CARLSBAD: School district raises developer fees
Increase would add about $1,000 to home cost
By STACY BRANDT - Staff Writer | ∞
CARLSBAD ---- Developer fees will go up in most of Carlsbad starting in October, school officials decided Wednesday.
The Carlsbad Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the recommended increase without discussion at a meeting Wednesday.
Also at the meeting, the board voted to hire a principal for Buena Vista Elementary School.
Starting Oct. 26, developer fees for homes built within the school district's boundaries will go up 33 cents, from $2.69 to $3.02 per square foot. Fees for businesses will go up 5 cents, from 42 cents to 47 cents per square foot.
The fees are set aside for construction projects intended to handle the students that development may bring to the district.
With the new fees, a developer will have to pay the district more than $9,000 to build a 3,000-square-foot home, which is about $1,000 more than under the current rates.
The board last increased developer fees two years ago. The state evaluates the fees every two years based on inflation rates in the construction industry.
Even with the increase, district officials said they didn't expect to collect more than $150,000 in developer fees this year, which is far less than in the past.
How much the district gets in developer fees depends on how many houses or business are built each year. With the downturn in the economy and slowing of construction, the amount that the fees raise is dwindling, said Walter Freeman, assistant superintendent in charge of business services.
Also at Wednesday's meeting, the board decided to hire Tina Howard to lead Buena Vista Elementary School.
Because of budget cuts earlier this year, district officials had planned on having Richard Tubbs lead the school along with Hope Elementary, where he is principal now.
However, district officials said, they expect to have more money this school year than they had originally anticipated, largely because of increasing property tax revenue.
Because of this, Superintendent John Roach recommended giving each school its own principal.
"I strongly believe that every school needs and deserves its own principal," Roach said.
Howard started with the district more than 20 years ago as a teacher at Kelly Elementary School. She became an administrator for the district in 2005, when she was named assistant principal at Aviara Oaks Elementary. Most recently, she was assistant principal at Buena Vista.
Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.
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Amazing arrogance wrote on Aug 28, 2008 8:32 AM:Thanks for raising the cost of a new home $1,000 during a time of lay-offs and real estate depreciation. I suggest a new school district motto may be "Let them eat Cake".
Scott wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:54 AM:So $6K for this fee brings the total tax and fees to build a new home to $120 thousand dollars. When I finance that over 30 years, I'm paying half a million dollars in fees to the county and state for my home, and I still have to pay $10K a year in property tax. Congratulations on doing this without comment from the tax-paying citizens. No wonder there's a mortgage crisis.
Good Job Carlsbad wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:04 PM:I for one am glad to see that they were able to work toward getting more revenue for the School District. Why don't they consider building a new high school in the College/Cannon area? Lots of open land, nothing but weeds and coyotes out there.
dollars wrote on Aug 28, 2008 7:05 PM:Good timing to raise the fee since we have no more space to build more houses anyway. In 5 years all that money raised we will be able to build a shed we can put in the Strawberries fields. We can call it a high school. Oh we already have a shack we call a high school.
Jim S wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:20 PM:Scott,
How is this ",..without comment from the tax paying citizens"? The board offered scheduled opportunity for public comment on this matter at the meeting where the decision was made and at previous meetings. If you felt so strongly about thess fees, why weren't you there? (Agendas are posted publicly, and both agendas and minutes are available at the District website.)The North County Times also reported, in advance, that this discussion would take place.
Also, let's not forget that a new home DOES create expenses that, if not paid by the homeowner, are paid by his neighbors. New development requires additional water, sewage, and road capacity, more classroom capacity and teachers, additional fire and police coverage and more. I realize that it's tough enough to buy a home already, but I wonder who you think SHOULD pay these costs if not the homeowner?
FTM wrote on Sep 2, 2008 12:27 PM:It's so funny to listen to you people in Carlsbad all arguing with each other about who should pay the taxes for your city schools and roads and stuff. It's HILLARIOUS!
It's obvious that most people in Carlsbad are older folks who have moved there to retire and they have NO interest in the needs of families or children. ("You wipper snappers can pay yer own way thru school like I did you freeloaders!") I can hear Grandpa Simpson right now. You get any more retired people in that town and your not going to be able to collect a tax to turn on the water!
CARLSBAD is becomning a very FAMILY UN-FRIENDLY city.
Great place to retire, but a lousy place to raise kids.
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