TO: City Commission
FROM: Elizabeth Taschereau, Director of Development Services
DATE: May 3, 2023
Title
DISCUSSION OF THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT FEE SCHEDULE
BACKGROUND: Staff has researched the Planning and Zoning application fees collected by 22 municipalities in Broward County and Palm Beach County government and analyzed how the City of Margate’s compare.
The City Commission last approved an update to the Development Review Committee fees in 2009. There has not been an update to several other Planning and Zoning fees since their original adoption in the 1970’s.
The analysis showed that the majority of fees collected by the City of Margate rank the lowest among those studied.
Based on the analysis staff is recommending what we believe to be equitable adjustments to the fee schedule by using the median of those studied as the primary basis for the recommendations.
The research found that the best practice is to institute fees via a fee schedule approved by the governing body via a resolution, as opposed to being within the Code in various places within it as it is now.
Additionally, so the fees keep pace with economic conditions staff is recommending that there be an automatic adjustment at the beginning of each calendar year based on the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI).
• The CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
RECOMMENDATION: 1. Direct staff to bring forward a Code Amendment removing all Development Services Department Fees from the Code
2. Direct staff to bring forward a fee schedule to be adopted via Resolution
FISCAL IMPACT: N/A
CONTACT PERSON: Elizabeth Taschereau, Director of Development Services