Capital Improvement Program and Traffic Impact Fee Program
What is a CIP?
A Capital Improvement Program (CIP) identifies and prioritizes future transportation investments that will be required to meet the County’s existing and future transportation needs for the next 20 years. This can be roadways, intersections, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, traffic calming treatments, transit service improvement projects, and ongoing administrative costs for transportation monitoring programs, including traffic model update costs, traffic study guideline updates and Circulation Element updates. Consistent with state law and General Plan policies, the County has minor updates to its CIP list every year and a major update approximately every five years to ensure that they are appropriate and reasonable based on current market conditions and costs of construction/investment. Funding for the portion of the CIP related to new development is financed by the TIM fee program.
What is a TIM Fee/TIF?
Traffic Impact Fees (TIF) are collected to offset the costs of impacts to the transportation system created by new development. Consistent with state law and General Plan policies, the County has minor updates to the TIF Program every year and major updates approximately every five years to ensure they are appropriate and reasonable based on current market conditions and costs of construction/investment. Effective with the 2020 Major Update, the program name has been changed from the Traffic Impact Mitigation (TIM) Fee Program to the Traffic Impact Fee (TIF) Program.
How are the fees calculated?
TIF are based on planned development assumed to occur in the County’s adopted General Plan, the total cost of transportation improvements needed to accommodate this growth, and assumed local/state/federal revenue streams anticipated to be available to the County for transportation improvements. This information allows a nexus between the unfunded improvement costs and projected future development. The nexus study results in a calculation that determines the fair share that future development must pay for a particular type of land use development (i.e., residential and/or non-residential uses). The nexus analysis will be on the incremental land use growth projected to occur in the County over the next twenty years.
Does the County make a profit from these fees?
No. By law, the fee must only cover the actual costs of improvements for new transportation investments that are required based on the cumulative need created by new development.
How does the County determine what investments will be needed?
The study includes a comprehensive review of the existing and projected traffic conditions during various times of the day at key locations in the unincorporated areas of the El Dorado County. Based on General Plan policies, this information is used to identify existing and future deficiencies in the transportation network and the types of projects and costs that would be required to mitigate them. This information along with the General Plan land use growth projections and other anticipated revenue streams are used to determine the fair-share cost contribution.
Do all applicants pay the same fee?
No. For equity purposes, the Western Slope area is divided into zones based on the type and intensity of projected development described in the County’s General Plan. Within each zone, fees will be calculated for residential and commercial development unique to that zone.
How do I submit other questions or comments?
Please share any comments, questions or ideas using our online contact form.
Traffic Impact Mitigation Fee Program
This page includes a summary of the program history, Ordinances and Resolutions, and Board of Supervisors Agenda Items. Learn more about the Traffic Impact Mitigation Fee Program.