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Riverton council adopts fee and deposit for group-home accommodation hearings
Summary
The Riverton City Council approved a fee-schedule amendment that creates an annual licensing fee for residential-care facilities and a refundable initial deposit (staff estimate: $4,000) to cover the cost of a hearing officer when applicants request a reasonable-accommodation to house more than four unrelated residents.
Riverton's City Council on a voice and roll-call vote adopted a fee-schedule amendment that adds an annual licensing fee for residential facilities and a refundable deposit to cover hearing-officer costs when applicants request a reasonable accommodation to house more than four unrelated persons.
Staff presented a review of the city's residential-facilities code and told the council the regulation applies across all residential zones and is interpreted against federal fair-housing requirements. "This does apply to all residential zones," a staff presenter said while explaining the code's purpose. City staff said the code defines a "family" as no more than four unrelated persons, and any request to exceed that threshold requires a reasonable-accommodation application that will be reviewed by a hearing officer versed in ADA and federal housing law.
The council was told the city currently has 11 licensed residential facilities and three more in the approval process. To avoid taxpayer subsidization of hearing-officer fees, staff proposed an initial deposit that would be applied to the officer's invoice; if actual costs were lower, the city would refund the difference; if higher, the applicant would be invoiced for the balance. Staff said the deposit recommendation currently sits at about $4,000.
Council debate focused on enforcement and clarity of definitions. Council members asked who defines a "dangerous person" and what constitutes a "direct threat." Staff answered that the city code contains the definition and that applicants must certify that no dangerous individuals will be housed; the hearing officer would evaluate contested cases. One council member said a narrow, enumerated definition can exclude concerning circumstances, while another urged administrative improvements to enforcement so the four-person standard is consistently upheld.
Council member Perucci moved to approve Resolution 25-51 adopting the amended fee schedule; the motion carried on a roll-call vote. Staff also said the mayor will present the proposed hearing officer appointment to the council on Dec. 2 for confirmation. The council did not change the code language; staff described the action as clarifying administrative implementation and creating a funding mechanism to pay hearing-officer costs.
What's next: the council will consider a hearing-officer appointment on the Dec. 2 consent agenda and implement the revised fee schedule once administrative steps and any required budget adjustments are completed.
