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Council raises stormwater review fees to cover staffing and review costs
Summary
City staff proposed and the council approved an increase to the Stormwater Design Standard Manual's review fee and a new per-review fee for Technical Review Committee reviews to better cover the cost of project reviews, following staff outreach to builders and developers.
City staff told Charleston City Council on March 24 they will raise stormwater review fees and implement a per-review charge for Technical Review Committee reviews to recover current review costs.
"We are making a revision to the Stormwater Design Standard Manual related to the Stormwater Review Fee," said Ron Bucci, explaining the last change was in 2020 and that the proposed increases reflect present staffing and review costs. Bucci said staff had run the proposal by the Home Builders Association, engineers and commercial developers and reported broad support.
Supporters on the council praised staff for detailed outreach and analysis, saying prior fees had been "ridiculously low" and that adjusting fees would help address staffing shortfalls and review delays. The council moved for approval after the public-hearing portion and approved the rate change by voice vote.
Staff will provide details on the revised fee schedule and the administrative steps needed to implement the per-review charge.
