Some people fear the impact fees will make it difficult for working families to buy homes, creating a climate of "haves and have nots."
Kramer said the county could exempt certain types of affordable housing, such as mobile homes, from impact fees, Commissioner James G. Knode said.
But Kramer said the money that normally would come from such housing would have to be made up from other county sources, Knode said.
Kramer said some aspects of collecting the impact fees will be up to the commissioners, such as how to collect the fee inside the county's five municipalities.
Harpers Ferry, W.Va., Mayor Jim Addy said officials discussed the idea that a city could collect the fee but not turn it over to the county.
"We wouldn't do it. And I don't think Bolivar (W.Va.) would either," Addy said.
Addy said Harpers Ferry plans to work out an intergovernmental agreement between the town and the county that would allow the county to collect the fee inside Harpers Ferry.
Kramer did not recommend a fee level in her proposed ordinance, Knode said.
Kramer believes the county should not exceed the level recommended by a Bethesda, Md., firm hired by the commissioners, Knode said.
Tischler and Associates, which was hired by the county to develop an impact fee system for the county, is recommending that the county charge an impact fee of about $8,300 for every new home built, Knode said.
David Camilletti, an attorney who represents the Jefferson County Board of Education, agreed that Monday's meeting dealt mostly with the mechanics of collecting impact fees.
"I guess you could say, 'Stay tuned for part two,'" Camilletti said.
Part two would be a vote by the commissioners on the proposal, Camilletti said.
Although the commissioners did not mention a date on when they might vote on the proposed law, some wanted to see it happen "more quickly than less quickly," Camilletti said.
The commissioners want some wording changes in the ordinance and Kramer is expected to have a revised ordinance ready for them to review in about two weeks, said Commission President Jane Tabb.
About 25 people attended the meeting with Kramer. Those in attendance included Jefferson County Schools Superintendent R. Steven Nichols, Board of Education President Lori Stilley, town representatives and some residents.
