Council adopts zoning fee schedule and agrees to review increases after 12 months

Midwest City's council voted to adopt a text amendment that places a consolidated fee schedule into Appendix A of the zoning ordinance and updates long‑unchanged fees. Planning staff said many of the city's current fees dated to 1990 and that the proposed schedule is intended to improve transparency and better align fees with review costs.

Planning staff described a conservative approach to increases, explaining the draft kept most rates at or below peer averages to avoid making Midwest City among the highest‑fee communities in the region. "Part of the reason why I kept them where I recommended to the ordinance review committee is, you know, I wanted to keep them at or below average for our peer communities," Planning staff member Matt Summers said, noting the city will reassess the schedule.

Council members debated whether to adopt the higher rates recommended by the planning commission or the staff-recommended (lower) schedule. Several council members favored a compromise: accept the ordinance-review committee's version and direct staff to review results within 12 months. Council adopted the motion and asked planning to return with an evaluation at the end of the review period.

The ordinance also included housekeeping amendments that redirect internal fee references to the new fee table and remove duplicated language. Council approved the related cleanup ordinances on fencing, carport exceptions and other code updates in the same session.

Staff said the planning division will track outcomes and, as promised on the record, will send a calendar reminder for a follow-up review in December 2025.