TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Jaime Boscarino, Finance Director
DATE:April 29, 2025
SUBJECT: Proposed FYs 2025-2027 Citywide User Fees, Fines, Penalties, (User Fees), and Development Impact Fees
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Adopt resolution approving the 2025 Citywide User Fees, Fines, and Penalties (User Fees).
2. Adopt resolution approving Traffic Development Impact Fees.
3. Adopt resolution approving Police Facilities Development Fee.
4. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
LEVINE ACT ITEM: No
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Financial Impact to be Determined. The current financial impact of the Proposed 2025 User Fees (provided under separate cover and available on the City’s website at www.toaks.gov/budget) will be incorporated into the Proposed FY 2025- 26 and FY 2026-27 Operating Budget.
BACKGROUND:
During the biennial budget process, staff reviews citywide user fees, traffic development impact fees, and the police facilities development fee to ensure fees are set appropriately to recover revenue related to the cost of City staff providing services and to pay for projects related to the impacts of development.
The City has a long-standing commitment to fiscal sustainability, which includes ensuring that fee revenue covers the cost of providing City services to private individuals, businesses, or groups. City Council’s policy is to adjust fees biennially with the goal of achieving “Full-Cost Recovery.” The cost of providing these services includes the cost of personnel, materials, and overhead. When a fee does
Proposed 2025 Citywide User Fees
April 29, 2025
6 0
4 not fully cover the cost of providing the service, it is subsidized by tax revenues, reducing the revenue available for other City services such as public safety and street maintenance. Those user fees below full-cost recovery will continue to be reviewed and adjusted through future biennial budget processes, with staff’s goal to increase fees towards full cost recovery, where applicable.
The Proposed User Fees were presented to the Finance Audit Committee on March 24, 2025. On March 25, 2025, the City held a Study Session to discuss the Proposed User Fees and set the User Fees Public Hearing date for April 29, 2025.
The Study Session staff report is provided as Attachment #1. The staff report discussed the City’s user fees process, including the goal to have full-cost recovery along with City Council approved exceptions to full-cost recovery. The staff report highlighted user fees by department, including proposed new fees, deletion of existing fees, and recommendations on fee amounts. In addition, the staff report noted that a citywide comprehensive cost of services study was completed which was the first citywide comprehensive study since 2013. The consultant, Matrix Consultant Group, prepared a cost of services study report (Attachment #2), which includes the user fee study methodology, results by each department, and a comparative survey with neighboring jurisdictions.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
The Proposed User Fees Public Hearing was publicly noticed twice (seven and 14 days prior to the date of the Public Hearing) in the Ventura County Star. If the Proposed User Fees are adopted by City Council, they will go into effect on July 1, 2025.
The Proposed User Fees schedule is comprised of the following five sections:
1) Department/Division responsible for administering the fee 2) Fee Name/Description
3) Unit (e.g. each, per hour, deposit, etc.)
4) Fee amount
5) Fee Type (e.g. User Fee, Penalty, Deposit, etc.)
Revised Fees since Study Session
The following fees have been revised since the Proposed User Fees were presented at the March 25, 2025, Study Session:
Department/
Division
Fee Title Study Session
Fee
New Proposed
Fee
CCS – Theatres Labor for temp help stage
hand/runner positions*
$18.00 $38.00
Proposed 2025 Citywide User Fees
April 29, 2025
6 0
4 CCS – Theatres Labor for temp help front
of house positions*
$18.00 $20.00
CCS – Theatres Labor for temp help front
of custodian positions*
$31.00 $35.00
CCS – Theatres Ticket Printing Fee $1.50 $2.00
CCS – Theatres Per subscription ticket
(inclusive of ticket printing
fee)
$4.00 $5.00
CCS – Theatres Ticket Processing Fee $2.00 $3.00
CCS – Theatres Piano Tuning $226.00 $250.00
CDD - Building Building Permit Fee-
Single-Family Residential /
Duplex (New, Remodels /
Additions)
$2,650.00,
$5,550.00,
$9,750.00
$2,657.00,
$5,557.00,
$9,757.00
CDD - Planning Home Occupation Permit $168.00 $75.00
CDD - Planning Annexation or Detachment
Processing
$10,216.00
deposit
$10,000.00
deposit
Public Works Utility company trenching
for installation, repairs,
and maintenance**
$240.00 $340.00
*Increased to account for overhead not originally included in the hourly rate calculation **Fee was intended to $340 at the study session. This is an administrative correction.
Added/Eliminated Fees since Study Session
The following fees have been added or eliminated since the Proposed User Fees were presented at the March 25, 2025, Study Session:
Department/
Division
Fee Title Justification New
Proposed
Fee
City Clerk Witness Fee –
Public Safety
Officers
This fee was removed
since public safety
officers are not City
employees. Witness
Fee for all others will
remain in the fee
schedule.
Removed
City Clerk Document
Services Fair
Political Practices
Commission
(FPPC) Request
This fee was added to
the fee schedule.
$0.10 per
page
Proposed 2025 Citywide User Fees
April 29, 2025
6 0
4 CDD
Planning/Building
and Public Works
Non-Compliance
Fee
Added language to
charge two times the
permit fee for work
taking place prior to
permit issuance/
approval.
Two times
the permit
fee
CDD – Building General Plan
Maintenance Fee
This fee is meant to
account for updates to
the general plan, zoning
ordinance, housing
elements, and other
long-range planning
activities that are part of
the larger General Plan.
The fee would only be
applied to major
building permits (i.e.,
new or remodel /
tenant improvements).
5 Percent of
Building Fee
CDD – Building Electrical Permit
Fees – Parking
Lot Lighting
Standards “up to
10 poles”
$220 Base
CDD – Building Electrical Permit
Fees – Parking
Lot Lighting
Standards “Each
Additional Pole”
Fees added to better
reflect the actual time
spent on both office and
field work, without
placing an undue
burden on applicants.
The proposed fees are
based on the number of
light poles (not the
square footage of the
parking lot since size
does not directly
correlate with inspection
effort), accounting for
the repetitive nature of
the work when more
than 10 poles are
involved.
$22 Each
Pole
CCS – Library Special Event
Participant
Insurance fee
New fee added to
recover costs for
vendors related to
special event
insurance. Fee will be a
pass through based on
actual cost to the City.
Actual Cost
Proposed 2025 Citywide User Fees
April 29, 2025
6 0
4 CCS – Theatre Ticket Service fee
(for purchases
made online)
A new fee was added
for ticket prices over
$75.01.
$12.00
Finance Issuance Fee This fee was combined
with Regulatory Permits
Fees.
Removed
Finance Cannabis -
Appeal of Tax
Collector Decision
This fee was added to
recover costs of staff
time spent preparing for
an appeal to City
Council.
$1,000
Deposit
Public Works Right-of-Way
Abandonment
Surplus Property
Disposition
Review
Deposit was
inadvertently omitted
from study session fee
schedule.
$6,000
Deposit
Police “Penalty if
payment is not
received within
thirty days” and
“Penalty per
month thereafter
that fines and
penalties are not
paid.”
These fees are
redundant and are
covered under the
“Delinquent Account
Penalties, Interest, and
Collection Fees” section
of the fee schedule.
Removed
(No net
change)
As part of the fee adoption process, staff recommends City Council adopt the FYs 2025-2027 User Fees, Fines, Penalties, the Traffic Development Impact Fees, the Police Facilities Development Fee, and the following fee resolutions:
1. Resolution to adopt the User Fees as contained in the FY 2025-2027 User Fees Schedule, (Attachment #3).
2. Resolution to adopt the adjustment to current rates for Traffic Development Impact Fees to increase by 11.93 percent (Attachment #4).
3. Resolution to adopt the adjustment to current rates on the Police Facilities Development Fee to increase by 1.58 percent (Attachment #5).
Proposed 2025 Citywide User Fees
April 29, 2025
6 0
4 COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goal:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
PREPARED BY: Ryan Roman, Budget Officer
Miguel Chavez, Sr. Financial Analyst
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – March 25, 2025, User Fee Study Session Staff Report Attachment #2 – Matrix Consulting Group Cost of Services (User Fee) Study Report
Attachment #3 – Resolution 2025 User Fees
Attachment #4 – Resolution 2025 Traffic Development Impact Fees Attachment #5 – Resolution 2025 Police Facilities Development Fee FIN:390-10\mc\H:\COMMON\Council\2025\Administration\042925 User Fees Staff Report.docx