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Impact of the fees discussed at council meeting July 26
Council talks local impact fees and other matters at July 26 meeting

A number of matters came before Williams City Council during their regular meeting July 26 at city hall. One such item became a heated topic during the meeting, with some members of council disagreeing with the cost of impact fees that developers have to pay when beginning construction projects within the city of Williams. Other members of city council believed the fees were good for the community's rising infrastructure needs.

The question stemmed from a request by Mike DuCharme, owner of Wild West Junction, to extend his impact fee payments to 15 years, though citing concerns over impact fees in general, council opted to table the issue until their next regularly scheduled meeting.

"Part of his building permit process is to accept the impact fees. The total impact fees for this permit are $77,818.64. What Mr. DuCharme is requesting is to give him a certain amount of time to make payments on these impact fees," said city of Williams Finance Director Duffy. He added that approval of the extension would set a precedent that would allow other businesses to seek similar extensions to their businesses as well and asked council to consider that in their decision.

"Do we want to do it on a case by case basis or do we want to do it for businesses like his, because making that economic investment is good for all of us and it's good for the community," Duffy asked.

Council member John Moore expressed hesitation at the extension to the fee payment, as he said it might have a long-term effect on the city's ability to keep up with growth.

"It's my understanding that we raised impact fees to raise the funds to provide the services that were needed," Moore said. "If that's why we raised the impact fees to get the immediate response to have the money to operate and we start stretching it out 10 or 15 (years) - we're not going to have the money to operate. If someone calls the police department, we'll tell them they'll be over there in five years."

Williams City Attorney Lat Celmins suggested that the property owner seek another avenue rather than seeking an extension to the impact fees, such as a loan from a third party. Celmins said that would, in effect, allow the borrower the time he needed while not pushing the city to create a precedent.

"For us to make a deviation on that, except for increasing the fees that are based on studies, that is something that we would have a difficult time (doing), because every developer would then come to us with the same proposal and we'd be in the same situation," Celmins said. "The impact fees are very, very difficult to change."

Council member James Wurgler said he would like to find a way to alter the impact fees in order to avoid frustration between city officials and prospective developers.

"We already lost one construction project in the past two months of a person who was going to build a 400,000 square foot warehouse and refused to pay the $10,000 impact fee and took it to Prescott," Wurgler said. "He's a person who has been a long term business person in this town and he was very irritated and very agitated, because he felt there was an issue. He's been supporting the community for 23 years. We owe it to the people who are investing in this community not to completely drive them out or make business so difficult that they really can't do what they're supposed to do. I want to find a way to make it work."

Council member Andrew Hamby agreed with Wurgler's assessment.

"I think the numbers have shown that that has hurt our development," said Hamby. "I've been watching the permit numbers since I've been on the council. We really don't have any new building permits coming forward. I would love to revisit the impact fees and take a look at the numbers those impact fees have generated and see if it is, in fact, something that should be allowed to continue or backed down. I think 50 percent of something is a lot better than 100 percent of nothing."

Council also questioned how DuCharme could have already begun construction on his new restaurant and brewery without having paid the impact fees prior to the beginning of construction.

Other council matters

Williams resident Linda Dixon appeared before council during their regular meeting July 26 to ask the city to supply water to the Williams Assembly of God Church. Council listened to the presentation and agreed to place her water request on the agenda for their next meeting. A number of representatives were on hand for the meeting, who stood with Dixon to add their support to her request.

"I would like to ask all of our members and our friends who support us tonight in getting water to that property, utilities to that property, to please stand at this time. What we are here to do tonight is to ask, and to request from you, to be placed on the agenda as an action item for the following city council meeting," Dixon said.

Long-time Williams resident Edith Pouquette appeared before council as well to offer terms for an agreement between her family and the city of Williams in regards to the city's bid to acquire a number of well sites located on Pouquette property. Council met following their regular meeting to discuss the matter.

"I'm coming to you tonight with a proposal. Months ago the mayor came to see me - to sympathize with me because our talks with the city had broken down over the wells. We wanted to sell an acre or two to the city, but you wanted four acres," Pouquette said. "We said no, because that was too much. In the course of our conversation, I asked Mr. Edes, through my tears, what other plans the city has. He said there were other sites here and there, but I don't remember where he said they were."

"Now the eminent domain thing has raised its ugly head and lawyers and courts are so expensive and taxpayer's money is limited."

"Time seems to be an important issue. Here's my proposal," she continued. "Number one, we will give you two acres, sell you those acres at your price, where you want them. They (the wells) are to be underground. When I am saying this, I know that we don't have a leg to stand on. You have started eminent domain and that leaves us with very, very little to go on.

"Three, no fences, no storage tanks or anything above ground. We, the Pouquettes, are to benefit by having guaranteed to us 25 million gallons of water a year for 350 single-family residents. Should this proposal meet your approval, we can settle this in your timeframe."

"This, of course, will be put in a contract. The city of Williams keeps saying that we are unwilling to come to terms, but we are trying for a meeting of the minds and want to close this issue as soon as possible," Pouquette concluded

The short and the sweet

Members of the Williams City Council approved a number of agenda items during their regularly schedule meeting July 26. Among them was resolution No. 1211, which authorized the city to apply for a Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan from the Arizona Water Infrastructure Finance Authority.

Council also approved a transfer of $20,000 from the city's sidewalk budget to be used for a forest thinning project at Buckskinner Park.

Other matters included a presentation from Diana Crouteau regarding the Christmas Committee projects for 2007-2008, the approval of an Intergovernmental Agreement between the city of Williams and Coconino Country, the awarding of a bid for a breathing air compressor and fill station, as well as the approval of a number of confirmation ordinances pertaining to established subdivisions in the Williams area.


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