FORT MILL, S.C. — The Fort Mill Schools district continues to grow, and soon, new homeowners and renters will have to pay more money to keep up with that growth.
South Carolina reporter Tina Terry learned that county leaders have approved a plan to increase school impact fees.
The fees make growing areas pay to sustain the growth; however, some say the price tag is getting too high.
“That’s a lot of money,” said resident Addie Phillips about the new Fort Mill School impact fees, which were approved by the York County Council during Monday night’s meeting.
The fees will be charged to builders, which will pass to homebuyers, making their pricey purchase more expensive.
The new plan raises school impact fees on new single-family homes by about 48% to more than $29,000. Fees on new apartments would spike 53% to more than $20,000.
“In just a short time, we’ve become the largest district in York County while being the smallest geographical in the state,” said Joe Burke, spokesperson for Fort Mill Schools.
The district is growing, and the new fees will help leaders keep pace, he said.
Impact fees are designed to help keep property taxes low in Fort Mill by making high-growth areas pay their share for the cost of new schools.
“It’s going to impact the price of homes,” said Michael Pruner, the president of the York County Home Builder’s Association. “It’s going to impact the quality. It’s going to impact the affordability of homes.”
He said rent will increase, and people will need to make more money to pay more to qualify for a mortgage.
Some council members had strong support for the plan, saying fees have saved taxpayers from paying higher property taxes in the past.
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