Council waives $38,730 parkland fee for Metro Bus Western Transit Center

The Waite Park City Council approved an updated preliminary and final plat for the Metro Bus Western Transit Center on Dec. 15 and adopted a resolution to forego the parkland dedication fee that would otherwise have been assessed.

City staff told the council that under city ordinance the council may waive the parkland dedication fee when a plat serves a public purpose. Staff presented the Metro Bus Western Transit Center as a public-transit facility and recommended the council adopt an updated resolution to forego the $38,730 fee. "I would feel that the proposed utilization of the property for Metrobus Western Transit Center fulfills that intent or allowance in the ordinance due to their nature as a public transit provider," staff said. The resolution also includes a note that if the property is later transferred to private ownership the fee could be revisited.

A council member moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the preliminary and final plan with the condition that preliminary plat requirements are satisfied; the motion carried. Council members noted that the fee issue arose late in the process and that staff had consulted the city attorney and reviewed the ordinance before recommending the waiver. Staff described the determination as narrow and not the norm for other plats.

What happens next: staff will finalize plat paperwork and record the resolution. The waiver is conditional on the project remaining in public ownership, and the council retained the option to revisit the fee if future circumstances change.

Votes and actions from the meeting include formal adoption of the Metro Bus Western Transit Center preliminary and final plat and the fee-waiver resolution.