Proposed increases to Encinitas’ development-related fees may result in nearly $1.5 million in additional city revenue in the coming year, if development continues at its current pace.
However, the cost to appeal a city Planning Commission decision isn’t expected to increase as much as originally proposed.
The current fee to file an appeal of a Planning Commission decision is $467, which is only about 5 percent of the amount it actually costs Encinitas to provide the service, a new city staff report states. Given the large gap between the actual cost and the current fee, the staff report suggested that the fee be increased to $1,400.
When the City Council reviewed that proposal along with all the other proposed fee increases Wednesday, Mayor Bruce Ehlers said he remembered years ago when people with concerns about proposed developments in their neighborhoods only paid $100 to appeal a Planning Commission decision to the City Council.
Ehlers suggested a much lower fee increase, so that the current $467 figure would become $500. The council unanimously voted to approve his proposal.
City Manager Jennifer Campbell told them that the proposed $1,400 figure actually was a bargain compared to some neighboring cities.
“We are definitely very low,” she said.
San Marcos charges $2,000 and Del Mar charges $1,728, she said. In Solana Beach, it’s $1,118 and in Vista, for some reason, it’s $756, plus 71 cents, she said.
Last year, 10 appeals were filed in Encinitas, city staff members said.
Encinitas uses a fee-setting system that’s based on a percentage of what it costs the city to provide the services. Typically, the city’s costs have been much higher than what the city has been charging in fees, so Encinitas is increasing them.
The latest proposed changes call for making the fees that currently are below the 50-percent-city-cost-recovery rate go to the 50 percent, while ones that are between 50 to 79 percent of the cost rate will increase to 80 percent, and those 80 to 99 percent will go to 100 percent.
“These fees ensure a reasonable cost recovery from specific users who benefit from a particular city service that is not considered a general public benefit,” the staff report states.
They’re for things like having the city review building plans, receiving an agricultural permit, getting a property boundary line adjustment or registering a business. The business registration renewal fee is proposed to increase from $24 to $72, while the coastal development permit application fee is proposed to increase from $2,492 to $4,061. To review the proposed fees, visit: https://encinitas.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=7&event_id=5413&meta_id=211416
The City Council is scheduled to give final approval to the proposed changes Sept. 16th and they are currently forecasted to go into effect in late October.