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Council adopts FY 2025–26 fee schedule including 2.5% credit-card processing fee and expanded technology impact use
Summary
Finance staff presented and council adopted the comprehensive fee schedule for FY 2025–26, proposing a 3.1% CPI adjustment, a 2.5% credit-card processing fee to recover about $71,000 in annual fees, and expanding the technology impact fee for citywide tech needs; vote recorded as 3 yes, 2 not voting.
The City Council adopted the citywide fee and rate schedule for fiscal year 2025–26 after a staff presentation explaining the difference between fees and taxes and the rationale for annual fee adjustments. Finance Director Jennifer Lantman said staff proposed a 3.1% CPI adjustment and several specific changes: a lower fee for appeals of short-term rental permit revocations, added or revised building inspection fees, an address-issuance fee tier for simple versus complex requests, and a proposed 2.5% credit-card processing fee to recover the city’s roughly $71,000 annual costs for card payments.
Lantman also explained that a technology impact fee adopted in 2009 was intended to digitize records and support an online permit system; staff recommended lifting a restriction so those segregated funds could support citywide technology needs (beyond Public Works and Development Services) such as finance or police records digitization. During public comment, a resident asked for detail on the origin and use of the technology fee. After the public hearing, council moved to adopt the fee schedule; recorded votes show three yes votes, two members not voting. The staff presentation said most fee increases are intended to recover costs and by law cannot exceed the cost of providing services.
