FORT MILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – The Fort Mill School District can now use millions of dollars that have been on hold after York County Council voted in favor of amending the district’s impact fee plan.
Council voted yes to the third and final reading just before the Christmas holiday. Since 2018 every home built in Fort Mill has had more than $18,000 added to its cost because of a district impact fee. That money collected, $54-million has been held because of litigation between the county and the district. Since then, the two have been working on a solution to take it out of courts.
With this new decision, Fort Mill School officials say they can use these funds toward building the next school in their district. Adding, this amendment is an important step in providing the community with a much needed relief from the costs associated with the growth in the district.
The district can only use the impact fees on any new construction and not to pay off any previous debt. Councilman, Tom Audette says, “this will give residents and businesses within the Fort Mill School District some tax relief now when it comes to the building of new schools.”
Michael Pruner, President of York County’s Home Builders Association spoke out against the idea. He believes the money collected should be refunded to the more than 3,000 homeowners who paid impact fees since 2018.
