- They want to charge almost 7X higher impact fees on homes, restaurants, and businesses in South College Station where more taxpaying citizens live?
- Impact fees will make EVERYONE’s property taxes go up? (When new home prices increase, so do the existing homes and so do the tax appraisals for all)
- Impact Fees are much harder on the hard-working middle class?
- Impact Fees will kill all plans for new restaurants, offices, and retail South of Rock Prairie Rd.?
- Rents on homes will go up and rent on businesses will soar out of reach?
- The statement, “Impact Fees make development pay for itself” is a politically motivated lie?
DIP 1
All the citizens pay property taxes and sales tax to the city, and you've probably noticed that we have a beautiful city with many new city buildings. Our property taxes are sufficient to keep us thriving. (Even if you rent, you pay property taxes because it is factored into your rent-- and your rent will go up from Impact Fees.)
DIP 2
Calculating the Max Impact Fee includes over $30,000,000 in projects the citizens are already paying for in the current tax rate. The law allows them to include “old debt” that is still being paid out of the current tax rate. So, unless they lower the tax rate, then we are paying for it twice.
DIP 3
Calculating the Max Impact Fee includes a massive amount of infrastructure the city knows it will never build. Up to 60% of the infrastructure included in their cost estimate will be built and paid for by the developer. This is simply factored into the price of the lot or home - the city NEVER pays for it, so they are making the citizens pay for it a third time.
DIP 4
When calculating the Max Impact Fees, a hyper-inflated amount of potential infrastructure is used for the costs and a grossly understated amount of growth is used to divide it by. This creates the impression of greatly over-stated needs. The result? A government surplus that can be used for whatever they desire. And the citizens are paying for it a fourth time.
DIP 5
Finally, new Impact Fees make prices go up significantly AND everyone's taxable values increases, therefore the city gets more revenue AGAIN! The citizens pay for it a fifth time!
A vote for IMPACT FEES is a vote for double and triple dipping all citizens.
A vote for IMPACT FEES is a vote for stopping young family and middle-class growth in College Station.
A vote for IMPACT FEES is a vote for imposing the ultimate regressive tax.
A vote for IMPACT FEES is a vote to make College Station a retirement community.
A vote for IMPACT FEES is a vote against lifestyle improvements, against restaurants, against entertainment and the like.
We need our City Council to
commit to opposing IMPACT FEES–
ask them to 'stop double-dipping me!'
I know enough,
what can I do?
Easy– you should contact your City Council member and say:
Good afternoon City Council Member.
I am a citizen of College Station and I care about growth, small businesses, and keeping College Station affordable for all of us. Please take action to stop our City Hall from leveraging these Impact Fees- please stop double-dipping my tax dollars!
Sincerely, [Your Name]
SPEAKER PROTOCOL
"An individual who wishes to address the City Council regarding any item on the agenda other than those items posted for Executive Session shall register with the City Secretary two (2) hours prior to the meeting being called to order. Individuals must register to speak or provide written comments through the online form or provide a name and phone number by calling 979.764.3500."
979.764.3541 – City Hall Line to Council Members
Bob Brick: [email protected]
John Crompton: [email protected]
Linda Harvell: [email protected]
Elizabeth Cunha: [email protected]
John Nichols: [email protected]
Dennis Maloney: [email protected]
