Sophisticated fiscal modeling to assess the budgetary and economic impacts of development on local governments and communities.
S. Patz & Associates prepares fiscal impact studies that evaluate how proposed development affects the revenues and expenditures of local governments, providing decision-makers with a clear, objective assessment of a project's net fiscal effect.
Our fiscal impact studies cover a wide range of land uses, including:
Each study is tailored to the specific land use, scale of development, and local tax structure to accurately assess fiscal effects.
On the revenue side, our analyses consider the full range of revenue sources available to the locality. Depending on the local tax structure, this may include real estate taxes, personal property taxes, local consumer taxes, business license taxes, permit and fee revenues, and other locally generated revenues.
On the cost side, we evaluate the cost of providing municipal services required to support new residents, businesses, and employees, including public safety, public works, parks and recreation, and general government administration.
Each study evaluates both direct on-site impacts and secondary off-site effects. On-site impacts measure the relationship between development-generated revenues and the cost of servicing the project itself. Off-site impacts capture the broader economic activity generated when new residents and businesses spend money locally, supporting additional business activity, employment, and associated tax revenues.
Our analyses are structured as comparative assessments that examine fiscal outcomes under proposed development conditions relative to existing land uses or baseline conditions. This approach allows decision-makers to understand the incremental fiscal implications of rezonings, redevelopment, or new construction.
While fiscal impact studies are inherently technical, our reports are written in a clear, accessible manner so that findings are easily understood by elected officials, planning commissions, staff, and the public. The result is a rigorous, data-driven analysis that can be confidently used in the land use decision-making process.