FIRE IMPACT FEE PROGRAM

The Rancho Adobe Fire District Board of Directors has adopted the 2024 Nexus Study related to implementation of the Fire Impact Fee’s at its regular meeting of June 19, 2024. 

In January 2025, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and Cotati City Council adopted Ordinances allowing the collection of Impact Fee’s. Fee's went into effect on March 29, 2025.

Development Impact Fee’s are one-time proceeds to fund new development’s share of the cost of expansion of the infrastructure of a community.  This follows the premise that Development should “pay its own way” or “growth should pay for growth”.

Impact Fee’s have specific Allowable Uses such as:

·         New (added) or expanded land and facilities costs (100%)

·         Apparatus, vehicles, and equipment purchases that expand the system inventory (100%)

·          Facility costs already incurred to provide growth-related capacity (100%)

·         A portion of apparatus and vehicle replacement costs attributable to new development (10.6%)

·         A portion of a renovation project that expands service capacity

·         Collection, accounting, documentation, annual reporting requirements, five-year report requirements,   periodic nexus studies, and other costs reasonably related to compliance with the Act.

Prohibited uses are:

·         Existing deficiencies, such as improvements to existing facilities that do not expand service capacity

·         A portion of apparatus and vehicle replacement costs attributable to existing development (89.4%)

·         Operational, maintenance, or repair costs

In addition to the specific and prohibited uses of the funds, the Act has strict reporting requirements including Annual Reporting, a Five-Year Finding Report with Board Approval which are required to be filed with the City and County.

Attached are links to a Presentation on Fire Impact Fee’s as well as the Final Nexus Study that was completed for the Rancho Adobe Fire District.

Should you have any questions, you may reach me at 707-795-6011.

Jeff Veliquette

Fire Chief