GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Still in the exploratory phase, the City Council continued to push for defining details of a likely impact fee to prepare for the demands on the electrical grid and other projects.

The council voted 5-0 for staff to determine the long-range needs and the costs during its Tuesday night special meeting.

Much of the concern is the development of 1,600 acres south of downtown. If a retail center, homes and apartments are built, as expected, it will overload the city’s ability to provide electricity to all of its residents.

One study said the city would need to spend at least $24 million in the next 10 years to meet the expected demands. The council said it wanted to determine the needs in advance – and the way to pay for it.

The council got an hour-long presentation from Tallahassee-based attorney Heather Encinosa, who specializes in city and county tax increases and impact fees. She said the best way for Green Cove Springs to collect more money was to define the specific needs and impose impact fees.

She also said an impact fee could only be levied on the residents who will benefit from the expanded services. If the council borrows the money, it would have to prove the impact fees would be enough to pay off the note. The challenge is knowing the details of what the town will need 10 years from now.

One thing the council already knows is Green Cove Springs will need to expand and upgrade its electricity department.

“We have to get out in front of it,” said Councilman Ed Gaw.

City Electric Director Andy Yeager said his department could handle the first development phase but nothing beyond that. A fourth transmission line would have to be installed to meet the demands of full development.

“If we wait, it’s too late,” he said. “When you get behind, it’s awful hard to catch up.”

The vote to proceed with the exploratory stage was a significant step, Gaw said.

Encinosa said the city faces a June deadline to be able to get all of its paperwork, loan application and long-range plans done in time for the Sept. 15 cutoff. That’s the latest impact fee that can be assessed next year.

Staff also will look at other projects, like sidewalks, roads and stormwater management. Encinosa said the city is allowed to combine several projects to create a single impact fee. Those fees, however, could vary if a specific project doesn’t benefit residents in another part of town.

During the regular meeting, Kennedy won approval to execute an interlocal agreement with the county on impact fees.

The city council’s next meeting will be on Feb. 21.