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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/2/2018 - STAFF REPORTS - 2B � �PpLMSA� �Z 6� V N 9�} �+roR}it0♦ FOOk CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT DATE: MAY 2, 2018 PUBLIC HEARING SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF RESOLUTION NO. 23854, MODIFYING CERTAIN USER FEES AND CHARGES BY IMPLEMENTING A CONSUMER PRICE INDEX INCREASE AND ADOPTING THE COMPREHENSIVE FEE SCHEDULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018-19. FROM: David H. Ready, City Manager BY: Finance Department SUMMARY The City Council will conduct a continued public hearing and take public testimony with respect to amending certain portions of Resolution No. 23854, modifying certain user fees for City Departments, implementing a Consumer Price Index (CPI) Adjustment, and modifying the Comprehensive Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2018-19. RECOMMENDATION: 1. Re-open the continued public hearing and receive public testimony. 2. Adopt Resolution No. "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING PORTIONS OF RESOLUTION NO. 23854, MODIFYING CERTAIN USER FEES AND CHARGES BY IMPLEMENTING A CONSUMER PRICE INDEX INCREASE AND ADOPTING THE COMPREHENSIVE FEE SCHEDULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018-19." STAFF ANALYSIS: Local governments are funded from a variety of sources, with the primary sources being taxes, subventions, fees, special charges, fines and grants. As the traditional provider of basic services, cities are relying more and more heavily on fees that are charged for various public services. Generally, State Law requires that fees charged by local agencies not exceed the reasonable estimated cost of providing the service. User fee services are those services performed by a q0 ITEM t �,_�. City Council Staff Report April 18, 2018-- Page 2 Comprehensive Fee Schedule governmental agency on behalf of a private citizen or group. The assumption underlying most fee recommendations is that the cost of services benefiting individuals, and not society as a whole, should be borne by the individual(s) receiving the benefit(s). In 2013, the City retained a consulting firm, Capital Accounting Partners, to prepare a User Fee Study. This study was prepared to ensure that the City was recovering the full cost of providing various public services and that fees were based upon the estimated reasonable cost of providing the type of service for which the fee is charged. Fees were substantially updated in 2015 to reflect the costs of providing those services as outlined in the report. It is the City's intent to retain a consulting firm approximately every five-years to prepare an updated comprehensive User Fee Study and thoroughly review all fees. These time/material studies and overhead calculations and allocations are expensive and very time-consuming for staff. During the interim, each year all fees are to be increased (or decreased) by a CPI index. This ensures fees remain reasonably related to costs and keep pace with increased costs without having to prepare a comprehensive study each year. (Note: A Request for Proposals to perform a study for FY 2019-20 has been issued and proposals are due by April 24, 2018.) Resolution No. 23854, unanimously adopted by the City Council on July 15, 2015, provides for annual fee adjustments. However, the automatic adjustment mechanism in Section 2.D. of Resolution No. 23854 is not indexed to CPI. It has been determined, based upon discussions with the Desert Valley Builders Association, that for FY 2018-19, effective July 1, 2018, most fees shall be adjusted 2.5% based upon CPI-U, West B/C. For Fiscal Year 2018-2019 and future years, the automatic adjustment mechanism in Section 2.D. would be repealed, and future increases for most fees would either be based upon CPI or a new fee/cost study. However, some fees are not subject to a CPI increase for various reasons such as: the fee having been set by contractual requirements of the City, the fee having been set by another Agency and only being collected by the City, or the fee being at a maximum allowable under law. To the extent that the Resolution proposed for adoption in this matter is inconsistent with Resolution No. 23854, this new Resolution supersedes the older approval. Parks and Recreation fees were also increased by 2.5%. However, per City Council direction, at an upcoming meeting, staff will be presenting a recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Commission to adopt fees adjusted based upon a more comprehensive fee structure modification. An additional comprehensive fee study and resolution forthcoming on or before June 6, 2018, will be based upon and provide for at least a partial recovery by the City of its permit issuance, administration, testing, and enforcement costs arising from regulation of cannabis businesses and activities pursuant to Ordinance 1933, codified in Chapters 5.45 and 5.55 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code. Additionally, each year the Departments, review the current fee schedule and may recommend minor modifications to the wording and description of certain fees and charges. Pursuant to the Fee Mitigation Act codified at 66000 et seq. of the California Government Code, in order to adopt building, zoning and other development fees subject to the Act, the City Council must make two factual findings in approving the proposed Resolution: 002 City Council Staff Report April 18, 2018-- Page 3 Comprehensive Fee Schedule First, the Council must find that City revenues during FY 2017-18 from fees for services subject to the Mitigation Fee Act, and reflected in the Comprehensive Fee Schedule as previously adjusted, did not exceed the actual cost of providing the services for which the fees were collected. Second, the Council must find that City revenues during FY 2018-19 from fees for services subject to the Mitigation Fee Act, and reflected in the Comprehensive Fee Schedule, do not exceed the estimated amount of funds required to provide the services for which they will be charged. In effect, the City must find that it is not making a "profit' from providing these services. In point of fact, the Finance Director/Treasurer advises that throughout his ten (10) years of service to the City, the City has never fully recovered its costs of providing any services subject to the Mitigation Fee Act through fees imposed for those services. FISCAL IMPACT: All proposed modifications to fees were incorporated in the Fiscal Year 2018-19 Budget. The CPI increase to current fees of 2.5% will result in an increase in projected General Fund revenue of approximately $250,000. GEOFFREY S. KIEHL DAVID H. READY Director of Finance and Treasurer City Manager EDWARD Z. KOTKIN City Attorney Attachments: Proposed Resolution (with Attachment indicating exclusions) Proposed Comprehensive Fee Schedule Notice of Public Hearing G03 RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING PORTIONS OF RESOLUTION NO. 23854, MODIFYING CERTAIN USER FEES AND CHARGES BY IMPLEMENTING A CONSUMER PRICE INDEX INCREASE AND ADOPTING THE COMPREHENSIVE FEE SCHEDULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018-19. WHEREAS, the City, under various statutory provisions under California Government Code, may set and collect fees for the costs of providing various public services to the community; and WHEREAS, the City Council approved by Resolution No. 23854 an updated Comprehensive Fee Schedule on July 15, 2015, approving certain amendments to said service fees; and WHEREAS, Section 2.D. of Resolution No. 23854 provided for service fees and charges to be adjusted annually by a percentage increase or decrease in said fees based upon the corresponding calculated change in the City's annual personnel costs for performing those services; and WHEREAS, based upon discussions between the City and the Desert Valley Builders Association for FY 2018-19, the City will not utilize the automatic adjustment mechanism in Section 2.D., but instead will utilize the Department of Labor's Consumer Price Index for February 2017 versus February 2018, CPI-U, West — B/C, to calculate the amount of change in said user fees, and that change is an increase of 2.5%; and WHEREAS, this adjustment to the Comprehensive Fee Schedule modifies certain development fees, permit fees, and/or regulatory fees that are subject to the Mitigation Fee Act, codified at California Government Code (CGC) §66000 et seq., and more specifically in accordance with CGC §66016, §66013, or §66014, and the City, in considering this modification, is adhering to the procedures of CGC §66016(a); WHEREAS, notice of an April 18, 2018 Public Hearing and the 2.5% CPI increase was published, posted and distributed on April 5, 2018, in accordance with the provisions of the California Government Code; WHEREAS, the April 18, 2018 public hearing was opened and then continued to May 2, 2018; WHEREAS, City revenues during FY 2017-18 from fees for services subject to the Mitigation Fee Act, and reflected in the Comprehensive Fee Schedule as previously adjusted, did not exceed the actual cost of providing the services for which the fees were collected; 004 Resolution No. Page 2 WHEREAS, City revenues during FY 2018-19 from fees for services subject to the Mitigation Fee Act, and reflected in the Comprehensive Fee Schedule adopted pursuant to this Resolution, do not exceed the estimated amount of funds required to provide the services for which they will be charged; WHEREAS, this Resolution reflects the City's discussions with the Desert Valley Builders Association, and to the extent that this Resolution is inconsistent with Resolution 23854 approved on July 15, 2015, this Resolution shall supersede and amend Resolution 23854; WHEREAS, by adopting this Resolution, the City Council is also articulating the City's policy for considering adjustments to the Comprehensive Fee Schedule in FY 2018-2019 and in future years; and WHEREAS, the City Council has considered any verbal and/or written testimony, and has reviewed and considered the information in the study and supporting data, and information provided at the public hearing by staff and the public. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, HEREBY RESOLVES, DETERMINES AND APPROVES AF FOLLOWS: A. The true and correct recitals above are incorporated by this reference herein as the basis and foundation for the City's adoption of this Resolution. B. Section 2.D. of Resolution 23854 is hereby repealed, effective for all fee adjustments in Fiscal Year 2018-2019 and future fiscal years. C. For Fiscal Year 2018-2019, all fees in the Comprehensive Fee Schedule shall be increased by two and one-half percent (2.5%) over Fiscal Year 2017-2018 rates. D. All new fees and charges subject and pursuant to California Government Code Section 66000 of seq. shall be effective not earlier than sixty (60) days after the adoption of this resolution. E. All new fees and charges other than those identified in section D above shall be effective July 1, 2018. F. The Director of Finance is hereby authorized and directed to incorporate said increased to fees and charges into the Comprehensive Fee Schedule. G. The City Council hereby declares the following as the City's policy for consideration of the Comprehensive Fee Schedule in Fiscal Year 2018-2019 and for future years, to ensure compliance with the Mitigation Fee Act and other applicable law: 005 Resolution No. Page 3 (1) The annual Comprehensive Fee Schedule utilized by the City shall be considered and acted upon by the City through a Fee Resolution directed solely and specifically to the Comprehensive Fee Schedule. (2) Insofar as the Comprehensive Fee Schedule contains development fees, permit fees, and/or regulatory fees that are subject to Government Code §66016, §66013, or §66014, the City shall follow the procedures of §66016(a) for the Fee Resolution, including but not limited to provision of notice of hearing on the Fee Resolution at least 14 days in advance of the hearing, and making available to the public 10 days in advance of the hearing the data indicating the amount of the cost, or estimated cost, required to provide the service for which the fee is collected and the revenue sources anticipated to provide the service, including General Fund revenues. (3) Insofar as the Comprehensive Fee Schedule contains development fees, permit fees, and/or regulatory fees that are subject to Government Code §66016, §66013, or §66014, the Fee Resolution shall contain —and the City Council must approve—a factual finding that each of said fees do not exceed the estimated amount required to provide the services for which they will be charged under the Fee Resolution and Comprehensive Fee Schedule. (4) Insofar as the Comprehensive Fee Schedule contains development fees, permit fees, and/or regulatory fees that are subject to Government Code §66016, §66013, and/or §66014, the Fee Resolution shall contain —and the City Council must approve— as to each of said fees either (1) a factual finding that the revenues in the last fiscal year did not exceed the actual cost of providing services for which the fee was collected, or (2) determine the excess of revenues over actual cost collected from that fee has collected and direct that the excess revenue be applied to reduce the fee or service charge creating the excess in subsequent fiscal years. (5) Insofar as the Comprehensive Fee Schedule contains development fees, permit fees, and/or regulatory fees that are subject to Government Code §66016, §66013, and/or §66014, and given that Government Code §66017 provides for a 60 day delay in the effective date after approval of said development fees, the Fee Resolution shall as a matter of scheduling and as a condition for the referenced development fees to be effective on the same preferred date of July 1 each year, along with all the non-development fees in the Comprehensive Fee Schedule, be set for hearing by the City Council more than 60 days before the planned July 1 effective date of the entire Comprehensive Fee Schedule. For the Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Comprehensive Fee Schedule, the fees will become effective on July 2, 2018. 006 Resolution No. Page 4 (6) The City Council reserves its discretion to consider and adopt, as the City Council sees fit, any increase in fees reflected on the Comprehensive Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2019-20 and future years based upon either: (i) the annual percent change in the Index for a month of the current year contrasted against the same month of the prior year; or (ii) a comprehensive fee study secured by the City, prepared, considered and relied upon during the City's consideration of the fee increase. The only limit upon the City Council's discretion in considering and adopting fee increases shall be its policies in Resolution No. 23854 as amended, compliance with the Mitigation Fee Act and other applicable law. The City's process of securing and developing a fee study, and considering and adopting any such future fee increases shall be consistent with the policy set forth in this Section G. PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED BY THE PALM SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL THIS 2nd DAY OF MAY, 2018. DAVID H. READY, CITY MANAGER ATTEST: ANTHONY J. MEJIA, MMC, CITY CLERK 007 Resolution No. Page 5 CERTIFICATION STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss. CITY OF PALM SPRINGS ) I, ANTHONY J. MEJIA, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that Resolution No. is a full, true and correct copy as was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs on April 18, 2018, by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ANTHONY J. MEJIA, MMC, CITY CLERK City of Palm Springs, California Dub CITY OF PALM SPRINGS PUBLIC NOTIFICATION a PM rP OP Pt v �I/fOaM Date: April 18, 2018 Subject: Modifications to the Comprehensive Fee Schedule AFFIDAVIT OF PUBLICATION I, Cynthia A. Berardi, CMC, Chief Deputy City Clerk, of the City of Palm Springs, California, do hereby certify that a copy of the attached Notice of Public Hearing was published in the Desert Sun on April 7, 2018. 1 declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. A, Cynthia A. Berardi, CMC Chief Deputy City Clerk AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING I, Cynthia A. Berardi, CMC, Interim Chief Deputy City Clerk, of the City of Palm Springs, California, do hereby certify that a copy of the attached Notice of Public Hearing was posted at City Hall, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Drive, on the exterior legal notice posting board, and in the Office of the City Clerk on April 5, 2018. 1 declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Cynthia A. Be rdi, CMC Chief Deputy City Clerk O09 CITY COUNCIL CITY OF PALM SPRINGS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING COMPREHENSIVE FEE SCHEDULE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Palm Springs, California, will hold a public hearing at its meeting of April 18, 2018. The City Council meeting begins at 6:00 PM, in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs. The purpose of this hearing is to solicit public comments and consider the proposed modifications to user fees and charges prior to the adoption of a Resolution revising and updating the City's Comprehensive Fee Schedule, and to include a 2.5% CPI increase to certain fees previously authorized by the City Council. Under state law all fees charged by the City must be reasonably related to the actual cost of providing various public services. REVIEW OF INFORMATION: The staff report and other supporting documents regarding this are available for public review at City Hall between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Please contact the Office of the City Clerk at (760) 323-8204 if you would like to schedule an appointment to review these documents. COMMENTS: Response to this notice can be made verbally at the Public Hearing and/or in writing before the hearing. Written comments can be made to the City Council by letter (for mail or hand delivery) to: Anthony J. Mejia, City Clerk 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way Palm Springs, CA 92262 Any challenge of the proposed project in court may be limited to raising only those issues raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Clerk at, or prior to, the public hearing. (Government Code Section 65009(b)(2)). An opportunity will be given at said hearing for all interested persons to be heard. Questions regarding this case may be directed to Geoffrey S. Kiehl, Director of Finance and Treasurer, at (760) 323-8229. Si necesita ayuda con esta carta, favor de Ilamar a la Ciudad de Palm Springs y comuniquese con Ariana Muniz al (760) 323-8229. A ony a is City Clerk �1 � Deborah McGarrey, Public Affairs Desert Valley Builders BIA Manager Association Riverside County Chapter» Sempra Utilities 75100 Mediterranean 3891 11th Street 75095 Mayfair Drive Palm Desert, CA 92211 Riverside, CA 92501 Palm Desert, CA 92211-5102 Oil PAL - City of Palm Springs Office of the City Clerk 3200 E.Tahquitz Canyon Way • Palm Springs, California 92262 Tel: 760.323.8204 • Fax: 760.322.8332 •TDD 760.864.9527 •www.paimspringsca.gov C'941FQRN�P NOTICE OF CONTINUANCE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Regular Meeting held on April 18, 2018, the City Council continued Public Hearing Item No. 2.D. to May 2, 2018: 2.D. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, MODIFYING CERTAIN USER FEES AND CHARGES BY IMPLEMENTING A CONSUMER PRICE INDEX INCREASE AND ADOPTING THE COMPREHENSIVE FEE SCHEDULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018-19: ACTION: 1. Continue the Public Hearing to May 2, 2018, with no public testimony at this time. 2. Direct the City Clerk to post a Notice of Continued Public Hearing pursuant to law. I, Cynthia A. Berardi, Chief Deputy City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, California, certify this Notice of Continuance was posted at or before 7:00 p.m. on April 19, 2018, as required by established policies and procedures. �?41114P CYNTHWA. BERARDI, CMC Chief Deputy City Clerk 0 ? Post Office Box 2743 • Palm Springs, California 92263-2743