Impact fees serve as one-time charges imposed on developers by local government to support the infrastructures costs to the community, including roads, utilities, and public facilities such as schools, parks, police, and fire stations.

The goal of an impact fee is to help offset the costs of the off-site capital facilities needed to serve the new development and to reduce the financial burden new developments have on the local government and long time taxpayers.

“90 percent of the new homes in district two are people moving into the area who’ve never paid a penny of Limestone County taxes,” said District 2 Commissioner Danny Barksdale. “We have to front all the cost associated with the developments moving in until their taxes begin to catch up, and with the costs that are associated I’m not sure the taxes will ever catch up.”

Many developers and homeowners choose to build in unincorporated parts of Limestone County versus Athens, Huntsville, or Madison City due to there being less red tape.

“That’s my opinion of why some of the developers are moving into Limestone County, we don’t have impact fees, we don’t have building codes,” said Barksdale. “We’re kind of the Wild West for the builders.”

With “building inspections in a municipality, a home will probably have to be inspected three or four times during the building process,” said Barksdale. “They may have a foundation inspection, a plumbing and electrical inspection, and then a final inspection. The homes are inspected internally while they’re being built.”

He went on to explain, “versus in Limestone County, maybe after it’s finished whoever is loaning the money might require some type of inspection before they loan the money, but that’s done after the house is complete, with no internal inspections as it’s being build.”

Ultimately, Barksdale believes existing Limestone County taxpayers shouldn’t be responsible for footing the bill for developers and new residents.

“I believe it’s (impact fees) the appropriate thing for the service of Limestone County. I don’t think the citizens of Limestone County should be stuck with all the associated growth costs,” said Barksdale. “You’re putting it on the citizens that have been here all their lives versus people that are moving here and have never paid a penny of Limestone County taxes.”