If Stafford Eliminates Transportation Impact Fees, Who Pays for Future Roads?
As Stafford County considers eliminating transportation impact fees, a public records request filed by former Supervisor Joe Brito seeks to uncover how much money could be refunded and who would receive it.
Stafford's Transportation Impact Fee Program Faces Elimination
Stafford County established its Transportation Impact Fee program in 2003 to help fund road improvements associated with new development.
On September 1, 2026, the Board of Supervisors temporarily suspended the program through Emergency Ordinance EO26-01.
A public hearing was scheduled for October 20 to consider Ordinance O26-38, which would permanently repeal Chapter 13.5 of the County Code.
The final vote has not yet been verified.
Joe Brito Files FOIA Request #5279
Former Hartwood District Supervisor Joe Brito has taken steps to obtain information about the financial consequences of eliminating the program.
On October 14, 2026, Brito submitted Freedom of Information Act Request #5279, seeking records identifying:
- The total amount of transportation impact fee refunds being proposed.
- The amount of money that would be refunded to each business or individual.
The request is particularly significant because an August 18 Board meeting summary indicates that approximately $1.5 million in previously collected transportation impact fees could be refunded.
That figure remains subject to verification against the official financial records.
The request was listed as open, with an estimated resolution date of October 21, 2026.
As of this article's preparation, the county's response has not been independently verified.
Who Would Receive the Refunds?
If Stafford eliminates the program and refunds previously collected fees, residents deserve to understand how those refunds would be calculated.
Would the money go to residential developers, commercial developers, individual property owners or other entities?
How much would each recipient receive?
And what effect would returning those funds have on transportation projects previously expected to benefit from the revenue?
These are questions Brito's FOIA request could help answer.
A refund of previously collected fees and the loss of future impact fee revenue are two separate financial issues. Both deserve examination.
Why Is the County Eliminating the Fees?
A summary of the August 18 Board meeting indicates that the county's population growth rate may have fallen below the 15% threshold associated with the statutory authority for transportation impact fees.
If confirmed, that would provide important legal context for the proposed repeal.
The public should also understand whether the county evaluated alternative transportation funding mechanisms and how the change would affect future development.
What Happens to Stafford's Roads?
Transportation improvements remain necessary regardless of how they are financed.
Stafford's Comprehensive Plan identifies road improvements associated with the impact fee program, including portions of Courthouse Road, Enon Road, Ramoth Church Road and other corridors.
Eliminating the program does not automatically cancel these projects.
However, the county should explain which funding sources will support them and whether project schedules or priorities will change.
The Questions Residents Deserve Answered
The Save Stafford Initiative will continue tracking the proposed repeal and Joe Brito's FOIA Request #5279.
The central questions are straightforward:
- How much money will Stafford refund if the program is eliminated?
- Which businesses or individuals will receive those refunds?
- What is the current balance of transportation impact fee funds?
- How much future revenue could the county lose?
- How will Stafford finance transportation improvements without this program?
Until the underlying records are released and reviewed, it would be premature to conclude that eliminating the fees will increase property taxes or benefit any particular developer.
What residents deserve is a transparent accounting of the financial consequences.
The roads still need to be built. The question is who will pay for them.
Sources
- Stafford County Board of Supervisors, August 18, 2026, Transportation Impact Fee Study
- Stafford County Emergency Ordinance EO26-01
- Proposed Ordinance O26-38, October 20, 2026
- Joe Brito, FOIA Request #5279, submitted October 14, 2026
- Stafford County Comprehensive Plan, Section 4.14, Transportation Impact Fees
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