Council forwards comprehensive fees-and-charges update, including parking fine increases and recovery-policy adjustments

City staff presented a comprehensive study of user fees and charges for fiscal-year 2024–25 and recommended a set of adjustments intended to better align fees with service costs. The council moved to advance the proposal consistent with staff recommendations.

Finance staff described the methodology: the city aims generally for roughly 80 percent cost recovery for user fees where appropriate, to avoid overcharging applicants while moving closer to the full cost of service. The study updated historic fee bases, incorporated labor and benefits increases, and examined comparable charges in other jurisdictions.

Specific recommendations discussed at the meeting included adding new fees for services previously provided without charge, updating parking citation fines (a suggested increase of $5 on a common violation), harmonizing towing and vehicle-impound fees, and adjusting certain police and building permit fees. Staff said development-impact fees and some public-utility-related charges were not included in this update and will be examined in a separate study later this year.

Chamber and business representatives who addressed the council supported the staff’s approach to limit increases where the recovery rate is below 80 percent, and asked the council to consider automation and efficiency measures to reduce ongoing costs. Public commenters urged clarity on how developer fees and infrastructure costs would be assessed; staff reiterated that impact-fee updates would come later.

Councilmember motions moved the staff recommendation forward for the required public hearing and ordinance process; the motion passed. The council did not finalize all fee changes at the meeting — the actions advanced the proposal to public hearing and ordinance adoption steps required by the municipal code.