County transportation and development department adopts broad fee updates, including tech fee and septic resets

The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously, 5–0, to approve a comprehensive set of fee and fine changes for the Department of Transportation and Development (DTD).

Director Dan Johnson and Senior Administrative Services Manager Deidre Lambdin presented the package, which includes multiple types of changes: elimination of roughly 17 obsolete fees and three small fines; minor reductions (for example to certain library late fines) intended to align with regional practice; housekeeping updates to fee names and descriptions; roughly 27 new fees and 14 new fines tied to new statutory or programmatic requirements (for example middle‑housing permitting); a modest technical processing fee for online permit submissions (a small percentage up to a $5 cap); rounding adjustments to avoid awkward cash handling for very small fees; and one‑time resets for fees that have fallen behind market, notably septic and soil services where fees had not been updated in several years.

Johnson said DTD examined regional comparators and tried to minimize increases while bringing fees into market. He described outreach with industry stakeholders and said the department would run a communications plan that provides advance notice so applicants can submit under the prior rates if desired.

Commissioner comments Commissioner Fireside asked whether the one‑time reset for septic and development fees would keep the program on a sustainable path going forward; Johnson and Lambdin said the reset is intended to put the program on a stable footing, after which CPI‑linked adjustments would be used to keep fees current. Commissioner West asked whether the county offers fee waivers or special passes for veterans with disabilities and foster/adoptive families; staff said they would research and report back, noting some state programs exist and the county may mirror those where appropriate.

Vote and implementation Commissioner Savas moved to approve the DTD fee package; the motion passed 5–0. Staff said some categories of building fees and the vehicle registration fee were not included in the current packet because state notification and stakeholder engagement requirements require a separate public process; those items will return in a follow‑up package.

Clarifying details - New fees: ~27 new fees and ~14 new fines (examples include fees tied to new middle‑housing permitting mandates). - Tech fee: modest fee (approximately 3% of transaction up to a $5 cap) for online submissions to cover system costs. - One‑time resets: targeted to septic and soil services programs that had not seen adjustments in several years. - Exemptions: system development charges (SDCs) and vehicle registration fees were not part of this packet and will be processed separately.

Speakers - Dan Johnson — Director, Department of Transportation and Development (government). - Deidre Lambdin — Senior Administrative Services Manager, DTD (government). - Commissioner Savas — Commissioner / Board Director (government). - Commissioner West — Commissioner / Board Director (government). - Commissioner Schroeder — Commissioner / Board Director (government). - Commissioner Fireside — Commissioner / Board Director (government).

Actions - Kind: motion - Motion: Move to approve the staff recommendation (option 1): approve the proposed changes to the fees and fines. - Mover: Commissioner Savas. - Second: Commissioner Schroeder. - Vote record: Commissioners Fireside, West, Schroeder, Savas and Chair — all aye. - Outcome: approved (5–0). - Notes: Specific building service fees subject to state notification will be presented later; staff to communicate fee changes and timing to development community.

Authorities - type: policy; name/description: Clackamas County cost‑recovery policy linking fees to CPI (referenced_by:["dtd_fee_changes"]).

Proper_names [{"name":"Department of Transportation and Development","type":"agency"},{"name":"Clackamas County","type":"agency"}]

Clarifying_details [{"category":"tech_fee","detail":"proposed processing fee for online permit submissions (approx. 3% up to $5 cap)","value":"3%/up to $5","units":"percentage/USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Dan Johnson"},{"category":"new_fees_count","detail":"approximate count of new fees and fines","value":"~27 new fees, ~14 new fines","units":"count","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Dan Johnson"},{"category":"one_time_reset_septic","detail":"septic and soil services fees not updated for several years; proposed reset to bring in line with cost of service","value":"not specified","units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Dan Johnson"}]

Community_relevance {"geographies":["Clackamas County"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["developers","property owners","permit applicants","septic system owners"]}

Meeting_context {"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":6,"duration_minutes":36,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"low","history":[]}