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Bicknell board reviews fee schedule; agrees to remove animal license fee and to study annexation fee increase
Summary
The board reviewed a consolidated town fee schedule, agreed to remove animal-license requirements that are not being enforced, and asked staff to research the true cost of annexation notices before setting a higher annexation fee.
Board members reviewed the town’s updated fee schedule during the Jan. 30 work meeting and agreed to several changes and follow-up tasks.
On animal licenses the board concluded enforcement is inconsistent and that the license imposes a burden on residents who comply. “People that are paying it are being burdened because they're following the law,” a board member said, and the board agreed to remove the animal-license fee from the schedule. A board member said the funds previously supported animal-related programs but that those expenditures are no longer happening.
On annexation fees, the board noted the fee in the draft schedule was low (the current annexation fee was cited as $100) and that the town incurs not-insignificant costs for annexation processes—public notices to adjacent owners, legal review and other administrative steps. The board asked staff to find out the actual costs the town incurs for annexation cases and to compare annexation fees charged by other towns before setting a new fee. One board member suggested raising the fee so the town covers costs without making annexation prohibitive.
Board members otherwise signaled they were comfortable with the recently updated fee schedule and noted a few line items that can be adjusted after staff checks specific cost figures.
Ending: The board directed staff to finalize the fee schedule with the animal-license removal and to return with annexation-cost data and peer-town comparisons before adopting any higher annexation fee.
