FORT MILL, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Building a home in York County could get more expensive.
Leaders are looking at increasing impact fees on new developments to help fund the construction of new schools.
The existing impact fees could go up to $29,640 for each new home built and more than $20,796 for each new apartment unit. There are mixed reactions to the idea… But the majority of people I talked with are in favor.
“We’ve just had so much growth,” said Kimberly Long, a Fort Mill Schools special education teacher and parent. “It can cause us to not have facilities to meet places, even enough places to go to the bathroom when we get at capacity.”
Long is one of dozens of people who stood up in favor of the higher impact fees during Monday night’s York County Council meeting.
Currently, a builder would pay $18,158 per home and $12,020 per apartment. Those fees were implemented in 2018. Since then, the Fort Mill school district has collected more than $73 million. The new Flint Hill Elementary School is 100% funded through the money.
School leaders are anticipating by 2035, there will be an additional 5,221 students enrolled, so the extra space is needed.
While many people are for it, some are struggling with the idea, including council members. Even though builders pay the cost, it gets passed down to the homebuyer eventually.
“I supported the impact fee for Fort Mill when it first came through but I’m struggling with this number,” said Chairwoman Christi Cox. “How are we going to allow our first responders, our firemen, our teachers, how are they going to afford to live there?”
The York County Council voted to approve this ordinance Monday night, but there will be two more discussions before final approval.
The new impact fees would go into effect July 1.
