The Raymond Planning Board has been working for the past few months on adopting an impact fee schedule for schools and roads. The board has tentatively planned a public hearing on the issue for Jan. 6.

Impact fees are taxes on new development, especially residential, to help offset the increased stress on municipal services such as schools, roads, town hall, police and fire, for example.

"It’s important for a community like Raymond to have impact fees to accomplish a number of goals," Town Planner Craig Wheeler said. "Raymond has experienced significant growth, particularly on the residential side."

An impact fee ordinance was passed at Town Meeting in 2001 but the town has been "behind the eight-ball" and is now drafting an impact fee schedule. The fee schedule is effective 30 days after its adoption. Wheeler said he expects the Planning Board to approve the impact fees at its Jan. 6 meeting.

Money collected from impact fees go to pay for Raymond’s capital improvement projects. Impact fees must be used for capital improvements, not to reduce taxes. The town must use the money collected from impact fees on CIP items within six years of receiving it, otherwise, the money is returned to its payer, most likely a developer.

"It’s a way in the municipal budget to plan ahead so you will have the funds necessary to offset large capital improvements such as road reconstruction," he said.

This time around the Planning Board is just presenting road and school impact fees for new residential properties at the Jan. 6 public hearing. The board was also hoping to start impact fees on nonresidential development next year but Wheeler and planning consultant Bruce C. Mayberry are still working on that fee schedule.

The proposed school impact fee for new residential development is $3,550 per dwelling unit for a single-family home or $2,666 per dwelling unit for a two-family home. The proposed road impact fee is $888 per dwelling unit for a single-family home and $464 per dwelling unit for a two-family home.

If a developer wanted to construct 10 duplex homes next year. He would likely pay $62,600 in school and road impact fees because there would be 20 "dwelling units." Wheeler said these are estimated costs.

The Planning Board has the authority to increase or decrease the impact fees each year through the public hearing process.

Developers are assessed an impact fee when they go through the site plan review process with the Planning Board and must pay the assessed fee at the time they receive a certificate of occupancy.

This is the Planning Board’s first implementation of impact fees. The board wants to implement more in the coming years. Wheeler said police and fire impact fees may be next.

The public hearing on Jan. 6 is at 7:30 p.m. at the Raymond High School media center.