Legislative findings

The town council finds, determines and declares that:

• • (1) The town must expand its park, school and library facilities in order to maintain current standards if new development is to be accommodated without decreasing current standards. This must be done in order to promote and protect the public health, safety, and welfare.

  • (2) The state through the enactment of RIGL 1956, § 45-22.2-1 et seq., Rhode Island Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Act, and RIGL 1956, § 45-24-1 et seq., Zoning Ordinances, provides for orderly growth and provision for protecting public investment in public facilities.

  • (3) The imposition of impact fees is one of the preferred methods of ensuring that development bears a proportionate share of the cost of capital facilities necessary to accommodate such development. This must be done in order to promote and protect the public health, safety and welfare.

  • (4) Each of the types of land development described in section 21-511 creates demand for the acquisition or expansion of parks, the construction of park improvements, the addition of library facilities and the expansion of school facilities. The fees established by section 21-511 are derived from and based upon the costs of providing additional park, school and library facility improvements necessitated by the new land developments for which the fees are levied.

  • (5) The report entitled "Impact Fees Program for the Town of North Kingstown," dated May 28, 1997, sets forth a reasonable methodology and analysis for the determination of the impact of new development and the need for and costs for parks, schools and library improvements in the town.

(Ord. No. 97-13, § 1, 8-18-1997)