A trade group representing home builders contend Manteca is asking far too much in terms of growth fees charged for government facilities.
It is why the City Council last week delayed going forward with implementing fee increases needed to help pay for the city’s proposed $56 million police station and a laundry list of various civic needs with a combined price tag of $266 million.
The current government facilities fee is $2.48 per square foot. It translates into $496 for a new 2,000 square-foot house.
The council took an item off last week’s agenda to increase the fee by 27 percent to $3.16 a square foot. That would translate into $632 for a new 2,000 square-foot house.
It was done after the Building Industry Association of the Great Valley questioned some of the justifications for the 27 percent fee increase.
Manteca, based on a nexus required to determine growth’s fair share of facilities needs, would be increasing the impact fees on a single family residential unit overall from $6,700 to $8,376.
The new government facilities fee, if adopted, would bring Manteca’s overall impact fees to a point they would still be $536 less compared to what Lathrop charges at $8,922.
Manteca’s $8,376 is also slightly less than another high growth city, Elk Grove, that is at $8,473.
Compared to Turlock, Manteca’s is downright inexpensive. Turlock comes in at $19,243.
Lodi at $2,429, Livermore at $1,677, and Patterson at $4,987 are all less than Manteca.
The average among the surveyed cities is $7,811.
Mayor Gary Singh said the item was pulled in order to answer BIA question.
That said, he expects the new government facilities fee to be back before the council next month for approval.
In the past when the BIA has questioned growth fee hikes, it delayed the council from adopting them for a number of months.
The city is hoping to leverage the growth fees with a 20 year sales tax hike of three quarters of a cent on the Nov. 5 ballot.
If passed, it will allow the city to address pressing public safety and road needs as well as give Manteca the ability to bond to build the police station and other projects..
The $266.4 million government facilities fee project list includes:
*$56 million for a police station at the future extensions of Milo Candini Drive and Wawona Street.
*$27 million for a community multi-use facility just south of the existing Manteca Veterans Center on Moffat Boulevard.
*$6.4 million for expansion of the animal shelter at Wetmore and Main streets.
*$11.4 million for a park and public works corporation yard on West Yosemite Avenue in front of the wastewater treatment plant.
*$58.6 million for city hall expansion on Center Street.
*$26.6 million for a performing arts center in the city’s Family Entertainment Zone anchored by Great Wolf and BLD.
*$65.7 million for a new library on Center Street.
*$3.9 million for a police safety training facility adjacent to the future police station.
*$9.2 million for a police range adjacent to the future police station.
*$1.7 million for a satellite park maintenance road south of the 120 Bypass.
The city, based on the current municipal budget, had $29.8 million in the government facilities growth fee account at the end of June 2022.
The first project to be tackled will be the police department.
Based on the nexus used to justify what the city can legally charge growth for facilities; the next two projects will be the animal shelter expansion and the community center on Moffat Boulevard.
Both would start design work in 2025-2026.
The city hall project, expected to be tackled in phases, is targeted to start construction in 2030 immediately after completion of the police station.
The other projects are targeted to start moving forward in 20232 and beyond assuming the sales tax, that has a 20-year limit, passes.
Growth funds for community parks and fire facilities are collected via other fees that are in addition to the government facilities fee.
To contact Dennis Wyatt email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
