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Downey council adopts user‑fee changes, sets $15.90 inclusionary housing in‑lieu fee
Summary
The Downey City Council adopted amendments to the citywide user fee schedule including an inclusionary housing in‑lieu fee of $15.90 per square foot, new planning plan‑check fees to recover staff time, and corrections to two Department of Justice police permit fees. Council approved the resolution after a public hearing and brief public comment.
The Downey City Council on Tuesday adopted Resolution No. 25‑8325 amending the citywide user fee schedule to add a planning division plan‑check fee, establish an inclusionary housing in‑lieu fee, and correct two Department of Justice police permit fees to state‑fixed amounts.
The council opened a public hearing on the amendments after staff described the changes. Marlon Ramirez, the city’s interim assistant finance director, told the council the inclusionary housing in‑lieu fee was calculated at $15.90 per square foot based on a consultant affordability-gap analysis completed when the inclusionary housing ordinance was adopted. Ramirez said the proposed plan‑check fees are based on fully burdened planning staff hourly costs multiplied by typical review hours; details were included in the staff report.
Ramirez also said two DOJ‑regulated police fees had been inadvertently adjusted by CPI during the annual update and were being corrected to fixed amounts set by the Department of Justice: $93 and $52. He described the amendments as implementing the inclusionary in‑lieu fee as intended, adding cost‑recovery for planning plan checks, and returning the DOJ fees to state‑mandated amounts.
During public comment a resident asked why some permits had previously been raised and urged the city to reduce user fees more broadly across the 30‑page schedule. The commenter also asked for more information about what types of housing the in‑lieu fee covered.
After brief council discussion, the council adopted Resolution No. 25‑8325. The motion carried (recorded as approved with Council Member Verona absent). The council did not amend the fee schedule on the dais and directed staff to proceed with the adopted changes and to make available the detailed fee schedule and backing analysis in staff documents.
What’s next: the adopted resolution takes effect as directed by staff; residents seeking details on specific fee changes were directed to the city’s finance and planning departments and to the published staff report for exact line‑item amounts and fee tables.
