The Bakersfield City Council has agreed to increase a fee assessed against new homes that the city puts toward the construction of parks.

Councilman Terry Maxwell voted against the roughly 2.5 percent bump, saying it will impair the urge to build new homes.

“I’d like to see us take a hiatus for at least a year and say no to this particular fee increase, and give some incentive to the people that are building these homes to revitalize the housing market for new houses,” he said.

The old $1,825 fee was last adjusted in 2014. The new fee is $1,870.

– Anthony Pollreisz