Ada County has adopted a new funding mechanism aimed at helping its sheriff’s office keep pace with rapid growth. In a unanimous 3-0 vote Wednesday, commissioners approved the implementation of impact fees to fund future construction needs for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).

The move comes as Sheriff Matthew Clifford, who campaigned on the importance of responding to the county’s expanding population, faces mounting infrastructure demands.

Aimed at relieving pressure on general tax revenues, impact fees will create a dedicated funding stream for ACSO’s long-term capital needs. These types of fees, already in use across other sectors in the county, charge developers to offset the burden new growth places on public services like law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services.

“Maybe in five years, we reopen that CIP and make some different decisions, you know, reduce some things that we’re going to spend the money on, or collect a different amount,” said Leon Leston, Ada County’s community planning manager. “So there is some ability for us to adjust based on the outcome of the other cities collecting or not, and when they start collecting.”

Ada County’s population is projected to grow by over 158,000 residents between 2024 and 2050 — a 28.4% increase — according to figures from the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS). With that growth comes added pressure on public safety infrastructure.

Under the new ordinance, the sheriff’s impact fees will initially apply only to unincorporated areas of the county. Although ACSO provides contracted services to municipalities like Eagle, Star, and Kuna, those cities will not yet be subject to the new fees. Nor will Boise, Meridian, and Garden City, which operate their own police departments.

A county spokesperson confirmed that the fees would be assessed at the time a building permit is issued, when construction starts without a permit, or at another mutually agreed point between the developer and the county. Residential developments will pay $558 per single-family home and $449 per multifamily unit. Retail developers face the steepest cost, at $2,068 per 1,000 square feet of commercial space.

The fees are expected to go into effect shortly following the ordinance’s publication. “Within a week or so,” Leston said during the public hearing.

Funding will support key ACSO projects outlined in its 2024 Capital Improvement Plan, which forecasts roughly $4 million in growth-related spending over the next decade. This includes nearly $1.3 million for administration building expansion, $443,511 for parking upgrades, and $250,000 for a new vehicle maintenance facility.

A study by economic consultants TischlerBise estimates the new impact fees could generate about $3.99 million in the same 10-year period — nearly matching projected costs.

Other countywide services, including the coroner’s office, EMS, and the county jail, are also being considered for future impact fee collection. These would apply to all municipalities and unincorporated areas, though agreements are still being worked out with local governments.

“Some of our city partners have said they’re ready to start collecting those too,” Leston said. “It really just becomes, how do you effectively roll out … this new fee in an equitable way for all the cities, so that we’re not again collecting in one area and then a year later, the other city starts collecting.”

Originally reported by Royce McCandless in KTVB.