Corte Madera planners review proposed building and planning fee overhaul with incentives for electrification and affordable housing

The Corte Madera Planning Commission held a study session March 25 to review a consultant study recommending a comprehensive update of the town's building and planning fee schedules and several targeted discounts.

The item matters because fees last updated in 2015 no longer match staff costs, the consultant said, and the town is deciding how much of those costs to recover from permit applicants versus general revenues. Staff and the consultant recommended moving many building fees toward full cost recovery while keeping or adding targeted subsidies for policy goals including residential electrification, accessibility work for seniors and veterans, and affordable housing.

Terry Madsen, the ClearSource consultant leading the study, told the commission the review focuses on service-based fees such as permitting, plan review and inspection rather than impact fees, utilities or taxes. “Because these are fees and not taxes, we want to make sure we comply with California Constitution and California Government Code,” Madsen said, describing the legal principle that fees should reflect the cost of service and not exceed it. The consultant’s estimate of the fiscal effect of the draft schedule was an additional roughly $660,000 in potential building fee cost recovery and about $70,000 in additional planning revenue if the town targets higher cost recovery levels while keeping proposed targeted discounts.

Staff outlined several…