City staff told the East Bethel City Council at the Nov. 24 work session that the Park Commission and Planning Commission recommend increasing the single-family park-dedication fee and creating a separate trail-dedication fee.

Nate, a parks commission representative, said the council adopted a flat-rate park dedication in 2023 and that the commission now recommends raising the single-family fee from $2,000 to $3,500 and adding a trail-dedication fee that was initially proposed at $1,200 and later discussed at $1,500. "If you don't build a trail, you have to pay a certain fee for each lot like we do with park dedication," Nate said, and he added that the proposal would put the dedicated money into a fund that "can only be used for park development." He cautioned that setting up that fund requires a code change and a public hearing before a final vote.

Council members questioned whether the proposed $1,500 would cover construction costs. One council member pointed to recent local work and said, "I couldn't believe how much a path cost," and another noted that "$1,500 would not be enough to build the trail." Nate replied that the fee is not intended to pay for every trail immediately but to seed a fund so the city can prioritize connections where they are needed and supplement construction when appropriate.

Staff also compared approaches in nearby communities to show the range of practices. Nate cited examples including Ramsey and Andover to illustrate that some jurisdictions use smaller per-unit charges while others require on-site trail construction.

Nate said staff will prepare a red-lined ordinance and bring it back for a public hearing and later council action. The item will return to a future meeting for formal adoption if the council moves forward.