Board reviews renewal of interlocal sidewalk funding: $250,000 in educational impact fees proposed annually

Board staff brought forward a request to renew an existing interlocal agreement with Polk County to retain $250,000 annually in educational impact fees for sidewalks benefiting school areas. The superintendent framed the item as a renewal of a multi-year agreement the district had participated in previously.

Mr. McLemore (county liaison) told the board the money would be earmarked specifically for sidewalk projects that meet the criteria in the agreement (sidewalks located within a two-mile radius of schools) and, depending on existing conditions, those funds could also be used toward right-of-way acquisition if needed. In a board exchange about scale, staff and board members sought to make the amount more concrete: when Board Member White asked, "How much sidewalk can $250,000 buy?" staff replied with a rough estimate of about "250 feet," noting costs vary by conditions and county standards (a 5-foot wide, 4-inch thick sidewalk ranges from roughly $45 to $92 per linear foot).

Board members raised the question of whether $250,000 remains reasonable given inflation since the original agreement and asked staff to review whether the annual contribution should be adjusted. Staff said they are meeting with county stakeholders to update the interlocal agreement and that additional, broader interlocal planning (for concurrency, road impacts and school siting) is on staff's agenda.

The board did not take a vote at the work session; staff said the renewed interlocal agreement and its full interlocal documents will be brought back on the consent agenda with the corrected and updated terms for board consideration.