, 20164 min read
Police Level of Service
Police management staff often discuss Levels of Service (LOS) staffing in terms of “officers per 1,000 residents.” Since it is often a...
Scott Thorpe
Jun 12, 20164 min read
Development Impact Fee Calculation – Demystified
The calculation of Development Impact Fees (DIFs) sounds very technical and it can be, but the process is not insurmountable. First off...
Scott Thorpe
Jan 17, 20164 min read
It’s all about the Lane Miles
I have undertaken a great number of development impact fee studies in the Southern California area and as a result I read a lot of...
Scott Thorpe
May 10, 20154 min read
The Need for an Infrastructure Czar
I suppose I should have paid greater attention in my Organizational Development classes during my BPA and MPA experiences, but frankly I...
Eric Johnson
Jan 23, 20153 min read
Yet Another Looming Financial Disaster
Last November I wrote the above titled topic about municipal asset replacement programs for the RCS monthly newsletter, and here is an...
Eric Johnson
Aug 18, 20144 min read
How Often is Enough?
As a fee consultant, the question that I get asked most often is, “How often should we be updating our fees?” Once I dispose of the...
Eric Johnson
Jun 15, 20142 min read
(Yet Another) Looming Financial Disaster: The Lack of a Funded Infrastructure Replacement Program
When RCS undertakes a Development Impact Fee (DIF) Calculation and Nexus Report, one of the exhibits included in the Report is a table...
Eric Johnson
Nov 18, 20133 min read
What’s the difference between Capital Fees and Service Fees?
Lately, there seems to be some confusion about the difference between Capital Impact Fees and Operational Service fees and the rules...
Eric Johnson
Jul 15, 20132 min read
Capital Infrastructure Defines Your Service Level
The Levels of Service (LOS) provided to the residents or businesses of any given City service is based upon (or limited by) the finite...
Eric Johnson
Jan 14, 20134 min read
Police Station Sizing
Those of you with your own in-house police departments have sworn officers (henceforth “officers”) and police department space for them...
Eric Johnson
Nov 26, 20123 min read
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