Fire Impact
Fee Program
Overview
FIRE CHIEF JEFF VELIQUETTE
BLAIR AAS | SCI CONSULTING GROUP
About Development Impact Fees
DIFs are only one-time proceeds to fund new development’s share of the cost of expansion of the infrastructure of a community
Premise: Development should “pay its own way” or “growth should pay for growth”
Mitigation Fee Act - AB1600 was enabling legislation
Established a uniform process for determining, adopting, imposing, collecting, accounting for and protesting
“development impact fees”
Must be adopted by land use authority on behalf of special districts
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Methodology and Approach
FIRE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM OVERVIEW 3
Existing Facility Standard
Methodology
Existing Level of Service Standard
Systemwide
Open-Ended
Existing Fire System
Land, stations, and other buildings
Apparatus and other vehicles
Equipment
Fee Program Administration
Existing Development
Homes and Residents
Businesses and Employees
Service Call Data
DECEMBER 10, 2024
Maximum Fire Impact Fee
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Average Maximum Fire
Impact per Dwelling Unit
Single-Family Home - $3,810
Multi-Family Unit - $3,047
Mobile Home - $2,198
BSQFT = Building Square Feet
Fire Impact Fee Comparison
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Rancho
Adobe FPD
(Proposed)
Sonoma
Valley FPD
(Effective
July 1, 2024)
Sonoma
County FPD
(Effective
July 1, 2024)
Single-Family Housing
Multi-Family Housing
Mobile Home
$2.00
$2.77
$1.57
$2.00
$3.38
$2.21
$1.84
$2.43
$1.35
Uses of Fee Revenue
ALLOWABLE USES
◦ New (added) or expanded land and facilities
costs (100%)
◦ Apparatus, vehicles, and equipment purchases
that expand the system inventory (100%)
◦ Facility costs already incurred to provide growthrelated capacity (100%) ◦ A portion of apparatus and vehicle replacement
costs attributable to new development (10.6%)
◦ A portion of a renovation project that expands
service capacity
◦ Fee program administration
PROHIBITED USES
◦ Existing deficiencies, such as improvements to
existing facilities that do not expand service
capacity
◦ A portion of apparatus and vehicle replacement
costs attributable to existing development (89.4%)
◦ Operational, maintenance, or repair costs
DECEMBER 10, 2024 FIRE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM OVERVIEW 6
Accounting Requirements
§ Fee proceeds must be deposited into a separate fund
or account so that there will be no commingling of fees with other revenues
§ Fee proceeds must be expended solely for the purpose
for which there were collected
§ Fee proceeds must be expended on fire facilities,
equipment, and apparatus that expand the District’s
service capacity.
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Reporting Requirements
Annual Report
Must be made available to the public with
180 days after the last day of each fiscal
year
Five-Year Findings Report
For the fifth year following the first receipt of
fee proceeds, and every five years thereafter
in conjunction with Annual Report
Reports prepared by District; approved by District
Board; filed with City and County
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June 2024
Board Meeting
District Board
Action
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Receive public comment on Nexus Study and proposed fee
program
Receive and approve Nexus Study
Approve proposed fire impact fees
Formally request that the City Council and County BOS adopt the fee program on behalf of the District
Approve and request an automatic annual inflationary adjustment based on the Engineering-News Record Construction Cost Index Indemnification of the City and County
DECEMBER 10, 2024
Tentative Timeline
FIRE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM OVERVIEW 10
May 15, 2024, 7
p.m.
• District Board
Meeting
• Presentation of
Public Review
Draft and
Proposed Fee
Program
June 19, 2024, 7
p.m.
• District Board
Meeting
• Conduct noticed
public hearing
• Approve Nexus
Study and fee
program
• Request
adoption by City
and County
December 10,
2024, 7 p.m.
• Cotati City
Council Meeting
• Noticed Public
Hearing
• First Reading of
Fire Impact Fee
Program
Ordinance
January 14, 2025,
9 a.m.
• Sonoma County
BOS Meeting
• Noticed Public
Hearing
• Adoption of Fire
Impact Fee
Program
March 2025
(TBD)
• Implementation
• Fees become
effective 60-
days after
adoption
DECEMBER 10, 2024
Questions?
Jeff Veliquette
Fire Chief
Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District
Blair Aas
Vice President / Impact Fee Consultant
SCI Consulting Group
FIRE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM OVERVIEW DECEMBER 10, 2024 11