In an effort to boost commercial and residential development, the town of Ignacio wants to eliminate the impact fees that provided funding to Ignacio police, streets and schools.
“The intent is to help with economic development and development in general,” said Mark Garcia, the interim town manager.
The fees for each residence were $96 for police services, $1,357 for parks, $2,010 for street impacts, and $683 for schools. That was a total of $3,463 in fees.
Commercial fees were billed per 1,000 square feet of commercial development. They came to $58 for police, $814 for parks and $1,200 for streets. There was no commercial impact fee for schools.
Ignacio Town Board trustees discussed eliminating the fees during the discussion of the 2019 budget at their Nov. 19 meeting, although a formal resolution is in the works.
Even with reduced development fees, there are tribal and town tap fees for water and sewer service, and those aren’t cheap, Garcia added.
The Southern Ute Utilities Division, which provides Ignacio’s water and sewer service, charges $7,241 for a water tap and $8,695 in sewer fees, and $883 to tap into the tribe’s gas system.
For in-town residents, Ignacio charges $1,500 for a water tap and $900 for a wastewater tap.
The water and wastewater fees are the highest in the region, Garcia said. The town and tribe are working on an analysis of the water and sewer rates, “but I’m not seeing anything going to change,” he added.
Ignacio is set to formally adopt its 2019 budget at its next town board meting on Thursday, Dec. 13.