AGENDA DATE: 8/16/2023
TITLE:
Titl
Discussion about Community Development Department Fee Restructuring
BDY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Receive the proposed fee structure and schedule and provide feedback
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Rosenberg, Herrick, Filardo, D. Shifflett
PRESENTER (S): Dave Shifflett, Amelia Mcculley
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: On March 1,2023, the Board directed staff to proceed with a fee restructuring to achieve the following goals:
1) Consolidate fees into one unified fee schedule in one place in the County Code.
2) Simplify fees that are easier for customers to understand and for staff to administer.
3) Consolidate and align fees to be consistent with the staff work required while maintaining projected revenue levels.
4) Adopt the fee structure in such a way as to provide the option to amend as needed, and
5) Implement the new fee structure prior to launching the new Community Development System (CDS).
This fee project is only a restructuring of the fees and does not involve a study of the costs of service.
Staff examined the County's current fees for a variety of services and compared/contrasted them with seven localities to evaluate best practices, with the assistance of a consultant, the Berkley Group (Attachment A). The Berkley Group's comparative analysis found that Albemarle County has almost twice as many fee categories as most localities studied. The proposed fee schedule would consolidate fees from 312 to 154, a reduction of over 50 percent.
This effort included opportunities for feedback from key stakeholder groups (the Blue Ridge Home Builders Association and the Charlottesville Albemarle Developers Roundtable) and a survey that was distributed to previous permit applicants and the broader community. Staff has engaged with key stakeholder groups from the beginning of this project. Many recommendations from the survey have been...
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