City Council Study Session - Zoom Meeting

At the City of Shelton Council study session on November 10, 2026 (the meeting date stated in the transcript; metadata is dated November 11 UTC), staff presented a proposal to develop park impact fees for new residential development. The fees could help fund capacity-expanding public parks and recreation projects identified in the comprehensive plan, but could not pay for existing deficiencies or ongoing maintenance. Staff estimated that roughly $30,000 had been identified for the work, while noting that this may not cover an independent impact-fee study; they proposed beginning the process with a consultant in 2027. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommended proceeding, and council members expressed support for studying the fees and developing options, including appropriate treatment of infill and affordable housing. No formal vote or consultant award was recorded.

Discussion also covered the Shelton Metropolitan Park District’s limited resources: its available fund balance was projected at about $139,306 at the end of 2026 and to decline further in 2027. Members raised the long-term maintenance costs of new facilities and discussed how impact fees could complement other funding, such as a possible levy increase, without making a decision on that question. Separately, members discussed a possible repeat ballot measure after a transportation-benefit-district proposal reportedly failed by 77 votes; a new election could cost approximately $10,000–$20,000, and no action was taken.