Council directs fee‑study follow‑ups after debates over appeal, fingerprint and EMS fees

City staff and consultant GCP presented a comprehensive user‑fee study showing fee‑supported services recover roughly 80% of costs and identifying opportunities to reduce the city subsidy by about $270,000 if staff recommendations are fully implemented.

The study recommends a set of adjustments across business licensing, planning, inspections and administrative fees. The proposal that drew the most public and council attention was a large raise in appeal fees (from about $380 to $1,253 under one option) based on time‑and‑hour cost recovery. Councilmembers and members of the public urged caution, proposing alternatives including a tiered fee, partial refunds or a full refund if the appellant prevails to avoid discouraging legitimate appeals by lower‑income residents.

LiveScan (fingerprint) fees were also discussed: staff and the consultant clarified that the Department of Justice charge (about $49) plus local staff time drove the higher proposed fee; council suggested limiting recovery to the DOJ charge or subsidizing volunteer fingerprinting. EMS fee structure changes (moving from an hourly rate to a flat $598 fee) prompted discussion about ensuring ambulance/EMS charges do not deter 911 calls; fire and EMS staff confirmed existing waiver authority for hardship cases and described billing practices and efforts to pursue insurance reimbursement.

Council direction: After debate, council directed staff to return with a master fee schedule for review and to develop options for reduced fees or discounts (for small homes, small businesses, deed‑restricted housing, volunteers), to adopt a refundable appeal fee structure (refund if appellant prevails) and to set LiveScan recovery at the DOJ fee while exploring subsidies for volunteers. Staff plans to return with materials for an April master fee schedule and subsequent recommendations for targeted reductions.