What would a road-fee phase-in mean for a new home in New Braunfels?

City October 2026 presentation. Option 3 also explores possible incentives; the table shows its stated detached-dwelling fee before any such incentive.

The second row shows the timing tradeoff. A Comal.News calculation from the city's proposed rates puts option 2 at $3,442 less per dwelling than immediate full collection in year one and $1,721 less in year two. By year three, the listed rates match. The difference is per permit, so total collections would also depend on how many qualifying homes reach the permit stage in each year.

Who pays and who benefits

The first-year benefit of a phase-in is a smaller charge to the developer at the permit stage. Immediate full collection would bring in $3,442 more per new detached dwelling in that first year. The city's financial audit describes impact-fee revenue as tied to eligible road-capacity improvements within the service area that generated it. The question for council is how quickly to collect that revenue while setting the upfront fee for new development.

Staff option 3 keeps the listed $6,884 fee while exploring possible incentives for infill or redevelopment. An incentive could change the cost for a qualifying project if council later defines and adopts one; the presentation's listed detached-home rate remains $6,884. That makes option 3 a different policy path from the across-the-board three-year schedule in option 2.

What has to go right

A lower fee on each early permit means less revenue from that permit for eligible road capacity than the immediate maximum would provide. How large that difference becomes across Service Area 2 depends on the number and timing of permits. Likewise, the value of collecting more sooner depends on when eligible projects need the money. A past audit balance cannot substitute for those forward-looking counts and schedules.

The next decision

Council ordinance readings are scheduled for Nov. 9 and Nov. 23, and the presentation recommends an April 1, 2027, effective date. The ordinance text and council outcomes will establish which schedule, if any, takes effect. Residents can compare the three choices in the city's roadway impact fee presentation before those readings.