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City staff propose 4.3% indexing and targeted fee changes for 2026; council members ask for clarity on plan-revision and inspection fees
Summary
Budget office staff presented the proposed 2026 service-fee review, using a 4.3% index derived from the Employment Cost Index. The review includes new and adjusted fees across departments, clarifications on plan-revision fee differences, and proposed nominal building-plan revision charges to recover staff time.
Richard Goggins of the budget office presented the 2026 service-fee review to the committee and said departments used a 4.3% inflation factor — derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Cost Index for state and local government compensation — to index most fees for 2026.
Goggins said the packet lists four categories explaining when fees were increased less than the index, five categories when changes exceeded the index, and eight items showing fees moved, added or eliminated; impact fees and their own indices are summarized on the packet’s final page.
Council members asked for clarification on an apparent discrepancy between two “plan revision” fees: a $127 per‑sheet civil plan revision fee and a $170‑per‑hour building plan revision fee with a two‑hour minimum. Jacob Cox, director of development services, explained the $127 fee covers civil plan revisions and is a standard charge; the $170 for a two‑hour minimum is a newly reintroduced building-plan revision fee intended to recover staff time where prior practice did not charge for these requests.
Committee members also asked about reinspection/inspection fees that escalate on repeated reinspections. Cox said the city has historically not charged for many of the early reinspections and the high-tier fees have been retained in the budget book more as a cost‑recovery mechanism; staff said they would consult the building community (including the Home Builders Association) before broad implementation.
Other department presenters described changes and clarifications: PROS (parks and recreation) said tournament fees are negotiated within a range and that rental rates for the People’s Building (theater) show a $0–$5,000 range to allow flexibility for event size and partnerships; library and cultural services said the higher range typically applied to theater rentals or whole‑building events. Golf operation staff reported peak‑time tee sheets remain filled at roughly 94–97% during busy periods.
The review was informational; staff said fee changes will be incorporated into the upcoming Saturday budget workshop in October and will return as part of the formal 2026 budget process.
