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Council adopts new zoning fee schedule; staff to return in 12 months for review
Summary
Midwest City adopted a zoning text amendment that creates a consolidated fee table within Appendix A and raises planning fees; council adopted the ordinance-review-committee version rather than the higher planning-commission recommendation and directed staff to review results in 12 months.
The Midwest City Council approved a text amendment to Appendix A of the zoning code to create a consolidated fee schedule for development-review procedures and to update fees that staff said had not been reviewed since about 1990.
Staff presentation and debate: Planning Director Matt Summers told council staff conducted a conservative cost analysis of the city's review costs (planning, engineering, GIS, publication). He said the fee table would centralize previously scattered fee references and improve transparency for applicants. Summers said his recommended schedule was designed to keep Midwest City fees at or below peer communities.
Planning Commission and ordinance review committee: The Planning Commission had recommended higher rates after its review; Summers said he presented both the Planning Commission's recommended fee levels and the ordinance review committee's version. Council members debated how quickly to adopt larger increases; some favored the planning commission's higher numbers while others urged moderation.
Council decision: Council chose the ordinance review committee's fee set (the staff-presented lower schedule) with an instruction that staff return in 12 months to report whether further increases are needed.
Why it matters: The change will make the city's fees easier to find inside the zoning ordinance and adjust planning-application costs closer to estimated staff review costs after decades without formal updates. Staff said the analysis excluded some costs (fire marshal review, public works review and certain IT expenses) and therefore represented a conservative estimate.
Next steps: Staff will implement the consolidated fee table in Appendix A and set a calendar reminder to return to council in 12 months with an evaluation of whether the adopted fees cover review costs appropriately.
