The New Lenox Village Board raised developers’ fees 5 percent this week.
The fees, based on the fair market value of an acre of land, are set by ordinance and distributed to help the Park District, school districts, Fire Protection District, emergency dispatch center, the library and the village cope with the costs generated by residential development. Some of the revenue is also earmarked for the costs of transportation and the village hall.
The land value figure is reviewed annually.
Robin Traubenik, planning and development administrator for the village, recommended assessing the standard 5 percent increase, raising the price from $64,662 to $67,895 an acre.
The price-per-acre in New Lenox is in the middle range, Traubenik said.
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A survey of neighboring towns presented to the Village Board last week showed that Naperville and Orland Park set their value-per-acre at $82,000.
Rising costs are still a concern, Trustee Gary Mueller said. “I just want to make sure we’re not pricing ourselves out of reach,” Mueller said.
But Trustee Dave Batson said charging new residents for the costs of growth is preferable to laying the whole burden on current residents.