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Smithville staff propose fee increases for fingerprinting and annexations; sanitation and park fees adjusted
Summary
Finance Director Rick Welch presented proposed 2026 Schedule of Fees changes including a fingerprinting fee hike to $15, a proposed voluntary annexation fee increase to $250, a Block Party fee ($100 + $200 damage deposit), and a proposed Regular Trash Rate of $21.43 per month (senior rate reported as $18.21). No utility rate changes will be proposed pending a rate study.
Finance Director Rick Welch presented the Board with the proposed Schedule of Fees for 2026 at the Smithville work session on July 15, saying the city is not proposing utility rate changes while a rate study is pending but recommending adjustments in several other areas.
Specific proposals presented included increasing the Police Department fingerprinting fee from $10 to $15 per card and adding a fee for voluntary annexation petitions (staff recommended raising the current $150 deposit to $250 to better cover staff time). Parks and Recreation revisions include removing a deposit requirement for some programs while preserving a 50% discount for City employees and adding a Block Party fee of $100 plus a $200 damage deposit. Staff said credit-card processing fees will be revisited after implementing Tyler Technologies’ processing system in late July.
For sanitation, staff proposed raising the Regular Trash Rate to $21.43 per month; the staff presentation reported a resulting Senior Trash Rate of $18.21. The increase was tied to a 1.7% rise in contractor (GFL) costs and to fund the Household Hazardous Waste Program. Alderman Dan Hartman asked staff to add a fee for Open Records Requests to the schedule. The Board will continue the Schedule of Fees discussion as part of the FY2026 budget process.
