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Mill Creek staff brief planning commission on new permitting software and broad fee study
Summary
City staff told the Planning Commission that Mill Creek will replace an outdated permit system with OpenGov, rebuild fee schedules that have not kept pace with peers or inflation, and aim to put new fees and software into effect January 1 after council review and a Department of Commerce transmittal.
Mill Creek city staff on Sept. 18 told the Planning Commission they will replace an aging permit-tracking system and simultaneously rebuild the city’s development-fee schedule to better recover costs.
Director Jeff Ryan, director of Community Development and Planning, said the city’s existing TrackIt system is “dated” and no longer supported by its vendor. “If something breaks, there is literally no way to fix it,” Ryan said, and the city has authorized negotiations to acquire a cloud-based system called OpenGov to replace it.
Justin, planning staff, told commissioners the city will use the software upgrade as the occasion to update fees that “have not been increased since the Bush senior administration” for some categories. “The purpose of increasing the fees isn't just … to plug a city general fund shortfall. It's just to cover the cost of permitting,” Justin said. Staff emphasized they intend to keep Mill Creek’s fees in line with nearby jurisdictions while improving cost recovery.
Why it matters: staff said the current mix of outdated fees and an inefficient,…
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