It is very difficult for governments to keep up with the demands for the kind of growth this area is experiencing. Every time a new development comes in, from a subdivision to a new industry, there are effects on the rest of the county that ripple out like little waves when a stone is tossed into a pond. New houses mean new residents who use up part of the capacity of a government's water and sewer service. The residents cause school enrollment to increase, necessitating the construction of classrooms and the hiring of additional teachers. Increased population strains the use of public streets, county government facilities and police and fire protection.
Impact fees give government a chance to recoup some of the expense of providing that service.
If a new industry needs 100,000 gallons per day of sewage treatment, its impact fee might include part or all of the cost of replacing that 100,000 gallons of treatment capacity, for example, so when the treatment plant reaches capacity, funds are available for expansion or to build another. The courts have made the levying of impact fees very difficult. Government must be able to document the justification for each fee and must be able to show they are fairly applied. That should not be a formidable obstacle. Everyone sees the growth occurring here, but few of us fully understand how it affects our governments.