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are on Fiscal be less For example, when independent water and sewer facilities, roads, parks construction or other large capital expenditures, the local government may not have adequate reason to invest in fiscal impact analysis. The scope and scale of the planning project also affects the applicability of complex analysis, The initial expense, coupled with the for knowledge of modeling and statistics, may limit the applicability of fiscal impact to only the largest, most complex efforts, Planners themselves are sometimes hesitant to undertake fiscal impact analysis, The "fear also extends to planners, who may be intimidated by the complexity of the models, Finally, that impact analysis will drive entire planning effort, instead of serving as one of many considerations, Conclusions Based on the case studies of Howard County, Maryland and Loudoun County, Virginia, some generalizations can be made on how fiscal impact analysis has been integrated into local comprehensive planmng, In summary, fiscal impact analysis models in these two communities have: 1. incorporated a wide variety of market factors into the models as inputs, effectively linking economics and comprehensive planning; 2, lead to a greater understanding of how market demand drives development and how this growth impacts the local government budget; 3. lead to useful applications of fiscal analysis not originally envisioned when the models were developed e,g, capital facilities needs analysis and the analysis of tax incentives for economic development; and 4, been integrated into the planning process so thoroughly that project based applications are now being demanded, In spite of its expense, complexity, and limitations, both case study communities have found significant value in fiscal impact analysis and are working to expand its applicability, The lessons learned from Howard and Loudoun Counties' experience with fiscal impact analysis may be useful to other communities considering its application. Most of these are practical considerations that ultimately affect the acceptability and usability of the models: 1. ensure that the model features user friendliness and flexibility - spreadsheet software now available should permit substantial improvements in the user characteristics over earlier models; 2, ensure that the model's outputs are fully explainable - even though Loudoun County planners understood the structure and details of the model, they could not adequately "explain" the outputs due to some hidden proprietary calculations; and 3, provide adequate interdepartmental staff resources and training - multiple departments or agencies may need to be involved in fiscal impact analysis, including planning, budget, public works, and school personnel. Future research should focus on a broader sample of users of fiscal impact analysis models, The two file:lA\metro-inet.us\Roseville\CommDev\PLANNING AND ZONING\PLA1\TNING FI.., 02/17/2005