City Departments collect a wide variety of fees for permits, services, fines and other charges that are all part of everyday operations of municipal government. Since September 2008, the fees have been incorporated into a single fee schedule. Ordinance 08-M-43 established the consolidated fee schedule and allows for the modification of existing fees to be done by resolution while new fees are established or added to the Fee Schedule by ordinance.
The Fee Schedule ordinance provides a single document with all City fees that directly affect the users. The changes to the fees ensure the continued operation of public utilities, provides for essential services to the community and to adequately maintain the investment in existing infrastructure. All changes to the fee schedule will have a 45-day period before the new fees take effect. This allows staff to update and advise citizens on the upcoming changes. The recommended effective date of these fee changes will be October 1, 2020.
The Event Facilities will add a cleaning/sanitization fee of $150. This proposed cleaning fee is considered a deterrent fee (not a penalty fee) but could be an optional fee if a renter chooses. To be clear, regardless of the fee being charged, the facilities are cleaned and sanitized at the end of each event either by Civic Center staff or by the cleaning contract. The intent of this fee is to prevent the City from absorbing additional costs generated by increased cleaning standards that came as a result from COVID-19.
The City now has an increased responsibility for ensuring the rooms, common areas, surfaces, and inventory are thoroughly sanitized after each use. In researching how other venues around us are addressing this additional workload we found that the majority are requiring a certain degree of cleaning to be done by the renter before the end of their event. This is a change staff supports as it will help divide the cleaning workload between renters and staff. This will allow event staff the proper time to sanitize all areas and inventory to include, tables, chairs, dancefloor, bar, up-lights, A/V equipment, rental room, kitchen and appliances, common areas, frequently touched surfaces, and restrooms. However, in the instance a renter chooses not to adhere to the cleaning standards set in the contract - wipe down all kitchen appliances used, broom clean the rental room and kitchen area, and ensure all trash (inside and outside) is in a trash receptacle - after their event then this fee would apply and would be deducted from their deposit. This fee could also be charged before an event if a renter elected to pay this cleaning fee up front to avoid any cleaning after their event or deductions from their deposit. In this instance we would schedule the cleaning crew to perform sanitization support while our staff addresses the rest of the cleaning. The $150 fee is something that was quoted from the contracted cleaning company and based on what other venues charge staff feels this fee is appropriate.
The Community Centers will also adjust the dates their weekend rental rates are in effect by moving Sunday to the lower fee level. Sunday is not as popular with renters and staff hopes to generate additional bookings with a lower rate. The Community Centers will also set a daily maximum rate for renters to help keep rental fees reasonable for those who wish to rent for longer than 6 hours in a day. Renters can use the facility up to 12 hours per day but their fee will be capped at $350 for the North Center and $450 for the Central Center. Currently, these facilities could be a higher fee than the Bluebonnet Hall when in use for 8 consecutive hours and that was not the intent. The hourly fees will still be in place as they are still a great option for those looking for an even more affordable rental and those who only wish to be in the room for a few hours.
The City Events are also proposing changes in fees. The Kick Cancer event will now offer a cheaper entry fee for non-timed participants.
Kickball will increase its registration fee by $40 per team to cover the cost of paying referees next season. Staff found it difficult to get referees for games since they were unpaid volunteers.
Jubilee is increasing its business parade entry to match local comparable fees; non-profits can still enter at no costs. Staff is not planning to have business vendor spots in the park during the event since they were not a good vendor type for the event. Staff is also planning a T-shirt decorating contest with an entry fee of $7.
A new Cornhole League is being proposed for next year at $40 registration for individual.
The Dodgeball League did not generate enough interest in the community and will be removed from the schedule next year.
Holidazzle is adding the $10 fee for Breakfast with Santa to the fee schedule. There is no change to this fee, it will now be included on the fee schedule.
Animal Services is removing fees related to pet licensing to match the new Microchipping Ordinance.
Mobile Vendor permits have been reduced from $150 to $100 and if they have a permit issued by another government agency, they are proposed to only pay a registration fee of $25 instead of an entirely new permit.
Permits added some clarifying language to their review fees and the permits required for solar installation.
Currently, the City charges $500 for in ground pools and $200 for above ground pools. Per the adopted building code, "prefabricated swimming pools that are less than 24 inches in depth" are exempt from needing a permit - and thus would not pay a fee. This generally applies to plastic kiddie pools. Staff is recommending lowering the fee for above ground pools (when required) to $25. This ensures residents are made aware of safety related building code requirements - audible alarms on doors or gates to the pool, ensuring safe electrical connections for pumps, etc. Staff will note in the fee schedule that a permit is not required for prefabricated pools less than 24" in dept and will develop a one page customer handout.
Based on City Council feedback on decks, staff is recommending lowering the permit fee for flatwork/decks from $225 to $100 and not requiring a plan check fee with these. This fee covers the review and inspections for decks and by requiring a permit, residents can be assured that decks they pay for are constructed to Code. As and example, this change will drop what a resident pays for permitting and plan check from about $325 to $100.
The Drainage permit fees are also proposed to increase and have different amounts for residential and commercial. This change will set our fees equal to Cibolo as well as cover the cost of issuing these permits. This fee will increase from $20 to $50 for residential and $150 for commercial.
|