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Council approves first‑reading of fee increases for building and planning services
Summary
Council approved on reading an ordinance updating building permit, plan review, inspection and planning petition fees; the increases are intended to better align fees with staff time and comparable municipalities.
On Wednesday Council approved on first reading an ordinance to update several city fees for building permits, plan review, plan revisions, inspections and planning/zoning petitions. Staff told council the last comprehensive fee update for building services occurred in 2018 and the planning fees were last updated in 2019.
City Manager Gary Young and Planning Director Erica Martin said the proposed changes aim to better align fees with operating costs and comparable peer cities. The building fee changes are expected to increase revenue to the building department by roughly $183,000 (about 2.4% of the department’s revenue base), while planning petition fee adjustments are projected to raise roughly $30,000 annually. Staff said the revisions are not intended to produce profit but to recover a larger share of processing costs.
Council discussed the need to keep fees predictable for applicants and the importance of benchmarking against similar coastal municipalities. Councilmember Petronoff moved approval of the ordinance on first reading; the motion passed unanimously.
Ending: Staff will publish the ordinance and return for second reading at the next required meeting cycle; departments will implement the new fee schedule on the ordinance effective date once adopted.
