10-11-2017 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Keis and Members of City Council FROM: Heidi Heller, City Clerk DATE: October 6, 2017 RE: Ordinance 820, Amending the Fee Schedule for Licenses & Development Fees Staff is proposing amendments to the Fee Schedule. The additions are shown in blue and the deletions are stricken and shown in red. The new fee for an intoxicating liquor license for billiard halls is added as discussed at the last Council meeting. The amendment to the parades/public assembly fee is simply to correct the amount so it is consistent with the permit cost indicated in the City Code. Since most of the planning applications are now being handled by the Associate Planner, staff has determined that the fee structure should be changed to better serve applicants and simplify internal processing. Costs for processing planning cases in-house are much lower than they had been with the planning consultant. Currently, in order to determine how much each planning applicant will be charged when the case is complete, staff tracks every case’s consultant invoices, public hearing mailing and publishing costs, and city staff time, and then adds an administrative fee (20% of the total costs or $100, whichever is higher). Since costs are much lower with the Associate Planner, we found that most applicants are now receiving a refund. Staff is proposing that the Developer Deposits be changed to Development Fees, and they would now be a flat fee rather than a deposit. There is also language added above the development fee list stating that applications are subject to additional charges for consulting costs or excess staff time and may be charged in addition to the initial development fee. As you can see, most of the development fees are lower than the developer’s deposits were. This will better serve applicants by not having to pay as much up front, or wait for a refund, and also simplify internal processing of planning application costs and eliminate processing refunds. Staff will monitor cases that are more involved to determine if the applicant should be charged more. In some instances, staff will know at the time of application that the case will be more complicated and require additional funds upfront. Staff also suggests adding a few more fee types to the fee schedule to help applicants know how much the fee will be for their specific request. Staff recommends the Council adopt Ordinance 820, amending the Fee Schedule relating to Licenses and Development Fees.