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DATE: March 25, 2024
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council and President and Members of the Estero Municipal Improvement District (EMID) Board of Directors
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City/District Manager
Marlene Subhashini, Assistant City/District Manager
FROM: Andrew Brozyna, Public Works Director
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
SUBJECT: UPDATES TO PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MASTER FEES AND SERVICE CHARGES SCHEDULE FOR FY 2024-2025
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the EMID Board review and provide direction on the proposed updates to the Public Works Department Master Fees and Service Charges Schedule (MFS) for FY 2024-2025.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Water Neutrality Ordinance aims to balance the quantity of water used or consumed with the amount of water restored or replenished. The Ordinance provides for the assessment of an administrative fee, and staff recommends the implementation in the MFS of a new $1,000 deposit and actual cost associated with the review of Water Neutrality Ordinance compliance.
Additionally, staff recommends adding a deposit of $250 to the existing item “PWE -08 - PW Research” which is also charged at actual cost.
BACKGROUND/ ANALYSIS
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On May 17, 2023, the EMID Board of Directors adopted a Water Neutrality Ordinance (EMID Ordinance No. 138) to implement water reduction regulations for applicable developments to ensure that new development does not adversely affect the City's water supply.
The Ordinance requires new development(s), redevelopment or changes in use within the EMID service area that will require a new water service or will increase water demand above the existing water demand level to offset the projected water demand with water efficiency/conservation/retrofit measures to result in a neutral impact on the overall water use demand. As part of exemptions listed in section 8.90.040, the ordinance exempts single family residential and single family accessory dwelling units.
Section 8.90.160 of the Water Neutrality ordinance provides for the assessment of an administrative fee at the time an application is filed. Staff recommends amending the MFS to add a $1,000 deposit and fee based on actual cost at the staff billing hourly rate. The recommended fee is intended to account for the time required to retrieve the required five-year water demand data that will be provided to the applicant, review of calculations and water conservation off-set measures provided by the applicant, and subsequent monitoring for compliance, as required by the ordinance. Since development projects vary in complexity, they will be assigned to an Associate or Senior Engineer or other reviewer as appropriate and billed accordingly. “PW Research” was added to the MFS in 2023 as a fee to be charged for providing research such as reports and maps that relate to public infrastructure. This fee is charged based on the time and materials required to complete the requested research.
For consistency in the MFS, it is recommended that both the PW Research and the Water Neutrality Review fee are deposit-based fees. The recommended deposit amounts are $250 for PW Research and $1,000 for Water Neutrality Review. Actual costs incurred would be charged against the deposit, with any remaining funds returned as applicable.
CEQA
Not Applicable
FISCAL IMPACT
An increase in fee collection is expected, however the actual increase in revenue will be dependent upon the use of the services identified. Fees are based on the recovery of actual cost to provide service, thus the net fiscal impact should be negligible.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure