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Home My WebLink About2004-07-13 - AGENDA REPORTS - ADJUST FEE SCHEDULE (2)PUBLIC HEARING DATE: SUBJECT: DEPARTMENT: Agenda Item: X— CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: July 13, 2004 Barbara Boswell ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT TO FEES AND AMENDMENTS TO THE FEE SCHEDULE Administrative Services 1. City Council open the public hearing, receive testimony, close the public hearing. 2. City Council adopt Resolution, establishing a schedule of fees and charges for City services. 3. City Council adopt Resolution, revising fees and charges for parking penalties and other related violations within the City. 4. City Council adopt Resolution, establishing fees and charges for the storm drainage utility services for fiscal year 04-05. BACKGROUND In 1990, the City Council directed staff to prepare a study identifying the full cost of providing services. The result of this effort was the adoption of City Council policy establishing cost -recovery standards, the adoption of the City's first full -cost based fee schedule, and an ongoing mechanism to assess the cost of City services and to adjust fees accordingly. Propositions 4 and 13 established the "costs reasonably borne" philosophy. This philosophy necessitates the determination of the full business cost of each City -provided service, the identification of the beneficiary of each service, and the evaluation of services to determine an appropriate level of cost recovery for each. "Costs reasonably home" implies a direct relationship between payment of fees and charges and receipt of services. This direct fee/service and tax equity relationship does not exist when tax monies are used to subsidize services received by only a small portion of the taxpaying public, or by non-residents. &Sd. 0t/- .Sc1- D`� Every five years, the City examines the costs associated with providing services to the public. During the current fiscal year, the City conducted a time -motion study and created a cost allocation plan to determine the most accurate cost of providing services to the public. Each City department participated in the Study to determined the amount of time each employee is involved in each City service. All of the FY 04-05 proposed fees are based on the costs that were determined by this study. Parking Violations Staff is also recommending changes to several of the fees related to parking citations. Assembly Bill 408 was adopted into law on September 29, 1992, and became operative July 1, 1993. AB408 amended the State Vehicle Code with respect to the processing and enforcement of parking violations. It also charged the City with the task of establishing the amount of parking penalties, late payments, administrative fees, costs of collection, and other related charges for those parking violations occurring in the City. In an effort to provide consistency, the City has made every effort to mirror the Los Angeles County fee schedule. Stormwater Utility Services For fiscal year 2004-05, staff is recommending a $1 per Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) increase from $22 to $23. This fee is based on the cost of providing the services required under the NPDES permit, which is estimated at $2,380,000 per year. The Federal Clean Water Act sets forth specific requirements with which the City must comply on an annual basis. These requirements are provided in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. In order to fund the services needed to be in compliance with this federally mandated program, the City adopted Ordinance No. 94-7, enacting Chapter 15.50 of the Santa Clarita Municipal Code (SCMC), Storm Drainage Utility Enterprise Fund, including the Storm Drainage Pollution Abatement Charge. This charge was originally enacted in 1994. However, in compliance with the Government Code, it is reaffirmed each year. New Fees Staff is also recommending establishing several new fees for services now being requested from the City, as well as fees to assist the development process. Some of these new fees include a reduced fee for minor map corrections, a fee for the California mandated Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Review, a traffic signal timing fee for developments that impact traffic signals and a fee to expedite plans through the plan -checking process. All new fees will go into effect on July 19, 2004. Staff invited the public and developers to comment on the fee increase and the new fees through public participation meetings. Separate public participation meetings were held for Parks & Recreation fees and Development related fees on May 26 and June 3, respectively. The public was notified about the meetings through direct mailings and flyers presented on the public counters. Only one person attended each of the public participation meetings. The BIA was also directly contacted and consulted on the proposed fee schedule. BIA had reservations about some of the fee increases, as well as requested the City to grandfather all development -related fees. The BIA is requesting that the City freeze all development fees for any project already in the development process. Staff is recommending all fees for projects submitted prior to October 18, 2004, that are denied and asked to resubmit or required to pay a fee for something that they were not originally aware of, be charged using the old fee structure. It was explained to the BIA that the City's development fees are based on the total cost of providing the service, and to grandfather the fees for existing projects would result in the City subsidizing development projects with General Funds. All existing development -related fees will go into effect on October 18, 2004, and all other fees will go into effect July 19, 2004. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS Other action as determined by Council. FISCAL IMPACT It is estimated that the revised fee for services schedule will result in additional revenues of approximately $735,000 dollars, based on projected FY 04/05 activity levels. These revenues have not been factored into the FY 04/05 budget. Revenues will be reviewed at midyear, and any appropriate adjustments will be recommended at that time. ATTACHMENTS Resolution Establishing a Schedule of Fees and Charges for City Services Resolution Establishing Fees and Charges for Storm Drainage Utility Services Resolution To Revise Parking Penalties and Other Related Charges for Parking Violations Within the City Exhibit A - Fee Schedule 04-05 Exhibit B - Facility Rental Fees 04-05 Exhibit C - Bail Schedule 04-05 CITY OF SANTA CLARITA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT TO FEES AND AMENDMENTS TO THE FEE SCHEDULE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN: A Public Hearing will be held before the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita to consider annual adjustment to fees and amendments to the fee schedule. The hearing will be held by the Santa Clarita City Council in the City Hall Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia Blvd., 1 st Floor, on the 13th day of July, 2004, at or after 6:30 p.m. Proponents, opponents, and any interested persons may appear and be heard on this matter at that time. Further information may be obtained by contacting the City Clerk's Office, Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Suite #301, Santa Clarita, CA. If you wish to challenge this action in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council, at, or prior to, the public hearing. Dated: June 16, 2004 Sharon L. Dawson, CMC City Clerk Publish Date: July 1, 2004 s fiNsuedaNfee notice ubhcwin doc