Kyle Smith, principal planner, presented an informational update on the county’s park and recreation impact fee program, describing two fee vehicles used by the county — Quimby Act (subdivision) fees and AB 1600 mitigation fees — and reviewing reporting requirements under California government code, which requires annual reporting and five‑year reviews of unspent fees.

Smith said the county has contracted Willdan Financial Services to prepare an updated nexus study and is planning a programmatic update that will adjust unit costs, performance measures and methodology. "The biggest thing is we're essentially updating costs to come into reality with some of the construction environments that we're dealing with now post COVID," Smith said.

A key technical change staff plans to propose is shifting AB 1600 fees from a per‑dwelling unit basis to a per‑square‑foot objective basis, which Smith said is a statutory requirement for new fee programs adopted since 2022. "Should our fee program be adopted, that'll shift to a per square foot rate ... smaller units will pay proportionally less, rate than those larger units," Smith said.

Smith reviewed projects funded or reserved by fee accounts, including Hidden Falls Regional Park phases, Loomis North drainage, Dry Creek Greenway expansion and Applegate Playground, and said the county currently holds a little more than $3 million in the fee program bank. Staff is considering shifting from a rolling application process to an annualized application program to better compare and prioritize funding requests.

Smith said commissioners will receive a more detailed update in the new year and that staff will seek policy and technical input as the nexus study and fee program update progress.