City Council Meeting Date: September 23, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Lynette Peterson, City Clerk
Title
Consider Resolution Adopting Changes to Fees and Charges effective January 1, 2026.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council approves the attached resolution adopting changes to fees and charges.
Summary Report:
Annual review of fees and charges is desirable to ensure that the appropriate fees are being charged for City services. This year the fee schedule process was moved up with the Council reviewing initial changes at their July work session. In formulating updated fee amounts, each department reviews services that are provided and what the costs for those services are. Costs include staff member time as well as overhead expenses. The updated 2026 fee schedule as a redlined version is included as Attachment 2. This attachment shows a view of current fees and proposed fees. It is recommended that the proposed fees be effective January 1, 2026. The proposed changes will be incorporated into the comprehensive fee schedule once adopted.
Since the work session, wording was updated on two items and one fee was updated. Wording was taken off (from the same household) the dual season pass for the Pool and wording was taken off (2 adults, 3 children) the season family pass for the Pool. The Dance/Cabaret fee under the Police Department was removed. City Code defines Adult Cabaret as the following: Adult Cabaret. A building or portion of a building for providing dancing or other live entertainment, if such building or portion of a building excludes minors by virtue of age and if such dancing or other live entertainment is distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on the presentation, display, or depiction of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas. Since this type of license has not been issued in the past for the City of Northfield, staff is recommending deletion of the fee to clean up the fee schedule.
A brief explanation of proposed fee changes is noted below provided as background to the council:
EV Charging Fees
• Moved Public Electrical Vehicle Charging Station - removed fee from Police Department section and increased the fee.
Public Works - Pool
• Increased season pass fees for both residents and non-residents.
• Increased dual season pass fees for both residents and non-residents.
• Increased fee for family pass for both residents and non-residents.
• Increased lap swim punch card fee to same fee as open swim punch card.
• Increased 50-meter portion of pool rented for both Northfield groups and non-Northfield groups.
• Increased first dog fee for dog swim after regular season.
Public Works - Arena
• Deleted fees for St Olaf College practices and games.
• Increased fee for NHA weekend practices/games to same fee as weeknight.
• Deleted fees for NHA tournaments.
• Increased fee for skate rental.
• Increased fee for open hockey adult/youth fees.
City Clerk - Cannabis and Hemp Retail Business Registration Fees and Cannabis and Hemp Retail Business Violation Penalties
• Added Cannabis and Hemp Retail Business Registration fees and Violation Penalty fees as per Resolution 2025-044 adopted by the City Council on May 6, 2025.
City Clerk - Other Licenses/Permits
• Deleted fee for edible cannabinoid license and investigation fee for that license as the above Cannabis and Hemp licenses replaced those licenses.
• Deleted violation penalty fees for edible cannabinoid license as the above Cannabis and Hemp violation penalty fees replaced those fees.
Public Works - Right of Way & Driveway/Sidewalk Construction Permits
• Added Driveway/Sidewalk Construction Permits to this category and rearranged chart for easier identification of fees. No fees added or changed, just rearranged.
• Added word connection to Sprinkler Line fee.
Public Works - Small Cell Wireless
• Moved Small Cell Wireless fees to own table. No change in fees.
Police Department
• Deleted fee for dance/cabarets.
Police Department - Parking Fees/Fines
• Added fee for Storage of Forfeiture/Impounded Vehicles at Police/City Property.
Police Department - Other - Parking Fees/Fines
• Moved Electric Vehicle Charging Station fee to beginning of fee schedule as own table.
Police - Animal Impound Services
• Increased City pick-up fee.
• Increased initial impound fee.
• Increased impound/boarding - dog fee.
• Increased euthanasian/disposal fee.
Community Development - Planning/Development - Type 1 Review - Staff Review Only
• Increased fee for zoning letter request.
• Added wording or site plan review to Zoning Certificate (Type 1)
Community Development - Planning/Development - Type 4 Review - Staff Review and Planning Commission or Heritage Preservation Commission Recommendation with City Council Decision
• Increased Annexation fee.
Community Development - Planning/Development - Other Applications
• Deleted Certificate of Appropriateness (Minor Work) Appeal as it’s listed already on fee schedule.
• Deleted Certificate of Appropriateness (Major Work) Appeal as it’s listed already on fee schedule.
Community Development - Commercial Building
• Increase fee for new commercial building
• Increase fee for commercial addition
• Increase fee for commercial alteration
• Increase fee for commercial footing & foundation
• Increase fee for commercial plumbing permit
• Increase fee for commercial sewer & water
• Increase fee for commercial mechanical
• Increase fee for commercial deck permit
• Increase fee for commercial roof permit
• Increase fee for commercial siding permit
• Increase fee for commercial window and/or door permit
• Increase fee for commercial fireplace permit
• Increase fee for commercial solar panels
Community Development - Residential Building
• Increase fee for demolition permit - commercial.
Alternative Options:
The City Council may alternatively:
A. Make adjustments to fees as deemed necessary.
Financial Impacts:
There is not a significant impact to any of the budgets by the proposed fee changes.
Tentative Timelines:
The fee schedule process has been moved up for earlier review in the budget process for the 2026-2027 process. Fees were reviewed in July and will be adopted at this Council meeting via resolution taking effect January 1, 2026.