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Atlantic Beach approves first reading of fee consolidation ordinance; routine police radio agreement also passes
Summary
On first reading the commission approved Ordinance 5-26-74 to relocate city fees into one chapter and raise some building permit fees (staff cited a roughly $200,000 shortfall); the commission also approved a radio services agreement and several consent items.
Atlantic Beach commissioners approved a first reading of an ordinance to consolidate city fees into a single chapter of the code and to update several fees that staff said have not been comprehensively revised in years.
Amanda Askew, neighborhoods director, told the commission the building permit fee schedule (last updated in 2009) no longer covers the cost of services and that the department ran a shortfall of about $200,000. "It was 200,000," Askew said when asked what the shortfall amounted to. She described a proposed increase for jobs valued at $1,000 or less from $55 to $100 and offered an example: a 2025 new-construction home with a job value of $1,125,000 that paid $2,932 for its permit would see that fee rise to $2,995.70 under the proposal, a $63.70 change.
After questions about how much of the shortfall would be closed by the fee changes and how the city will compare rates to neighboring municipalities, the commission moved, seconded and voted to approve Ordinance 5-26-74 on first reading; a second reading is scheduled in two weeks.
Separately, the commission approved Resolution 2615 authorizing the police department to enter a P25 radio services agreement with the City of Jacksonville; staff noted the agreement dates to 2021 and presented the renewal because it was received after the agenda was finalized. The consent agenda, which included two routine resolutions, passed on a single motion.
Commissioners also discussed stormwater funding: Mayor Ford said a FEMA-administered grant routed through FDEP is pending and that staff will have more detail by the priority-setting session in March; Commissioner Kelly asked whether the commission should use city reserves to start work if FEMA funds are delayed.
The meeting closed after staff updates on permitting software rollout and upcoming workshops.
