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Home My WebLink About101-Fee Schedule Update Report.pdfSARATOGA CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: April 1, 2009 AGENDA ITEM: DEPARTMENT: Finance & Admin Services CITY MANAGER: Dave Anderson PREPARED BY: Mary Furey DIRECTOR: Mary Furey SUBJECT: Proposed Fee Schedule Update for FY 2009/10 RECOMMENDED ACTION: Hold public hearing to review recommendations for proposed fee changes, provide direction, and approve resolution amending the City’s Fee Schedule effective for Fiscal Year 2009/10. REPORT SUMMARY: The City Council annually holds a public hearing to review recommendations and provide the community an opportunity for input on proposed changes to the City’s Fee Schedule per California Government Code Section 66018: Prior to adopting an ordinance, resolution, or other legislative enactment adopting a new fee or approving an increase in an existing fee to which this section applies, a local agency shall hold a public hearing, at which oral or written presentations can be made, as part of a regularly scheduled meeting. After holding the public hearing the Council will consider adopting a resolution which approves changes to the FY 2009/10 Fee Schedule. Upon Council approval of the proposed fee schedule and adoption of the “Resolution Establishing a Schedule of Fees”, staff will publish the FY 2009/10 Fee Schedule to be effective July 1, 2009. Staff is recommending the addition or revision of a number of administrative, development, advertising, and security deposit fees. Recommendations are based on a review of current fees and on requests from staff and users. Proposed fee changes are based on revised actual costs or on fees in comparable local cities, and are discussed in more detail in the following section. Administrative Fees There are several recommendations for additions to the Administrative section of the Fee Schedule. In the effort to offer “green” City business services and increase staff efficiency, a no-charge Notification Services item is included in the Fee Schedule. For ongoing notification requests, such as those for: • City Council and Planning Commission agendas • Public notices related to adoption or amendment of the General Plan or a Specific Plan • Adoption or amendments of the Zoning Ordinance • Use Permits or Variances before the Planning Commission or City Council • Documents pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act or any other meeting agendas, public notices, and/or documents that are regularly posted on the City’s website for public notification and review, the City Clerk will now email to requestors an internet link to the agenda or document on the City’s website when updated with scheduled meetings and related documents. Paper copy notifications will no longer be available, which in turn eliminates the copy and mailing costs to requestors. The addition of a security deposit requirement is recommended for the City’s audio-visual equipment. Occasionally the equipment is loaned out to community groups, and to ensure both proper care of the equipment and that all pieces and parts are returned after use, staff is recommending a security deposit of $250 be added to the fee schedule. An additional fee is proposed for check replacements. On occasion, staff is requested to reissue checks to a payee multiple times. This costs the City staff time. Therefore, a fee would help to push this cost back onto the payee and encourage they take due diligence in cashing their check. Staff is recommending there be no charge for the 1st check replacement, with $25 for each subsequent request (for the same check). With the establishment of a standard billing rate formula which accounts for direct and indirect costs of staff time, the City’s FY 2009/10 hourly billing rates are now included in the fee schedule. Community Development The Community Development Department reviews its fees each year and is recommending several updates to the User Fee Schedule: Staff is recommending a fee increase for Tree Permits from $75 to $100 and a correlating increase in the After-the-Fact Tree Permits from $315 to $340 (the After-the-Fact Tree Permit is comprised of a Tree Permit fee and two hours of CDD Service Rate time). This would bring Saratoga’s Tree Permit fees closer to other neighboring cities rates, where the Tree Permit Fees range from $110 to $150. The variance from the other cities fees are in some cases a result of a higher fee for the first tree (i.e. $150), and a reduced fee for subsequent trees ($75). The Development Department would also like to add a Grading Exception Application Review Fee of $1800 to the fee schedule this year, with the flat fee based on the standard estimated staff time to prepare for and conduct a planning commission hearing meeting, similar to the fence application reviews. The Water Heater Replacement permit fee is currently set at $45 and is singularly lower than the other standard building permit fees set at $78. Staff is recommending this fee be brought up to the same amount as other permit fees to align the fee with the estimated cost of staff time for inspections by the City’s Building Inspectors. Effective January 1st of 2009, the State required cities to collect a State Building Standards Fee set at $4 per $100,000 in building valuation to fund the State’s Building Code adoption process. This fee is then submitted to the State on a quarterly basis. As this fee was a State mandate effective January 1, 2009, it has already been established as part of the fees collected when permits are issued. Staff recommends including this new fee in the Fee Schedule for documentation and clarity for applicants. Public Works The Public Works Department reviewed their fees and recommend Engineering Fees remain at the current level for the upcoming FY 2009/10 fee schedule. Recreation & Facilities Department Recreation has removed the inside full color page advertisement rate as the guide no longer prints inside pages in color, and is requesting the addition of two partial page rates for the full color glossy inside back cover: a one-third page rate for $550, and a two-thirds page rate for $1,000 (the full page rate is $1,300). The recreation guide provides cost effective advertising as it comes out four times a year and is mailed to all Saratoga residents, as well as posted on the City website. The partial page ads offer more affordable advertising to the community’s small business owners. Facilities staff is recommending a Civic Theater Security Deposit of $500 be added to the fee schedule. The theater has a significant amount of lighting fixtures and audio-visual equipment in the building, and staff would like to emphasize the need for proper care and conduct when using the building through a costly security deposit. Recreation class & program fees are adjusted and published as part of the quarterly brochure to account for ongoing program cost increases and therefore are not included in the annual user fee update, whereas parks and facility rental fees are assessed and recommended for adjustment during the annual user fee update, if appropriate. Staff believes park and facility rental fees are currently set at appropriate levels and do not recommend increases for FY 2009/10. FISCAL IMPACTS Staff reviewed current fees and associated expenditures, and concluded that the proposed revisions to the Fee Schedule are necessary for the City to maintain its approach toward a cost recovery position for provided services. The recommended fee increases are directly related to either increases in costs that support the related functions, a revised assessment of the time spent providing the service, or requested revisions to advertising, rental, and security deposit fees. Staff has maintained proper documentations to support and justify the proposed increases and new fees. CONSEQUENCES OF NOT FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED ACTION The City would fall below the current cost recovery level. ALTERNATIVE ACTION N/A FOLLOW UP ACTION Staff will update the current Fee Schedule for FY 2009/10, to be effective July 1st, 2009. ADVERTISING, NOTICING AND PUBLIC CONTACT March 17, 2009 – Notice of Public Hearing Published April 1, 2009 – Council to hold a Public Hearing and consider adoption of the Fee Schedule Resolution July 1, 2009 – Effective date for the FY 2009/10 Fee Schedule ATTACHMENTS 1. Proposed FY 2009/10 Fee Schedule Resolution 2. Proposed FY 2009/10 Fee Schedule Update RESOLUTION NO.2009- RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SARATOGA ESTABLISHING A SCHEDULE OF FEES WHEREAS, the City Council annually adopts a resolution that establishes the fee schedule for the ensuing fiscal year, NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Saratoga hereby resolves as follows: Section 1: The fees set forth in the User Fee Schedule are hereby established pursuant to the Saratoga City Code and shall be paid to or collected by the City for each of the applications, permits, extensions, renewals, services or other matters enumerated therein. No application shall be deemed filed or complete until all required fees have been paid in full to the City. Section 2: Resolution Number 2009-__ and all amendments thereto are hereby repealed in their entirety, it being the intent of the City Council that the fee schedule adopted by this resolution shall supersede all prior schedules pertaining to the same subject matter. Section 3: This resolution shall become effective on July 1, 2009, and shall be applicable to all fees and deposits which are payable to the City from and after the effective date hereof. The above and foregoing resolution was passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Saratoga City Council held on the 1st day of April, 2009, by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Chuck Page, Mayor Attest Ann Sullivan, City Clerk