Council reviews proposed citywide fee schedule; staff to post changes for 60-day notice

City staff presented a proposed update to the City of Surprise comprehensive fee schedule at the Feb. 4 council meeting, outlining a mixture of new, increased and reduced fees across departments and announcing the revisions will be posted for a 60-day public-notice period before any increases go into effect.

Staff described the packet as a cost-recovery review that treats permit- and developer-related fees differently from subsidized recreation fees. Community development fees are focused on matching direct staff costs; many parks and recreation fees are subsidized so residents pay a lower share. Staff said the red-line document provided with the agenda shows all changes and will be posted online the day after the meeting.

Council members asked staff to clarify several items. Vice Mayor Hastings asked about a proposed increase in the appeals fee from $250 to $1,200; staff (identified in the record as a city planning/administration staff member) said the fee typically applies to developers and covers staff and legal time required for appeals. Parks and recreation staff explained that a $75 lap-lane rental is a rental rate for a group booking of a 50-meter lane, not the per-person drop-in charge: typical resident drop-in rates discussed included $4 for youth and $6 for adults at the new facility; another facility listed rates of $2 and $3. Staff said they added a senior rate (a reduction in some cases) and reorganized several items to reflect the new competitive 50-meter pool and related programs.

Staff noted some fees were reduced (examples cited include fitness and senior center rates moving from about $12 to $10 and another fee reduced from $30 to about $10) and some administrative clarifications were added (for example, public-record request charges specified as “per page”). Water-resource staff said new Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper certification and renewal fees are set to recover the city’s membership cost to the certifying agency.

A resident speaker at the call to the public questioned why the fee schedule presentation was not a public hearing. City staff and the mayor replied that state law does not require a public hearing for the discussion item but that the formal public-notice posting and a later public-adoption hearing would provide opportunity for public comment. The resident suggested fee waivers or reduced rates for seniors and low-income residents; staff noted subsidy choices and resident vs. nonresident price differentials reflect that residents contribute via local taxes and the city subsidizes some programs accordingly.

Next steps: staff will post the red-line fee schedule online, allow a 60-day public-notice period required for fee increases under state law, incorporate any council-directed changes, and return to council for formal adoption with an effective date of July 1 unless otherwise directed.

Why it matters: Changes affect user charges for permits, recreation, aquatics, senior services and other city services; the appeals fee increase concentrates cost onto parties that use the appeals process, while subsidy choices affect resident affordability.