Washoe County (Reno), Nevada

Regional Road Impact Fee Study
   

For the Washoe Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), Duncan Associates designed a road impact fee system that covered Washoe County and the cities of Reno and Sparks. The multi-jurisdictional system, which established a single, county-wide road impact fee, was jointly adopted by all three jurisdictions in 1996. Prior to the regional fee, Reno and Sparks both had their own road impact fees. The regional road fee is coordinated through an intergovernmental agreement administered by the RTC, a countywide agency that runs the bus system and serves as the metropolitan planning organization. The study involved

a major data collection effort to update travel characteristics and roadway costs in the county. The fee schedule is uniform throughout the county, which is divided into several benefit zones for expenditure of fee revenues. The fee funds improvements to roadways jointly determined to be of regional benefit. Regional roadways include all arterials and major collectors, as well as some minor collectors. Much of Sparks’ support came from its interest in funding improvements to an I-80 interchange. With the adoption of the unified fee, all other road exaction methods were suspended. Duncan Associates is currently providing peer review to the RTC on a study update.