Town of Yountville
Staff Report
6550 Yount Street
Yountville, CA 94599
Agenda Item #: 8I
Yountville Town Council Staff Report
DATE: July 15, 2025
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Celia King, Administrative Service Director
PREPARED BY: Gary Bell, Town Attorney; Celia King, Administrative Service Director
RECOMMENDATION
Introduce and waive first reading of Ordinance Number 25-536, which would: 1) authorize the Town Council to establish, amend, or repeal development impact fees by Resolution, and repeal outdated sections from Chapter
3.40 of the Yountville Municipal Code establishing development impact fee; and 2) amend and clarify procedures for bringing claims for money or damages against the Town under the Government Claims Act, Government Code section 810, et seq., and establish timeframes for filing of claims not governed by the Government Claims Act.
DISCUSSION/BACKGROUND
Development impact fees are intended to recover the proportional allocated cost of new capital infrastructure and facilities from new development and redevelopment such as conversions and expansions. Development impact fees apply to both residential and non-residential development projects and must comply with the Mitigation Fee Act (California Government Code Sections 66000, et seq., also known as Assembly Bill 1600), which allows an agency to establish fees by Ordinance or Resolution.
In June 2005, the Town established development impact fees by Ordinance via the addition of Municipal Code Chapter 3.40. Subsequently, on June 18, 2023, the Town Council passed a Resolution approving revised development impact fees. However, passage of the Resolution resulted in discrepancies between fees as established by the Municipal Code and as established by the Resolution.
To (1) clarify that development impact fees will be established, amended, and repealed by Resolution of the Town Council, and (2) reconcile discrepancies between fees established by resolution and fees established by the municipal Code, staff recommends adoption of Ordinance Number 25-536.
This Ordinance would: (1) authorize the Town Council to adopt development impact fees by Resolution, (2) repeal sections imposing outdated fees on development projects, addressing inconsistencies between those fees and fees passed by Resolution, and (3) fix cross-references and reorganize Chapter 3.40 for consistency throughout.
Finally, the filing and processing of claims against the Town is currently governed by Municipal Code § 3.36.020, and governs claims brought under the Government Claims Act. This Ordinance would amend and clarify those procedures. Claims related to development impact fees sometimes fall outside of the Government Claims Act.
The proposed Ordinance addresses those claims not governed by the Government Claims Act and would require such claims to be presented within one year of accrual of the cause of action.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Exempt per California Environmental Act (CEQA) Guideline, Section 15061(b)(3).
FISCAL IMPACT
Is there a Fiscal Impact? No
Is it Currently Budgeted? No
Where is it Budgeted? N/A
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? Mandatory
Is there a Staff Resource Impact? No
ATTACHMENTS
1. Ordinance No 25-536