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Carmel to take unified development filing-fee update to Land Use committee
Summary
City staff introduced a comprehensive update to the Unified Development Ordinance filing fees—the first comprehensive update since 2003—and council directed the item to the Land Use and Special Studies Committee for public review.
Mike Hollabaugh, Director of Community Services, presented a proposed amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance (Section 1.29) to update base permit and application fees, adjust acreage and square-footage fees, add permitted inspection fees and introduce new services such as a PUD tax amendment. Hollabaugh said this is the first comprehensive fee update since 2003 and that the Plan Commission had reviewed the proposal and unanimously approved it in November after hearings produced no speakers or written comments.
Councilors debated whether to send the item to committee to provide more public visibility and allow members of the public to attend a committee hearing. Several councilors said it should go to the Land Use and Special Studies Committee so the public has an opportunity to comment before the council acts. The council agreed to send the ordinance to committee rather than immediately suspend rules and act on it this evening.
Why it matters: The UDO fee structure affects how developers, property owners and residents pay for zoning reviews, permits and inspections; updating fees changes the cost of development and the revenue available to community services and building inspection operations.
What's next: The fee amendment will appear on the Land Use committee agenda for further discussion and public comment; staff noted the development fees could take effect Jan. 1 while building/inspection fees have a 90-day state-law cooling-off period.
