The fees are charged to offset the infrastructure costs associated with the traffic generated by new strip malls, fast-food restaurants and bank branches. A county-funded report by Economic Resource Associates Inc. concluded that poor access has have a much larger effect on a company's location than traffic fees. The county is having them take another look.

Last Tuesday's delay is the second time approval of the proposal has been put off. In December, after being reproved by the business community for the would-have-been sharp increase in fees, the commissioners ordered more work on the proposal.

Under the first proposal, the developer of a 3,000-square-foot fast-food restaurant in South County that currently pays $11,327 would pay $117,655, and the developer of a 50,000-sf office building in downtown Vancouver that currently pays $8,808 would pay $119,237 under the new proposal. Costs in some other areas would go down, but only slightly. The county's traffic-impact fees haven't increased since 1994.