Gilbert officials worried about impact-fees proposal

A bill currently making its way through the state Legislature could give Gilbert officials a reason to push the panic button and leave them scrambling to replace millions of dollars needed for vital infrastructure. Senate Bill 1525, which already won Senate approval and is now moving through the House of Representatives, would limit municipalities' ability to assess developer impact fees. System-development fees make up the largest funding source in Gilbert's Capital Improvement Plan, a document that includes future parks, roads, utilities and public-safety facilities. Those infrastructure costs over the next few decades are expected to total about $1.2 billion, according to the plan. But the new law, proposed by Senate President Russell Pearce, could jeopardize a large chunk of that cash. One of Gilbert's two state senators, Andy Biggs of District 22, co-sponsored the legislation and voted in favor when the Senate passed the bill by a 16-13 vote on Feb. 28. Gilbert's other state senator, Steve Yarbrough of District 21, voted in opposition. The bill has now moved to the state House, but a vote has not yet been scheduled. Gilbert Mayor John Lewis said the bill would have a "massive" impact on the way future projects are funded. "In Gilbert right now, we really don't have any other way to pay for infrastructure," Lewis said. "That's the way it's been for a number of years."

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