A map shows areas of Bargersville and White River Township that are affected by the road and bridge impact fee. Provided map
After initially having reservations, Johnson County is moving forward with a new road and bridge impact fee study.
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve a professional services agreement with A&F Engineering on Tuesday for an updated road study related to the road and bridge impact fee for the Interstate 69 corridor.
The agenda item was first introduced in December, but the vote was tabled because of concerns about the cost and the fee’s impact.
The road and bridge impact fee is charged to individuals or developers who are granted a new building permit within the I-69 corridor. The impact zone stretches from Bargersville’s southern point to County Line Road, along State Road 37. It includes all of Bargersille and portions of White River Township, between I-69 and State Road 135, alongside other county roads like Stones Crossing, Morgantown, Mullinix and Olive Branch roads.
The road and bridge impact fee ordinance was initially approved in 2021 and remains in effect, but Johnson County and Bargersville officials need to approve and conduct a road and bridge impact fee plan every five years. The study examines existing conditions, traffic volumes, capacity of streets and intersections, projected future traffic volumes, traffic improvement plans and develops the traffic impact fee, according to a document from the Johnson County Highway Department.
The study’s cost is estimated at $208,400, with Bargersville paying $124,800 and the county paying $83,600, the document shows.
The town and the county initially collaborated on the project because both would be significantly impacted by I-69 and roads in both jurisdictions would be equally used by incoming developments, previously said Luke Mastin, county highway director, in 2021. The fee is a way to distribute the cost of road repairs to developers who are responsible for the additional traffic, he said.
While the Bargersville Town Council unanimously approved the study on Nov. 13, two county commissioners had reservations.
Commissioner Ron West was concerned about the plan’s costs and about moving forward with a road impact fee. However, on Tuesday, he was a proponent of conducting the study and seeing what happens.
“I think in our meeting, I suggested that we go ahead with the professional services agreement and then, based on the results of that, we would look further into whether we want to go ahead with the impact fee jointly with Bargersville or not,” West said.
In 2021, West voted against the road and bridge impact fee ordinance because of a clause he believed could make the county highway director perform work for the town without pay and because he believed it unfairly penalized small households.
In December, he still remained concerned about the ordinance’s impact on local homeowners and business owners.
“I guess my question is, do we want to spend over $200,000 for a study that’s going to take almost a year to complete? And then I wasn’t in favor of that impact fee when it was first voted on. So, I’d kind of like to know what the purpose of this is,” he said at the December meeting.
West brought up a situation with the liquor store on State Road 135, where a new home was going in, and $2,300 was added to the price because of the impact fee. If the updated impact fee plan would bring relief to homeowners, West would be more likely to support it, he said.
Additionally, West believed the fee plan would likely come back with higher recommended rates, since traffic volume and population have increased, and he insisted that the county can’t be sure added volume on roads is from local people.
While the road and bridge impact fee doesn’t fix current deficiencies in the transportation system, it accounts for added traffic from growth in residential and commercial developments in White River Township and Bargersville, previously said Daniel Johnston, highway engineer.
Commissioner Brian Baird previously suggested that they table the vote until January so they could discuss it amongst themselves more. He also wasn’t aware that they would need to approve and pay for an updated study every five years, although the cost of the actual study can be recovered through the road and bridge impact fee.
To continue with the road and bridge impact fee, a new study must be performed and a new ordinance must be adopted, according to the highway department’s website.
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