In a move to remain competitive with surrounding cities, the Weatherford City Council voted to reduce residential and non-residential roadway impact fees by 40 percent and 60 percent, respectively.
The unanimous decision was made at its Tuesday, Nov 18, meeting.
Matt Leppla, Weatherford’s Director of Public Works, explained to Council the rationale behind the measure.
“In 2022, Ordinance O2022-14 established Roadway Impact Fees (RIF) to fund roadway improvements driven by new development,” he said. “Since then, the plan has been monitored to ensure fees remain comparable and competitive to other cities in the region.”
Leppla said staff reviewed data from similar and surrounding cities and recommended reducing the current RIF collection rates by 40 percent for residential developments and 60 percent to non-residential. Currently, residential receives no discount while non-residential receives a 25 percent discount.
“This will hopefully attract more developers to Weatherford,” he said.
Council member Heidi Wilder asked what impact the reduction would have since when the fees were initially introduced, the amount set was what was perceived to be needed to sustain throughout the projects. Mayor Paul Paschall also inquired about how the city could “do the same” with less.
Assistant City Manager Chad Marbut said the fees will still be monitored and if the reduction causes too much of a shift, the fee can always be modified again and that the goal is to promote development.
The measure then passed 5-0.
Also at the meeting, council approved the purchase of four trucks equipped with mounted crash attenuators to enhance safety of city personnel performing work within, or adjacent to, roadways.
Two of the vehicles will be assigned to the Weatherford Fire Department for use in response to vehicles crashes and two will be allocated for sharing amongst several departments like Public Works, the Park Department and others.
“These vehicles provide an important layer of protection [for workers and citizens],” Leppla said.
Particularly for the Fire Department, Leppla cited the costly value of each of their apparatus and that if one of those vehicles are damaged during a crash response, the downturn would create a “significant” burden.
A staff report stated that the differences in the two Fire Department trucks and the other two include paint costs, additional flashing lights, and specific mounting configurations for computers and radios.
“Investing in these trucks will provide the city with the ability to safely manage high-risk work zones, reduce potential liability, and maintain essential public services efficiently across multiple departments,” Leppla added.
The truck purchases will be funded through Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ) 1 and 2 revenues.
City Council will meet next on Dec. 2.
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