Monona — The City Council on Dec. 1 approved a series of updates to the municipal fees, fines and penalties schedule but removed the proposed change to the special-event ambulance (EMS) fee for further study.

City staff presented ordinance 12-25-800, explaining that the yellow-highlighted items in the packet represented proposed changes already incorporated into the draft 2026 operating budget. Staff said the EMS change would move away from a $120 flat fee toward charging actual staffing costs for two providers, billed up front as part of special-event permitting. Chief McMullen told the council the proposed figure would represent the highest possible cost so the city would be covered and that “they get a proposed hard cost that they have to pay upfront before the event.”

Several alderpersons sought a clear dollar amount for planning. One councilmember said, “people need to know a dollar number, and they can't be an adjustable number,” and the chief replied the department could send a detailed breakout before the next meeting to clarify how the fee would be applied.

Council moved to suspend the rules and take the fee schedule out of order. After debate, the council approved the fee schedule as amended; the motion explicitly removed consideration of the amended EMS special-event fee so the previously existing EMS fee remains in place until staff returns with a revised proposal. Council also agreed to bring back the parkland dedication fee for further review to consider a potentially lower amount for affordable housing projects.

Other changes adopted included modest increases to erosion control and stormwater permit fees, a $15-per-applicant background-check charge for several licenses, adjusted park-use and temporary-structure fees, and a new $1,000 TIF application fee to cover review costs and discourage speculative inquiries. Staff said some fees mirror county increases and that certain fees are intended to better align charges with actual staff time and costs.

Mayor Moore and staff noted the fee schedule is already integrated with the operating budget and that removing or amending specific fees may require amending budget assumptions. Staff pledged to return with clearer dollar estimates and supporting documentation for the EMS fee and the parkland dedication amount.

The motion to approve the amended fee schedule carried on the record vote; minutes show the council approved the package with the EMS fee removed from the current motion and staff directed to return with further detail on that item and parkland alternatives.