Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee (RTMF)
Western Nevada County Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee Update
The western Nevada County Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee (RTMF) program was established in 2001 through a partnership of Nevada County, Nevada City, Grass Valley, and the Nevada County Transportation Commission (NCTC).
The purpose of the Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee (RTMF) Program is to finance needed improvements to the regional network of streets and roads to mitigate the impact of increased traffic that will result from new development in western Nevada County. The fee program has been adopted by Grass Valley, Nevada City, and Nevada County and is administered by the Nevada County Transportation Commission (NCTC) through agreements with those agencies. Since the inception, the program has updated in 2008, 2016, and 2023.
The RTMF Program was updated in 2023 to reflect changes in development patterns, transportation deficiencies, project scope and cost. The update also incorporates the requirements of Assembly Bill (AB) 602 that was signed into law January 1, 2022. AB 602 imposed new requirements that fees reflect a reasonable relationship of residential unit size of the dwelling unit. Therefore, the fee for residential units in Nevada County are now disaggregate for small (>1,500 sq. ft.), medium (1,500 to 2,500 sq. ft.), and large (>2,500 sq. ft.) units. AB 602 did not impose new requirements on non-residential (i.e., retail, office, etc.) developments.
Annual Report
As the administrator of the RTMF, NCTC is required to prepare an annual report to assist Grass Valley, Nevada City, and Nevada County in complying with the provisions of Government Code Section 66006, which requires each local agency that adopts mitigation fees to provide an annual report and to schedule a public meeting regarding that report. The annual report is available for download at the link below.
Exhibit 1 shows the Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee area. The fees collected will provide the needed revenue to fund construction of the improvements shown in the RTMF Capital Improvement Program (see Exhibit 2). Exhibit 2 also fulfills the requirements of Section 66006 (b) (1) (F) which requires a local agency to identify the approximate date by which construction of a public improvement will commence.
Exhibit 3 presents a Mitigation Fee Schedule and fulfills the requirements of Section 66006 (b) (1) (B), “The amount of the fee.” To document compliance with Section 66006 (b) (1) (G) and (H), there have been no inter-fund transfers or loans made from the RTMF Fund nor have there been any refunds made pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 66001 nor allocations pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 66001.
Exhibit 4, which presents “The beginning and ending balance of the account or fund” fulfills the requirements of Section 66006 (b) (1) (C), Section 66006 (b) (1) (D) “The amount of the fees collected and the interest earned” and Section 66006 (b) (1) (E) “an identification of each public improvement on which fees were expended and the amount of the expenditures on each improvement, including the total percentage of the cost of the public improvement that was funded with fees.”
RTMF 2023 Nexus Study Update Final - GHD, July 2023
This Nexus Study report presents the evaluation of population and employment growth, future transportation needs and the availability of traditional transportation funding sources to establish updated RTMF fee levels and program revenue collection targets.
RTMF 2023 Administrative Plan Final - GHD, July 2023
Guidelines and policies for implementation and administration of the Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee Program. RTMF Program funds are used for capital expenditures, including engineering and design costs, environmental documentation, right-of-way acquisition, construction, construction management and administrative costs.