Title
HEARING - Planning and Building Department, recommending the Board adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Ordinance 5238 entitled “Planning and Building Department Fee Schedule.”
FUNDING: N/A
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On October 24, 2023, (Legistar file 23-1672), the Board approved Ordinance 5185, Planning and Building Department Fee Schedule. The schedule of fees consisted of a department-wide fee study performed by NBS Government Finance Group, Inc. (“NBS”). This study used employee rates and budget from Fiscal Year (FY) 2022/23, along with a time study, to develop the average time to perform the services.
Through County budget development for FY 2025/26, and Board direction for cost saving strategies, the Planning and Building Department (“Department”) has reviewed billing rates for time and materials services and flat fees that have not been updated since FY 2022/23. The proposed fee increases are based on the rate analysis and will ensure the Department continues to meet cost recovery goals for the current year budget cycle, and for most fees, collect 100% cost recovery for the services provided.
The rate analysis quantifies the full cost of providing government services by accounting for direct and indirect costs:
Direct costs are directly tied to specific services and include:
· Personnel costs: Salaries, wages, and benefits of staff performing the service
· Non-personnel costs: Expenses such as contractors or materials used for the service
Indirect costs support service delivery but are not directly linked to a single activity and include:
· Personnel costs: Supervision, administration, and technical support
· Non-personnel costs: Shared departmental expenses not assigned to individual services
· Overhead costs: County-wide administrative support (e.g., Human Resources, general Legal Counsel, Auditor Controller, Information Technologies), allocated based on the County’s annual Cost Allocation Plan
Increases to these costs resulted in in...
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