A.
All applications for building permits shall be subject to a surcharge of 1.16% of the proposed construction valuation for the local school district and 0.09% of the proposed construction valuation for POLYTECH School District as the construction valuation shall be determined by the Department of Planning Services. The purpose of the surcharge is to establish financial assistance to individual school districts, disbursements limited to capital improvements.
B.
The surcharge on building permits for construction of buildings not involving residential use and occupancy shall be limited to the first $1,000,000 of construction value.
C.
The surcharge on building permits for construction of buildings for residential use and occupancy shall not be limited. Notwithstanding the above, applications for building permits where the proposed construction value as determined by the Department of Planning Services is less than $60,000 and such application is submitted following the issuance of the original certificate of occupancy shall be exempted from this article.
D.
Exemptions. The following shall be exempt from the building permit surcharge:
(1)
Building permits applied for by an organization exempt from tax under § 501(c)(3) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code which provides owner-occupied housing to low-income households by rehabilitation of residential properties and reselling said properties without profit, nor to the Delaware State Housing Authority, nor to any applicant funded by the Delaware State Housing Authority.
(2)
Building permits applied for by any state or local government department or agency.
(3)
Building permits applied for by any organization exempt from tax under § 501(c)(3) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code regardless of the residential or nonresidential use of the proposed structure. Such organizations shall provide proof of tax-exempt status at the time of building permit application.
(4)
Buildings and structures, other than residential structures, devoted primarily to agricultural or public safety uses, including, but not limited to, fire and ambulance companies and state and local police organizations, which shall be considered public safety uses.
(5)
The surcharge provided for herein for local school districts shall not be added to building permits for residential structures or additions and renovations thereto or accessory structures on residential properties located within a subdivision or land development for which a per-unit mitigation fee subject to the County's Adequate Public Facilities-Schools regulations [§ 187-90.2F(4)] has been paid. The surcharge provided for herein for POLYTECH School District shall be collected regardless of payment of a per-unit mitigation fee.
(6)
Existing structures destroyed or demolished will not be assessed a surcharge for the reconstruction, provided that the replacement structure has the same or less square footage and occurs within 24 months of the demolition. If the square footage is greater than the original structure, the surcharge shall be assessed based upon the value of the additional square footage.
E.
The fund shall be known as the "School District Capital Improvement Fund" (SDCIF) and shall be held by the County in the name of each of the following individual school districts: Capital, Caesar Rodney, Lake Forest, Milford, Smyrna, Woodbridge, and POLYTECH.