GA Code § 36-71-8 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 36 - Local Government|Chapter 71 - Development Impact Fees|§ 36-71-8. Deposit and Expenditure of Fees; Annual Report

  An ordinance imposing development impact fees shall provide that all development impact fee funds shall be maintained in one or more interest-bearing accounts. Accounting records shall be maintained for each category of system improvements and the service area in which the fees are collected. Interest earned on development impact fees shall be considered funds of the account on which it is earned and shall be subject to all restrictions placed on the use of development impact fees under the provisions of this chapter. The accounting records shall include the following information:   The accounting records to be maintained shall specify the address of each property which paid development impact fees, the amount of fees paid in each category in which fees were collected, and the date that such fees were paid; and   As to any exemptions granted, the accounting records to be maintained shall specify the address of each property for which exemptions were granted, the reason for which such exemption was granted, and the revenue source from which the exempt development's proportionate share of the system improvements is to be paid.     Expenditures of development impact fees shall be made only for the category of system improvements and in the service area for which the development impact fee was imposed as shown by the capital improvements element and as authorized by this chapter. Development impact fees shall not be used to pay for any purpose that does not involve system improvements that create additional service available to serve new growth and development.     Development impact fees, collected for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways, shall be expended to fund, in whole or in part, system improvement projects:   That have been identified in the capital improvements element of the municipality's comprehensive development plan; and   That are chosen by a municipality after consideration of the following factors:   The proximity of the proposed system improvements to developments within the service area which have generated development impact fees collected for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways; and   The proposed system improvements which will have the greatest effect on level of service for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways impacted by the developments which have paid such impact fees.       Where the expenditure of development impact fees paid by a development is allocated to system improvements in the general area of such development, through an agreement between the municipality and the developer and such agreement is approved by the governing body, the analysis required by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not be applicable.   The provisions of this subsection shall only apply to municipalities that have more than 140,000 parcels of land.       As part of its annual audit process, a municipality or county shall prepare an annual report describing the amount of any development impact fees collected, encumbered, and used during the preceding year by category of public facility and service area.   In municipalities that have more than 140,000 parcels of land, the portion of the annual report relating to development impact fees collected for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways shall be referred to such municipality's most recently constituted Development Impact Fee Advisory Committee which shall report to the governing body of such municipality any perceived inequities in the expenditure of impact fees collected for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways.       (Code 1981, §36-71-8, enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 692, § 1; Ga. L. 2007, p. 414, § 4/HB 232.)