An eastern Stanislaus County fire protection district is proposing to impose impact fees on new development to pay for facilities as large development projects in the Riverbank increase demand for emergency services.

The Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District would collect 81 cents per square foot for new construction within its limits. The district provides emergency services to Riverbank, Waterford, Empire, Hickman and La Grange, as well as Modesto’s airport district and the Beard Industrial Tract.

One-time development fees will create a source of funding to build a new fire station Crossroads of the West development in the Riverbank but can also be used to expand existing stations. Legally, the funds can pay for land, structures, firefighting apparatus and equipment.

The impact fee would be $1,620 for a 2,000 square foot newly constructed home.

Officials justify this type of tax because the construction of homes and commercial buildings increases the need for fire protection. The Stanislaus consolidated taxes require the approval of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, which has set a hearing for Dec. 3 at 9 a.m. Approval is also required from Riverbank and Waterford City Councils.

The district’s current development fees, last updated in 2007 and subsequently revised, run from 24 cents per square foot for buildings with sprinklers in Riverbank to 49 cents per square foot in Waterford.

Stanislaus Consolidated has a staff of 58 under a service agreement with the Modesto Fire Department. The district, with six fire stations, averages 6,850 calls a year, of which about 60 percent are medical emergencies and rescues.

Officials believe those calls will increase as residential developments, particularly in Riverbank, add thousands of homes, increase population, expand commercial areas and put more cars on the road.

Residential development plans could add 4,700 homes to Riverbank, including 1,964 in Crossroads West and 2,432 in the River Walk development, while a proposed 821,500-square-foot commercial and industrial development includes Costco, other commercial areas, a biofuel plant and a storage unit.

District from September 2024 the tax study anticipates 2,800 homes in Waterford’s Lake Pointe development area adopted in 2007.

An estimated 15.3 million square feet of housing could be built over the next eight years in the fire district, along with 1.67 million square feet of commercial and industrial buildings, potentially generating nearly $14 million in property taxes. fire. Government property, reconstructed buildings of the same size, accessory dwellings less than 750 square feet and structures not impacting the fire service will be exempt from the tax.

According to a Stanislaus Consolidated facility plan, a new fire station is planned in the Crossroads West development and will require a ladder truck, engine and water tender, two vehicles and equipment.

The station itself would cost about $11.57 million, plus $7.3 million for appliances, hoses, equipment and vehicles. The district’s tax study assumes the station project will be funded because fire facilities are needed before the projects are fully constructed. This assumption adds $15.6 million in financing costs over 30 years.

The fire district currently has $858,557 in unspent development fees. The estimated tax revenue does not match the cost of the facilities, but a state law requires the district to determine the portion of the cost of the facility that is attributable to new developments.

Previous legal dispute regarding fees

Stanislaus Consolidated had a legal dispute with Riverbank in 2019 over proposed development charges. District officials argued the city approved Crossroads West without showing that adequate fire response times could be maintained. City officials countered that a proposed $1.24 per square foot impact fee in Crossroads West is too high in light of the state’s new home fire suppression requirements.

Riverbank City Manager Marisela Garcia said the current city council has not considered the proposed 81-cents-per-square-foot fee, but it will go to council on Dec. 10. She said staff will recommend approval if board members have no significant issues.

“It’s been a while since the last tax increases,” Garcia said. “The city is trying to make sure we recoup enough taxes to provide the services and meet the needs of the community.”

Supervisor Buck Condit, who represents the Riverbank and Oakdale area, said he will look into the tax study in more depth before the county hearing in December.

“New development always puts pressure on service delivery, and this is one way to help alleviate the cost of that burden,” said Condit, a former Stanislaus Consolidated fire captain. “The impact fee does not cover the full cost of providing services. Typically, fire districts have to make up for that loss in other ways.”