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Planning staff proposes higher fees, digital records and scaled reviews; board asks planning commission vetting
Summary
Planning and zoning staff proposed a preliminary fee schedule to better recover review costs (including higher site-plan and subdivision fees, an added per-lot fee, and on-site signage for public notice) and recommended sending the draft to the planning commission and aligning any fee changes with the new zoning and subdivision ordinances.
Planning and zoning staff presented a preliminary update to the department's fee schedule, arguing current fees under-recover the time spent on zoning reviews and public hearings. The draft proposals include higher fees for site-plan applications, larger increases for subdivisions (a proposed additional $50 per lot), and higher fees for public-hearing items such as special-use permits, variances and rezoning requests. Staff also proposed expanded advertising (including on-site signs) and a modest scaling mechanism that could charge more for more intensive uses.
Staff framed the proposal as a midpoint compared with neighboring jurisdictions and said the intent is to recover reasonable costs without turning the department into a revenue source. The staff presenter recommended the board refer the fee schedule to the planning commission and align adoption with the planned zoning and subdivision ordinance updates.
Board members asked about enforcement of short-term-rental rules, software that identifies unlicensed listings and whether the planning commission should do the detailed work; staff recommended moving the draft through the planning commission first and tying implementation to the new ordinance cycle.
What's next: Staff will take feedback to the planning commission, refine figures and return proposed ordinance and fee changes for public hearings.
