Planning Commission forwards updated fee ordinance after permitting software briefing

City staff briefed the Planning Commission on a planned move to a new permitting and licensing platform and an accompanying update to the city's fee schedule, and the commission unanimously voted to forward a recommendation for approval to City Council.

Staff described the new system as a civic access portal that will allow applicants to apply, pay and track building and planning applications online. The city's proposed fee updates were described as largely organizational with only modest adjustments in amounts; staff said the most significant change is a 3% technology fee intended to help recover software implementation and maintenance costs.

During discussion commissioners asked whether the technology fee applied to all categories and whether state fees would be exempt. Staff clarified the 3% technology fee would apply to city fees except for state fees. Staff also noted the city has been covering credit-card transaction costs for permit payments ("somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000 a year" according to staff) and that passing transaction fees to customers was under discussion for future budget cycles.

A commissioner moved to recommend that City Council approve the proposed fee ordinance and another commissioner seconded the motion. The Planning Commission voted to forward the ordinance to Council with a recommendation for approval; the motion passed unanimously.

Staff outlined rollout plans for the new Tyler Technologies platform: a go-live date of December 8, vendor-provided on-site staff support for the first week, end-user walkthrough PDFs and the option for in-person or emailed paper applications to be scanned into the system for customers unable to apply online.

Staff also noted the city received a Commerce grant that helped fund staff capacity for this implementation. Commissioners and staff agreed to provide outreach to contractors and residents before the go-live date to ease transition.