Council Report: Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 958

FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD READING – FEES AND CHARGES BYLAW No. 958

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council give first, second and third reading to Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 958.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS

I concur with the recommendation.

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES’ COMMENTS

I concur with the recommendation.

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE’S COMMENTS

I concur with the recommendation.

PURPOSE OF REPORT

The purpose of the report is to present Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 958 for first, second and third reading. Where possible, all fees, charges and deposits (which are not required by provincial or federal regulation to remain in their respective bylaws) have been repealed from Town bylaws and placed within the Fees and Charges Bylaw. The bylaw will be put on the agenda for adoption at the first meeting of Council in January 2017.

DISCUSSION

The Town’s mandate for fees and charges is to remain cost-neutral. Within the attached spreadsheets are considered estimates for proposed fees with this primary goal in mind.

There are many cases where the fee is very straightforward to calculate, and some cases where it is quite difficult to provide an accurate number. Where possible, staff have consulted other municipalities’ fees and charges to gain some perspective and insight. In some cases, fees are similar. In many others, they can vary quite significantly for various regional reasons, age of the bylaws, or any number of factors. Staff’s experiences within our own municipality are also critical in estimating the real costs incurred by staff for the various items within the bylaws.

Incentives

There are cases where the Town has been in the practice of providing an incentive to obtain a permit through low fees; secondary suite permits and tree removal permits are two examples. In these cases, removal of trees or a reduction in safety for suite occupants comes with a real and often intangible cost to the Town and its residents. ‘Cost-neutral’ can mean the recovery of potentially expensive costs to the Town and its residents as a result of prohibitive fees or non-compliance from the public. In these cases, low fees encourage applications and compliance and help recover both tangible and intangible costs in the future.

Fees and Charges

Within the attached spreadsheets are line items, the detail of that item, the existing fee charged, the proposed fee charged, a description of the fee, the bylaw that the fee is currently in, and the reasoning (if any) for changing the fee.

In most cases, the fee is either not changing because the bylaw has been reviewed recently, or being increased a small amount to reflect inflation since it was last reviewed. In these cases, there is no rationale given and it is to be assumed that these items are being increased in cost to reflect current cost recovery on those items. If there is a different reason for the item changing, the rationale will be given.

Living Document

This bylaw is being put together to provide one spot for all fees and charges; as such, it is expected that the bylaw will be amended regularly as other bylaws are adopted or amended. Currently it is being proposed as a ‘snapshot’ in time and is sure to be amended almost immediately after adoption by various in-stream bylaws.

This bylaw also facilitates a structured response to fluctuating costs of services that the Town provides and creates a single-source of information for the public with respect to costs for services.

Next Steps

Provided that the bylaw receives first, second and third reading on December 13th, staff will bring the bylaw forward for adoption on January 3, 2017.

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council give first, second and third reading to Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 958.

SUBMITTED BY: J. Davison MCIP RPP, Planner

REVIEWED BY: L. Chase, MCIP RPP, Director of Development Services

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 958
2. Fees and Charges Staff Review Spreadsheet