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Council adopts multiple fee changes; approves pilot to waive 6th Street Plaza reservation fees
Summary
Council approved Resolution 38‑26 (development/public works/airport fees) and Resolution 44‑26 (community services fees), including a one‑year pilot to administratively waive reservation fees for 6th Street Plaza to encourage downtown activation.
The Buckeye City Council unanimously approved two fee items May 5: Resolution 38‑26, which updates development services, public works and airport user fees, and Resolution 44‑26, which adopts a community services fee schedule and authorizes a pilot waiving reservation fees at 6th Street Plaza.
Staff described adjustments to several fees after the required 60‑day posting and public comment period. For development services, the presentation noted increases to a range of grading permit fees (for example, a roughly 30% increase in the 10‑acre grading permit example) and clarified items that will be handled on an hourly basis (including a reduced per‑hour third‑review rate now proposed at $130). Staff emphasized that proposed development fees do not exceed 100% cost recovery.
On the community services side, Miranda Gomez, the community services director, presented a cost‑recovery pyramid and described programs eligible for varying subsidy levels. Gomez said staff recommends a one‑year pilot at 6th Street Plaza during which reservation fees would be administratively waived to encourage downtown activity; reservations would still be required for guaranteed use and special event permits would continue to apply as appropriate. Council discussed accountability (reserving parties could be held responsible for cleanup/damages) and the tradeoff between formally setting a $0 fee in the fee schedule versus an administratively waived pilot; staff recommended the pilot and data collection (reservation counts, attendance) for a year.
Councilmember Eustace moved to adopt Resolution 38‑26; that motion passed unanimously. The council then moved to adopt Resolution 44‑26, approving the community services fee schedule and the 6th Street Plaza pilot; that motion passed unanimously.
Staff will monitor the pilot for usage, reservations and operational impacts and return to council with recommendations on whether to continue or modify the approach.
