City officials in San Antonio may soon feel the wrath of developers and builders. The San Antonio Express News reported that their city officials "strongly support a bill filed in the Texas Legislature that would force real estate developers to pay impact fees for a broad range of city services, including new fire stations. They said House Bill 1771, filed last month by Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, would help raise funds to improve sluggish response times to structure fires on the outskirts of the city".
Their Mayor, Phil Hardberger, understands the power of developers and builders in Texas. He stated that the bill would face an uphill battled because builders won't take it lying down.
This is a tough one because Texas is one of few states that don't allow cities to levy fees for police and fire stations. It's not that San Antonio hates developers; they just want the ability to build new public safety facilities by raising money the way other states do.
It's an interesting option, but I also see it being shot down before it's really given a chance to be understood. Read more on House Bill 1771.
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