MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Murfreesboro is one of the fastest growing cities in Middle Tennessee. In fact, the city is growing so fast city leaders say they've had to dip into savings to pay for some city services.
City leaders now want to study the possibility of an impact fee, or money charged to developers to help pay for schools, roads and other services that people moving into their new Murfreesboro homes will use.
While some developers have voiced opposition to potential fees, City Councilman Eddie Smotherman says the city could use revenue from the fee immediately, rather than property and sales taxes, which take time to collect from newer residents.
"When they come here, you don't get immediately new fire trucks and new police officers -- what you get is a situation that's kind of a lag behind," Smotherman said.
Several other communities surrounding Murfreesboro like Nashville, Mount Juliet, and Smyrna already collect impact fees.
