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Council opts to keep land-use application fees nonrefundable, will clarify application language
Summary
City Planner Madison Brown reviewed land-use application fees and said the code has no refund policy; after discussion about staff time and complexity of partial refunds, the council agreed to retain nonrefundable fees and to make that fact more prominent on application materials.
City Planner Madison Brown told the council that Willard's municipal code currently contains no mechanism for refunding land-use application fees when applicants withdraw or are denied. She outlined the existing fee schedule: "rezones and code amendments cost $2,500, lot amendments range from $400-$900, conditional use permits are $250, and ADUs are $100." Brown said applicants have sometimes withdrawn after lengthy review, and staff time spent cannot always be recovered.
City Manager Jeremy Kimpton told the council that many cities treat application fees as nonrefundable precisely because staff invests significant time in review even if an application is never approved. Council members discussed possible partial-refund milestones but concluded that creating a refund process would create administrative complexity and gray areas. The consensus was to maintain the nonrefundable policy while updating application materials so the nonrefundable nature is clearly emphasized up front; Brown agreed to make that change.
