Consultant Brian Craig and city staff told the Buckeye City Council on Dec. 16 that the city plans a comprehensive update to its user-fee schedule that would align many charges with a cost-recovery philosophy and adopt an annual update to the International Code Council building valuation table.

Craig, representing consultant MGT, said the package covers development services, building safety, planning, utilities and business licensing and is designed so most high-volume permit categories approximate 100% cost recovery. "We will look to create a standard that we will update annually to the February edition of the building valuation data table," he said, arguing that change would keep permit fees current with market construction costs.

The proposal includes several concrete changes and clarifications. Staff highlighted that impact fees were updated earlier and are not part of this user-fee booklet. Proposed adjustments include targeted decreases (for some site-plan and administrative processing fees) and increases in low-volume but staff-intensive categories such as grading permits and concept site plans. Craig said variances are rare in Buckeye ("less than 1 a year") but involve substantial staff time and therefore would see higher cost recovery.

On business licensing, staff proposed consolidating many categories into a general license with a one-time $25 application fee and a $50 annual renewal for most businesses while retaining higher fees for specialty licenses that require additional checks (for example, marijuana dispensaries). "The intent isn't to be punitive or to discourage people from getting business licenses, but to capture as many businesses as possible and be a service to them," Craig said.

Miranda, representing the community services side of the update, framed the work as a formal cost-recovery policy rather than a one-off fee table. She described a "community benefit pyramid" in which broadly beneficial services receive higher subsidy, and individualized services move toward full cost recovery. "The cost recovery goals are set by you," she said, asking the council for policy guidance on recovery targets and program categories.

Several council members pressed staff on how flat fees would affect small nonprofits and volunteer-run events. Mayor Osborne warned that an out-of-scale fee could "take the wind out of the sails" for community groups running charitable events, and asked whether exemptions or lower tiers for nonprofit events had been considered. Staff replied that after the city posts the required 60-day public notice and comment period, proposed fees can be lowered during the notice period (but not increased), and that staff would explore options for event categories and nonprofit treatments.

Craig and Miranda said next steps include finalizing the consultant draft, posting it to the city website for the 60-day statutory public comment period, and returning to council most likely in late March or early April for final adoption and ordinance updates where needed. The council took no formal policy vote at the workshop; staff will return with the formal fee ordinance and any recommended exemptions or adjustments.

The workshop also recorded two procedural actions: a temporary recess earlier in the meeting and a vote to convene into executive session as listed on the agenda.