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Board identifies modest fee and rate changes as preferred near-term revenue levers
Summary
Members and staff discussed fee benchmarking and targeted rate adjustments — including a 5% business-tax adjustment, event-fee matrix changes, lien research and cost-recovery opportunities — that together could add several million dollars to FY2027 estimates if implemented thoughtfully.
The Budget Advisory Board reviewed a set of near-term revenue levers that staff and members say can be implemented without resorting to broad tax increases.
Olivier summarized revenue-estimating work that focused on roughly $110 million of revenue lines and reported an identified $2.4 million of additional baseline revenue plus an estimated $1.6 million from targeted fee benchmarking and modest increases in customer volumes: "we uncovered already an extra 2.4 million versus the initial OM department estimate...and there is potential to expand in fiscal year 2028," Olivier said. Staff said the business tax fee will increase by the statutory maximum of 5% on July 1, which was budgeted into projections and estimated to yield roughly $200,000 in FY27 projections.
Chair Brown and parks/special-events staff described a proposed event-fee matrix that would raise application and per-day fees by impact tier; the matrix sets a $200 application minimum and per-day tiers ranging from about $500 (limited impact) to $1,500 (major impact). For larger signature events the staff indicated proposed event-recovery charges could land between $20,000 and $50,000 depending on negotiations; one stakeholder had proposed higher levels and the commission-level recommendation was expected to be debated. Chair Brown said staff will send the commission memo and fee matrix when posted.
The board discussed sponsorships and marketing partnerships as a growth opportunity but noted limitations: the first RFP drew a single response and staff plan to reissue with a revised scope and targeted outreach. Board members encouraged a structured vendor approach, possibly tying a modest retainer to a commission on sponsorships, and recommended packaging event sponsorships with naming-rights opportunities to improve marketability. Staff cautioned that some revenue streams (e.g., ambulance transport collections) are constrained by Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement rules and that certain taxes are state-limited.
The board asked staff to provide dollar estimates for priority fee candidates and to include those numbers in the May/June materials for the commission.
