City Council Meeting Date: January 18, 2022
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Lynette Peterson, City Clerk
Title
Adopt Changes to Fees and Charges.
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. 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. A resolution adopting changes to fees and charges is included as attachment 1. A list of proposed changes is included as attachment 2. Fees that are changed or being removed are listed in red or red strikethrough. This attachment shows a side-by-side view of current fees and proposed fees. It is recommended that the proposed fees be effective upon adoption. The proposed changes will be incorporated into the comprehensive fee schedule once adopted. The fee schedule will also be reformatted for easier use by the public.
A brief explanation of proposed fee changes is noted below:
Library
• Removing faxing service and genealogy searches.
o Improvements to technology have made charging for these services unnecessary, creating barriers to access to those who can least afford it. Basic genealogy research is part of a reference librarian’s professional toolkit. In the past, genealogy research was more specialized, requiring more labor than it does now.
o Faxing once required a more expensive set up; it is now included with our photocopier service. Faxing isn’t used frequently but when it is, it is an urgent and essential service. Fees present an unnecessary burden in this case.
• Removing fees for overdue library items to include Nooks, books on CD and tape, magazines, videos and DVDs and games/software.
o Fines create a barrier to accessing library materials and resources for patrons who cannot afford paying off their fines.
o Fines have been recognized as a form of social inequity by the American Library Association.
o Fines actually cost a library system more in lost materials than they return in revenue.
City Clerk
Staff has reviewed and evaluated the time it takes for staff review, processing and monitoring through the license period of the following licenses, permits and fees and has decided there should be slight increases for the following:
• Fees for liquor licenses to include 3.2 Off Sale, 3.2 On Sale, On Sale license, Brewer Taprooms, Brew Pubs and Cocktail Rooms.
• Penalty fee for late liquor applications.
• New application liquor license investigation fee.
• Cost for certification from the County for property taxes.
• Tobacco license fees.
• Refuse Hauler license fee.
• Miscellaneous/concession license fee.
• Fireworks permit fee.
• Gambling permit and premises permit fees.
• Community Event permit fees.
Engineering
The fee adjustments align with staff time to issue and administer the permit.
• Increase grading permit fees.
• Increase in right-of-way permit fees for sewer and water connections; private utilities; sprinkler line; storm system connection; obstruction permit and driveways.
• Add small cell wireless fee structure.
Planning
• Addition of adjacent parcel land conveyance; temporary use; zoning certificate; flood plain development; certificate of appropriateness; heritage preservation site designation; major amendment to a Condition Use Permit; code interpretation; zoning certificate and variance appeal fees. These are all planning and zoning applications without a specific fee and/or escrow designated to them, but are current applications and processes in our city ordinances.
• Removal of administrative subdivision (not in our city ordinances as a process); Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) project plan application (updated to proper term of Certificate of Appropriateness); sketch plan review (staff reviews construction plans prior to application submittal on an as-needed basis); Planned Unit Development (PUD) conceptual plan and PUD final plan (PUD’s are not in our city ordinances as a process) fees.
Building
• Addition of residential deck permit; residential deck repair; residential fireplace, radon mitigation system fees and adjustment in residential sewer and water service fees. We propose adjusting fees from $95.00 +$1.00 state surcharge to $99.00 + $1.00 state surcharge to simplify the process when dealing with cash customers. There also had been confusion with some fees at $60.00 +$1.00 state surcharge (Fireplace - Many times wrong amounts were received and have to be refunded, delaying the process.)
o Increase in residential sewer and water service fee. Adjust fee for time and resources staff.
o Change in non-residential plumbing permit fee structure. The City now carries a state delegation to do plumbing plan review and inspections.
o Increase in new residential HVAC and residential HVAC remodel/alteration fees. Align mechanical and plumbing fees for time and resources of staff.
o Increase in manufactured home installation permit fee. Adjust for time and resources of staff.
o Increase in fire suppression system permit fee. Adjust for time and resources of staff.
o Increase in Commercial and residential demolition permit fee. Align fees to avoid confusion-commercial/residential.
o Removal of shed/detached garage demolition permit fee. Removed to avoid confusion and simplify.
o Increase in roofing-residential fee. Align with other residential over the counter permits to simplify.
o Increase in residential siding and windows fee. Align with other over the counter permits to simplify.
o Change in solar panels from roof mounted to residential and decrease in fee. Align with commercial/residential permit costs.
Police
• Increase in precious metal dealer annual license fee for more than 100 transactions. Staff has reviewed and evaluated the inflationary increases in staff time and product costs associated with performing background checks.
• Increase in animal impound services fees. Staff has reviewed and evaluated the inflationary increases in vendor costs and staff time.
Pool:
This adjustment will still have our daily pool fees below surrounding communities municipal aquatic facilities.
• Increase in daily admission fee.
Alternative Options:
The City Council may aternativey:
A. Remove from the consent agenda for separate discussion.
B. Pass a motion to refer to the Council Finance Policy Subcommittee for review and recommendation back to the City Council.
Financial Impacts:
There is not a significant impact to any of the budgets by the proposed fee changes.
Tentative Timelines:
If approved, it is recommended that the fees become effective immediately.