In response to the School Board’s request for information about re-instating School impact fees, Town Council Chairman John Farrell said the process to establish the program would be lengthy.
“In order to reinstate impact fees after the disassembling of it and setting up of legal agreements, we’re looking at 12 to 18 months to resurvey and rework the entire impact fee analysis and pass proper resolutions to put all that back in effect,” he said.
According to Farrell, the Town has had greater success mitigating future impacts to the Town from commercial and residential development through development agreements.
He said the Council would be happy to work with the Board to demonstrate how development agreements would prove more effective in accomplishing its objectives rather than reinstating School impact fees.
“Impact fees may be one solution, and development agreements may be another solution,” Councilor Tom Dolan said. “If the problem is framed correctly, we can put a myriad of solutions forward to solve the problem, where impact fees may be one of the solutions, not the only solution.”
In other business at Monday night’s Council meeting:
• The Council adopted an energy systems exemption for solar and wind-power installations in Londonderry.
Town Manager Kevin Smith said the amendment would allow the Town to provide residents with a tax exemption for the entire value of a solar panel installation.
• The Council approved the expenditure of $6,815 from the Expendable Maintenance Trust Fund for plumbing repairs at North Fire Station and repairs to a boiler at the Police Station.