Council approves FY2026 fee schedule, adds new records and sanitation charges

The Moscow City Council on Aug. 4 adopted the city's FY2026 fee resolution after a required public hearing that covered routine fee adjustments and a handful of new charges tied to recent state law changes and actual service costs.

Finance staff explained that Idaho's House Bill 253 changed the statewide standard for public-records requests from out-of-state requesters and allowed local governments to charge the full cost of production for non-resident or out-of-state requests. Bill Beltknap described that change and staff's recommended updates to the city's fee schedule to recover true costs for those requests.

Key fee changes

- Public records: new fee framework for out-of-state requesters in response to House Bill 253; staff proposed charges to recover true production costs and a uniform duplicate-charge schedule (example: up to 20 GB for $30 with $5 increments per additional 20 GB for duplicates). - Sanitation and transfer-station: most tipping fees were increased (municipal solid waste tipping, mixed-materials, inert demolition), and tire disposal per ton increased substantially (from $236/ton to $325/ton) to reflect market disposal costs. Mechanical-container (dumpster) service decreased 3.2%; residential roll-cart rates held flat. - Utilities and service rates: water service rates proposed to increase 4%; sewer rates 2.25%; stormwater 3%. Several inspection and construction-related fees adjusted to reflect actual field time (for example, repeated main flushing/testing fees increased to recover staff time). - Arts, parks, and recreation: most program and rental fees increased by roughly 3%; some event fees transferred or removed where management changed (for example, ArtWalk fees moved to the Chamber under a service agreement). - Animal services: a new $100 fee for appeals when the police chief orders destruction of a dangerous animal; the fee is intended to cover administrative costs associated with appeal proceedings.

Staff said many increases reflect inflationary pressures and actual cost recovery needs (for example, wage increases for city employees and higher vendor costs). Several fees were adjusted to correct historical duplication or to reflect new operational arrangements.

Council action and votes

Council motioned to approve the FY2026 fee resolution as presented. Roll-call: Hailey ' Aye; Drew ' Aye; Gina ' Aye; Sandra ' Aye; Bryce ' Aye; Julia ' Aye. Outcome: approved.

Why it matters

The fee schedule sets user charges and administrative fees that affect residents and businesses who use city services (building permits, water/sewer service, animal services, sanitation, public records). Notable for residents: water and sewer rate adjustments and transfer-station/tipping fee changes could influence utility bills and recycling/disposal behavior. For organizations seeking large public records datasets, the change tied to HB253 establishes a different cost and timetable for out-of-state requests.

Speakers relevant to this article

- Bill Beltknap, staff member, presented the fee changes and explained the impact of House Bill 253. - Cody (parks/recreation staff) and other department leads provided numbers to staff during the budget process (referenced during council Q&A). - Council members recorded in the vote: Hailey (council member), Drew (council member), Gina (mayor/council member), Sandra (council member), Bryce (council member), Julia (council member).

Authorities cited

- House Bill 253 (Idaho): changed public-records standards and allowed full-cost recovery for out-of-state requests; cited by staff as the reason for a new records fee category.

Clarifying details

- Records duplicates: staff proposed a uniform charge up to 20 GB for $30 and $5 per additional 20 GB for duplicates (example in staff presentation). - Sanitation tipping fees: tire-disposal increase from $236/ton to $325/ton; mixed-materials and inert-demolition fees adjusted; roll-cart exchanges and extra-service charges increased modestly. - Utility adjustments: water +4%, sewer +2.25%, stormwater +3% (rate study near completion; adjustments align with five-year projections).

Provenance

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