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Planning commission adopts first land-use fee schedule update in more than two decades
Summary
The commission approved an update to the land-use application fee schedule, citing a 24-year gap since the last update and modest fee increases intended to better reflect staff time for routine application types; commissioners discussed consultant-selection authority and timing but approved the changes.
The Middletown Planning Commission voted to adopt an updated land-use application fee schedule, the first proposed revision in roughly 24 years.
Staff said many fees have remained artificially low compared with similarly sized communities and that modest increases—such as small fees for accessory-building reviews—would better reflect staff time and reduce the implicit subsidy paid by taxpayers. Staff told commissioners the department had studied comparable municipalities before proposing the schedule and offered to delay action if commissioners preferred further review.
Commissioner Emily McEvoy asked whether recent staff work prompted the timing for the update; staff replied that the update had been under consideration for about three years and was accelerated in part to bring fees in line with current workloads and to avoid the public subsidy created by very low fees. Commissioner Elizabeth Emery asked about a provision allowing the commission to select consultants to review applicant materials (for example, traffic studies); staff confirmed the rule has been in the regulations for some time and that the applicant would typically pay the cost for such consultant reviews when needed.
Following discussion the commission moved and approved the fee schedule update.
