When a local group estimated last July that each new home built in Columbia would result in $32,689 in additional infrastructure costs, it was met with skepticism. Critics questioned the validity of the study, which relied upon data from other communities throughout the country.

Six months later, after collecting local data, the Boone County Smart Growth Coalition has found that the figure is close to the mark.

Every new home built in Columbia will add about $30,177 in costs for new schools, extended roads and sewer, additional fire and police protection, better library services, improved utility lines and the like, a study by the group shows. That figure goes down to $27,694 for a new household in the county.

Ben Londeree, a retired professor from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a member of the coalition, has taken the lead in examining the financial impact of growth on local infrastructure. "A house cannot function in a vacuum," he said last summer.

Londeree will present a breakdown of the new figures and explain his group’s methodology at 7:15 p.m. tomorrow during the coalition’s monthly meeting in the commission chambers of the Roger B. Wilson County Government Center.

Southern District Commissioner Karen Miller, awaiting Londeree’s final report, said she’s glad the citizens group is taking the initiative to address an issue that has concerned the county for years. The findings, Miller said, will provide a "great reference."

"We feel there’s an impact with new development," Miller said.

The county commission for five years unsuccessfully lobbied the General Assembly to give it the authority to implement development fees –– also known as impact fees - to ensure newcomers pay for their fair share of the area’s infrastructure.

This year, the commission will again try to persuade state legislators to grant it the authority, Miller said.

She stressed, however, that it would be unreasonable to charge $30,000 in development fees for a single home.

Infrastructure costs do not translate into development fees, Londeree has said. The purpose of the study, he said, is to make Columbia and Boone County residents aware of the costs associated with new development.

Londeree acknowledged that new development also has positive impact on local communities. And the Columbia Board of Realtors, now conducting a study to pin down how growth financially benefits Columbia, agrees.

"There are benefits associated with development, too," said Jessica Robinson, spokeswoman for the board.

Shortly after Londeree released the estimated costs last July, the board attempted to conduct its own study on infrastructure costs but eventually scrapped the plan.

"We don’t want to take another extreme. … We don’t want to skew the numbers in favor of developers," Robinson said.