East Bethel to draft ordinance raising park dedication fee and adding trail dedication in‑lieu option

Nate, a parks presenter for the meeting, told the East Bethel City Council at its Nov. 24 work session that the Park Commission and Planning Commission have recommended raising the single‑family park dedication fee from the current $2,000 to $3,500 and adding a trail dedication fee of $1,500 per single‑family lot as an in‑lieu option.

The change would allow the city to collect up to $5,000 per single‑family lot, with money held in a dedicated fund that "can only be used for park development," Nate said. He noted the city code section requiring trails on new developments dates from 2008 and enforcement lapsed after the housing crash; some developments since then did not provide the trails the code anticipates.

The recommendation grew from a Park Commission concern that when the city does not require trails it should receive compensation comparable to park dedication amounts. Nate said comparable jurisdictions vary: "Ramsey is charging $15.75 per unit, Andover $1,076 per unit," and some places fold trail requirements into park fees or require developers to build them.

Council members questioned whether the suggested trail fee would cover construction. "$1,500 would not be enough to build the trail," one council member said, noting a city staff‑built section previously cost about $25,000 for one block. Supporters argued the in‑lieu fee is meant to build a fund over time for connections and that council could adjust amounts annually through the fee schedule if necessary.

Nate said adopting a trail‑in‑lieu fee would require an ordinance change and a public hearing; staff will prepare a redline ordinance and return it to council for consideration as part of the 2026 fee schedule. The proposed funds would be restricted to park development and could not be used for maintenance, he said.

Next steps: staff will draft the ordinance and set a public hearing for the council to consider the fee schedule amendment.