Post Falls pumps brakes on discussion of deferred impact fees
Bob Seale, community development director for Post Falls, speaks at the City Council meeting Tuesday.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
The Post Falls City Council has postponed a decision on changing how impact fees are collected for affordable housing projects.
The proposed change would defer impact fee collection for homes aimed at buyers earning up to 120% of Kootenai County's median income. For rental properties, the deferment would apply when at least 25% of units are reserved for tenants earning 80% or less of the median income.
Currently, impact fees are collected as part of the construction process. The change would delay collection until a certificate of occupancy was issued.
"We (would) collect the same amount of money. It happens to be at a different time," Community Development Director Bob Seale said.
The Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance suggested the change to speed up housing development. However, Mayor Ron Jacobson questioned whether it would benefit developers more than residents.
Councilmember Joe Malloy raised concerns about developer bankruptcies, but Seale assured that fees would still be collected before occupancy permits are issued.
The council will revisit this topic at a future meeting to address these concerns and refine the proposal.