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Franklin Park officials consider catching up decade-old open-space dedication fee tied to CPI
Summary
Council members and staff discussed raising the borough's recreation/open-space dedication fee, last set in 2015, and whether to update it annually by CPI through the borough's annual fee resolution rather than reworking the ordinance.
Franklin Park borough officials discussed on-going efforts to update the municipality's open-space dedication (recreation/green-space) fee, which the staff said has not been adjusted since 2015 and may now be materially lower than a CPI-indexed amount.
Staff told council the ordinance established a base per-unit figure in 2015 and provided a formula that references the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or a comparable survey to recalculate the fee in later years. According to the staff presentation, applying CPI since 2015 would yield a per-unit figure roughly in the mid-thousands (the staff slide presented an estimated figure of about $4,800 this year), while the ordinance number currently in routine use is substantially lower.
The discussion focused on two procedural options: (1) catch up the fee to the CPI-indexed amount now and then adjust annually through the borough's routine annual-fee resolution; or (2) leave the current number in place and amend the ordinance to change how and when it is adjusted. Staff advised that council may set the annual fee by resolution (avoiding a full ordinance amendment each year) and that the ordinance language already permits CPI or a market survey as the basis for adjustments.
Several councilmembers said they favored updating the fee so the borough does not effectively subsidize the cost of park maintenance and land acquisition for new development. Some members also urged making future increases gradual and reviewing all borough fees together during the annual budget process rather than implementing a large mid‑year jump.
Council and staff discussed implementation mechanics for multi‑phase subdivisions (how fee adjustments would apply to lots sold years apart) and whether the borough could or should apply an indexed increase retroactively to lots already approved but not yet built. Staff said those are policy choices council would need to direct staff to write into agreements or resolutions.
No formal vote was taken. Council directed staff to prepare an annual-fee resolution that reflects a CPI-based update and to present options (including a phased/catch-up approach and language for subdivision approvals) for council consideration at a future meeting.
Ending
Councilmembers asked staff to include the proposed adjustment in the next annual-fee resolution cycle and to return with draft language and an implementation schedule.
