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Planning board continues fee-schedule review and advances master-plan implementation plans
Summary
The board continued a hearing on proposed updates to subdivision and site-plan fees to July 14, directing staff to run example projects to test whether proposed flat fees would cover town review costs; members also reviewed master-plan implementation ideas and formed zoning‑bylaw study committee appointments.
The Planning Board continued deliberations on proposed amendments to subdivision and site‑plan rules and on an updated planning fee schedule, asking staff to perform example calculations to ensure the recommended fee structure covers municipal review costs.
Staff presented comparative fees from neighboring communities and proposed moving some additive fees to a flat-fee structure (an example proposed fee noted in the discussion was $300 for an item currently set at $200). Board members asked that the planning office run mock project scenarios (one‑ to three‑example filings) to estimate review hours and fiscal impact before adopting structural fee changes. "If we raise the fee, we need to make sure we're covering our level of effort and not leaving money on the table," one committee member said.
The board also reviewed master‑plan implementation strategies, favoring flexible working groups (short-term focus groups led by an implementation lead and staff liaison) rather than formal subcommittees to avoid open‑meeting‑law constraints while promoting broader resident engagement. The board appointed Melissa Mayo and Dan Seager as planning‑board representatives to the zoning bylaws study committee.
The fee-schedule hearing was continued to the July 14 meeting so staff can return with example calculations and updated comparative tables.
