Development Impact Fees for Educational Purposes -CA
Summary
SR 52 proposes a constitutional amendment to authorize the General Assembly, by general law, to permit local boards of education to impose, levy, and collect development impact fees in areas of a school system experiencing new growth and development. The measure would allow a school board to adopt a resolution triggering collection of the fee by the county or municipality as a condition of development approval.
The resolution specifies that revenue from these fees must be used to help pay the cost of additional educational facilities needed to serve new growth in the same area where the fee is imposed. If approved by the General Assembly and ratified by voters, the amendment would become part of the Georgia Constitution and create a new constitutional basis for school-related development impact fees.
Impact
If adopted, SR 52 would amend Article VIII, Section VI of the Georgia Constitution to expand the state’s authority to let local school boards finance growth-related school construction through development impact fees. It would affect local boards of education, counties, municipalities, and developers by tying fee collection to development approval and limiting the use of proceeds to educational facilities serving the impacted growth area.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no documented debate or recorded sentiment in the supplied materials. Based on the text alone, the resolution appears policy-driven and targeted at funding school infrastructure in fast-growing areas, suggesting a practical, growth-management approach rather than a broadly partisan or ideological proposal.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the imposition of new costs on development, which may be opposed by builders, property developers, or local governments concerned about housing and economic growth impacts. Support is likely to come from school officials and local governments in high-growth areas that need additional funding for classrooms and facilities. Another possible issue is the constitutional change itself, since it would require voter ratification and a statewide policy shift to authorize local fee collection.