On Thursday (8/19) Development Services presented their budget to council in a workshop format. The numbers they presented were shocking! They included a 20% increase in fees for the next two years (total 40%), and 36 new fees on top of that.

 

After meeting with me and our President and Vice President, Development Services reviewed and cut their fees down to provable expenses. They then justified each fee—some of the new fees are broken out from existing fees (making it more a la carte), and some are new fees that promise us better, more efficient services and staff from DSD. They took our criticism to heart and came back with the best offer they could. It basically raises costs 42 cents a sq ft in year one, and increases to 88 cents a sq ft by year 4.

 

We know that all things are getting more expensive, and while no one likes a fee increase, I think that this is a fair outcome to a bad situation. The explanation is below.

The first reading of the Budget is today (8/31), and second reading will be on Sept 7th. Public Comment can be made here or in-person at noon on either day.