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Council adopts fee-schedule changes, declines immediate penalty overhaul
Summary
Council approved ordinance 25-10 to update the city fee schedule (using August CPI‑W and rounding rules) but did not advance ordinance 25-11 (penalty-schedule increases) after debate about enforcement and proportionality; 25-11 died for lack of motion.
Staff presented Ordinance 25-10 to amend the EMC fee schedule and hospitality-service fees, recommending use of the August CPI‑W when September data are unavailable and rounding small fees to the nearest nickel (with specific rounding rules for some categories). Speaker 11 explained that the August 2025 CPI‑W figure used in the packet was 3.4% and that most rates would increase by roughly that amount.
Council discussed planning-and-zoning fee adjustments (some fees removed where code was updated in 2023) and specific changes such as raising the plat alteration fee to cover hearing-examiner costs and reducing binding-site-plan fees where a hearing examiner is no longer required. Speaker 11 added one fee (ERC string-light setup/takedown) after realizing it was omitted from the packet.
On the penalty schedule (Ordinance 25-11), staff presented a proposal to increase civil C-penalties by the CPI to reflect state public-safety enhancement assessments. Police and legal concerns were raised: the police chief had tracked reluctance by officers to issue fines where penalties felt disproportionate; legal counsel noted some violations have designated penalties and others revert to a default schedule, complicating a straight CPI increase. Several councilors argued for a more granular review of C-penalties before adoption; others noted the city has not increased these fees for six years.
Outcome: Council moved and approved Ordinance 25-10, including an expediency clause to permit adoption in a single meeting. On Ordinance 25-11, no motion to move it to a second reading was made and the proposal died for lack of motion.
What to expect next: Staff will return with a more detailed, itemized review of C-penalties and proposed adjustments if the council requests a targeted, micro-level review prior to any CPI-based pass-through.
