Every new home sold in Lathrop is subject to a series of fees based on the square footage of the dwelling. 

But where do those fees go once they’re collected? What are they used for?

Tonight, the Lathrop City Council will discuss and possibly accept a staff report that details the money that was spent out of the series of dedicated Capital Facilities Fees funds over the course of the last year. 

According to the staff report, the Capital Facility Fee program was adopted by the city in 1990 “to provide adequate capital facility improvements to serve new development within the city.” While the amount collected varies depending on the criteria of the fee itself, a number of the city’s funds have reserves in the millions, although that money can only be spent on items for which it was collected. 

Some of the city’s expenditures over the last year from CFF funds include:

u$239,530.13 that was paid out of a dedicated fund on a quarterly basis to the San Joaquin Council of Governments as part of the Regional Transportation Impact Fee program – money which goes to pay for state highway improvements that are part of the ongoing RTIF project list. 

u$763,120.00 that was paid out of the North Lathrop Transportation Capital Facility Fee fund that was used to cover expenses related to the Roth Road/Interstate 5 interchange project. 

uA total of $308,400 from the West Lathrop Specific Plan Regional Transportation Impact Fee fund that was used to install a traffic signal at River Islands Parkway and McKee Boulevard. 

A handful of the funds, according to the staff report, were used to reimburse developers for public improvements that made within the specified zone or area outlined by each of the funds. 

The city also has CFF funds that cater to projects for city services in order to ensure that growth and development provides the infrastructure necessary to serve the growing population. Fund 2270 details a number of capital projects – a police station, an animal control shelter, a city hall, a corporation yard, a performing arts center and a wireless network – that will all be available once the fund reaches maturity. For example, the performing arts center portion of the fund, and nearly $7.6 million, is set to become available in 2020, although that time frame was based off of pre-2008 numbers. 

A separate fund for Culture and Leisure, which sets aside for neighborhood parks, community parks, linear parks and bikeways, a library, a senior center, a cultural center and a community center expansion, also operates in the same fashion – with the funding for all of those, except for the community center expansion, set to reach maturity by 2030.

The Lathrop City Council meets on the second Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at Lathrop City Hall, located at 390 Towne Centre Drive. For additional information about the meeting or to obtain a copy of the agenda, visit www.ci.lathrop.ca.us. 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.