Below are frequently asked questions regarding Clover School District’s (CSD) request to York County for an adjusted impact fee that would be assessed to new construction in the district.
 

1.      Why are additional impact fees needed at this point?
Costs have drastically escalated since the bond was proposed and approved. For example, the $172 million budget for Lake Wylie High School has now grown to $189 million. Additional construction to fully equip the schools, including a stadium, will require additional funding.

2.     I’m not planning to build or buy a new home. How will my taxes be impacted by any change to the impact fee? 
The Clover School District is committed to keeping taxes as low as possible for all area residents. Based on the premise that “growth pays for growth” the district believes that new residential development should bear most of the burden for accommodating increased enrollment. Funds raised through impact fees directly offset the need to increase tax millage rates and/or propose future bonds. The Board is committed to keeping their promise of maintaining the current 46 mill tax rate for as long as possible.

3.     Do impact fees apply only to new construction? 
Correct. Replacement homes are not subject to the impact fee.

4.    Are vehicles (Activity Buses) allowable expenses?
Yes.  Capital equipment and vehicles with an individual unit purchase price of at least $100,000 are allowable expenses.

5.   How many permits were issued in the five-year period?
York County data as of 9/1/25 documents that 287 fees were refunded, waived or exempt due to factors such age restricted neighborhoods, county development agreements, and mobile home exemptions. Excluding those,1,137 single family home fees were paid, generating $4,548,000 in revenue; 541 multi-family home permits generated $1,069,016 in fees; and 27 mobile home fees were paid, generating $70,686 in revenue.

6.   What is the total impact fee dollars collected from the awarded fee from 2021 and how does that compare with the total impact fee dollars that could have been collected if the maximum allowable fee was given in 2021?
A total of $5,687,702 was collected from January 2021 through September 1, 2025. A total of $21,349,953 could have been collected if the maximum allowable fee would have been approved.  

7.     Has CSD completed all required reports to York County during the five-year period?
Yes. CSD is required to send the county a copy of every invoice and record of how impact fees were spent. The CSD Finance Department spent all available impact fees to date between March 25, 2025, and September 15, 2025.

8. Was Clover School District a partner in the 2008 development agreement that excludes some homes from paying an impact fee?In 2008, some developers and York County negotiated a development agreement for the properties around Daimler Blvd., now Cannonball Run. The DA excluded several things including impact fees on housing units on properties inside the DA.  The DA was set to expire in 2028 (twenty years after adoption). However, a pair of SC legislature joint resolutions from 2010 and 2013 likely extended the life of the DA by a total of nine years, to 2037.   Clover School District purchased land for future schools inside the area of the DA in 2010 and was not a party to the original 2008 development agreement or any extension of the development agreement by the legislature.  

9. Has Clover School District increased the size and scope of LWHS to increase the cost?
Clover School District began design of LWHS between 2020-2021.  The district budgeted $156M from bond funds and $16M from saved capital funds to contribute to a $172M high school.  The initial bids for all portions of the original high school design came in at approximately $201M.   After cutting out all non-essential alternates and value-engineering the design , the cost of the high school decreased to $189M.  This price excludes the stadium, which will be bid at a later date.  Construction costs since 2020 have risen by an average of 40%.  LWHS is 50% complete and may see additional escalations before the project is completed.  The board is adding contingency funds to cover known and unexpected costs.  However, impact fees may also offset current and future cost overages and the stadium.

10. Do home buyers have to pay the impact fee up front before building?
Impact fees are paid when a permit is issued to build the property.  Homeowners may pay the fee themselves, but most of the time, builders include the impact fee into the contracted price to build the home.  Homeowners obtain a construction loan from a bank to cover the builder’s contract.  The final cost is rolled into a 30-year or 15-year mortgage.

 11.    Are the fees retroactive for homes already under construction?
Impact fees are applied at the point of permitting, so if building permits are already issued, they would not be subject to the fees.

12.  When would the new fees be implemented?
Any adjusted impact fee amount would be applicable upon the expiration of the current approved fee plan. If approved, a new fee structure would go into effect in January 2026 and remain in place for five years.

13. What is the expected amount of fees to be collected based on remaining approved development? What will be the difference in fees collected when comparing district-proposed vs council-reduced rates?
There are 298 multi-family units remaining (115 in Clover and 183 in York County). There are 1,124 single family units approved, but yet to be built in York County. Receiving $7K instead of $15K for single family home would result in a loss of nearly $10 million in revenue. (Note that there are also 971 approved units in several neighborhoods (Westport, Fiorenzia, Gentry, etc.) that are exempt from the fees based on prior agreements with York County.