Council adopts unified fee schedule update; applicants to bear certain hearings and stormwater review costs
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Summary
Council approved Resolution 3205 to update cemetery and planning-related fee language, add hearings‑examiner project fees and change stormwater review policy so applicants bear third‑party review costs (staff said policy cost the city ~$64,000 in 2025).
The Anacortes City Council voted Feb. 17 to adopt Resolution 3205, updating the city’s unified fee schedule to align cemetery and planning fees with recent policy changes and to add fees and policy clarifications for the hearing examiner and stormwater review process.
Planning Director John Coleman told the council the changes do not raise most base permit fees; instead the resolution adds flat, project‑based hearing examiner fees (applicants would be billed for examiner review tied to specific permit types) and removes a policy that let the city cover the first two third‑party stormwater reviews. Coleman said the city paid approximately $64,000 in third‑party stormwater review costs in 2025 that it did not recoup.
Under the adopted language, applicants will pay the full third‑party stormwater review consultant fee going forward. Staff argued that shifting costs to applicants incentivizes more complete first submissions, speeding the permitting process and reducing repeated reviews.
Councilmembers discussed concerns about whether increased applicant costs could slow development. Public works and planning staff said other jurisdictions handle stormwater review differently, and anecdotal feedback from builders emphasized certainty and speed over fee levels.
Councilmember Young moved approval; the measure passed by voice vote.
Council also discussed the city’s contracting for a hearing examiner and confirmed that a new contract and fee policies would be implemented in accordance with the schedule adopted by the council.
