County begins 2027 Transportation Development Fee update, staff recommends full build‑out assumption and selective expansions

The Sacramento County Department of Transportation presented the first workshop on updating the Transportation Development Fee program for 2027 on April 28, outlining policy questions and staff recommendations to guide the study.

Staff said the program — meant to ensure new development pays its fair share for infrastructure — is being updated because state law (AB 602), changes in case law and new planning inputs require revisiting fee calculations. The presentation identified four policy questions: whether to include newly adopted regional trails from master plans (staff recommended yes for trails that connect to regional systems); whether to expand the program to include additional intelligent transportation system (ITS) infrastructure and fiber; whether to use full build‑out assumptions versus a shorter forecast (staff recommended full build‑out); and whether fee‑district boundaries should be modified for greater precision (staff recommended small refinements rather than massive change).

Supervisors emphasized the importance of connected trail linkages, leveraging opportunities to lay fiber when roadways are opened for construction and careful geographic delineation of fee districts to reflect travel patterns. Staff said the update process includes stakeholder outreach, coordination with SACRT and other agencies, and additional workshops prior to final recommendations.