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Commission begins review of land-development review fees after staff finds costs exceed revenues
Summary
Staff presented a multi-year analysis showing the county's review fees (last updated in 2009) are not covering the cost of plan reviews; commissioners favored small, targeted increases and asked staff to research regional practices and propose options.
County planning staff presented a proposal to re-evaluate land-development and subdivision review fees, saying the last comprehensive update was in 2009 and the county is now expending more staff time than current fees recover. Andrew said that, using a current wage assumption, "it's costing us $241 for every review," and that three of the last four years show review expenditures outpacing revenue.
Staff noted fee structures based on building square footage or unit counts do not always capture the workload (for example, large solar arrays currently pay only minimal fees under the square-footage metric). The commission discussed options: small incremental increases to avoid "sticker shock," targeted fees for complex applications, differential treatment for low-impact family lot edits and redevelopment within built areas.
Members asked staff to gather comparative information from other counties, explore options such as use-based or hourly supplemental fees for complex reviews, and return with recommended fee structures. Commissioners stressed balancing fairness for small landowners with recovering the true cost of complex reviews.
No fee change was adopted at the meeting; staff will prepare a proposal for future consideration.
