The Fremont County Commissioners listened to public reaction to proposed hikes in zoning and subdivision fees at the Board’s January 10th regular meeting. The Commissioners conducted a public hearing on the proposed new fee schedules which resulted from a comprehensive study of ‘cost of service’ by Eric Parrish of the Public Resource Management Group in Denver. The County spent $6,200 to have Parrish prepare the study to determine how much time and resources the staff in the Planning and Zoning Department spend on various applications.
The testimony included comments that fees for lot line and boundary line adjustments would hurt the ‘little guys’ who split up small parcels or clean up boundary problems if those fees are increased by three times the present amount. There were also concerns voiced that with other development costs escalating such as fire district impact fees and water tap fees, the higher subdivision fees would only serve to discourage growth. The Commissioners also received some comment that the fee increases are appropriate because developers should pay for the cost of growth instead of taxpayers. Some local surveyors and engineers also suggested streamlining the application process to reduce cost of service.
The Commissioners voted to table any action on the proposed fees until the January 24th board meeting. The Commissioners have asked Planning Department Director Bill Giordano to analyze some of the specific ideas offered by citizens at the public hearing. The Commissioners also plan to examine what the impact would be to estimated revenues if certain fee increases were phased in over a longer period of time.
The Commissioners say they were pleased with the turnout of citizens at the public hearing noting that they took extra steps to publicize the hearing and to post tables comparing present fees with the proposed increases on the county’s website. Commissioner Ed Norden said “the board was actively seeking comment in order to get a feel for public sentiment on raising fees on a portion of county services where we continue to see more demand because of growth in Fremont County”.
The testimony included comments that fees for lot line and boundary line adjustments would hurt the ‘little guys’ who split up small parcels or clean up boundary problems if those fees are increased by three times the present amount. There were also concerns voiced that with other development costs escalating such as fire district impact fees and water tap fees, the higher subdivision fees would only serve to discourage growth. The Commissioners also received some comment that the fee increases are appropriate because developers should pay for the cost of growth instead of taxpayers. Some local surveyors and engineers also suggested streamlining the application process to reduce cost of service.
The Commissioners voted to table any action on the proposed fees until the January 24th board meeting. The Commissioners have asked Planning Department Director Bill Giordano to analyze some of the specific ideas offered by citizens at the public hearing. The Commissioners also plan to examine what the impact would be to estimated revenues if certain fee increases were phased in over a longer period of time.
The Commissioners say they were pleased with the turnout of citizens at the public hearing noting that they took extra steps to publicize the hearing and to post tables comparing present fees with the proposed increases on the county’s website. Commissioner Ed Norden said “the board was actively seeking comment in order to get a feel for public sentiment on raising fees on a portion of county services where we continue to see more demand because of growth in Fremont County”.