Angleton council adopts updated comprehensive fee schedule, including new $150 tree-plan review fee

The Angleton City Council adopted Ordinance 20250226-004 on Feb. 26 approving a revised City of Angleton comprehensive fee schedule based on a yearlong user-fee study.

Councilors and staff said the changes are intended to modernize permitting and better align fees with the cost of services. "We added a tree plan review of $150," said Otis (staff member), noting the city also added a parallel $150 master sign-plan review that had been omitted from a prior draft.

The ordinance follows a town-hall review and a staff presentation that noted a digital permitting portal went live in December 2024. Staff said that portal lets residents and developers submit plans and pay review fees online; the vendor offers a 1-800 help line. Council discussion focused on where collected fees are deposited and how the city accounts for developer escrow and third-party review costs. "They're going to the general fund," Otis said, while noting some fees—such as parkland dedication and capacity/connection fees—are routed to dedicated funds.

Staff provided a before-and-after comparison for preliminary- and plat-related charges and said a sample set of those items showed about a 38.07% increase under the new schedule compared with the older schedule for the sample items presented since 2023. Staff also said reimbursable developer deposits will be reported to council monthly going forward.

Councilors asked about fees for projects in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and were told those will generally follow the same schedule but that specific terms may be negotiated in development or strategic partnership agreements until property is annexed. Councilman Lewis asked whether the city would charge different fees to projects outside the city limits; staff deferred detailed discussion to a later agenda item and to the utility-rate presenter for matters tied to water and sewer.

The council voted to adopt the ordinance after discussion and public hearing. Council members who moved and seconded the ordinance praised staff work and asked for a periodic review; staff recommended returning for an update within 6–24 months to adjust for operational issues and feedback from users of the new portal.

Less-critical details: staff said one line item had been zeroed out in an earlier packet and was restored; staff also noted they will continue to streamline review response times to meet constitutional "shot clock" requirements for certain classes of permit review.

Ordinance and next steps: Ordinance 20250226-004 was approved by majority vote. Staff will implement the adopted fee schedule and return with follow-up reports and suggested tweaks as needed.