 |
Except for maybe the prices of items at the local dollar store, few things cost the same as they did back in 2003.
So it should come as no surprise that officials at the city of Spokane Valley are looking to raise the cost of doing business of several city services. Whether it’s the fire department looking to recoup the cost of conducting a review of underground fire mains ($150 to $165) or the parks department renting out a picnic shelter for less than 200 people ($30 to $50), it’s normal for prices to go up eventually.
But when the economy is bad and every dollar counts, the city should try to give its citizens a break, Mayor Richard Munson said Tuesday.
“My thing is that I think it’s the wrong time to raise prices,” Munson told the council.
Since Spokane Valley incorporated in 2003, council members and city staff have been mindful to try to recapture the costs of doing business. Processing building permits or cleaning up after a wedding at a park take the time of city employees, and that cost is recaptured through fees collected of various services.
Once a year, the city’s finance department goes through the list of services the city charges for – whether it’s processing a developer’s zone change request ($1,500) or providing coffee for a wedding at CenterPlace ($100). Fees go up if it’s determined it costs the city more than what it’s paying out in time, manpower and supplies.
After comparing Spokane Valley’s fee structure to other municipalities, Ken Thompson, city finance director, said the city did “tend to track at the higher end of the scale.”
One of the more contentious items is whether or not the city should be charging $250 for a “pre-application meeting” with staff to anyone looking to apply for a building permit. Some council members questioned whether it was necessary or if it was a service that staff should simply provide city taxpayers.
“There’s no question in my mind that the pre-application meeting, if taken seriously, saves time,” said Kathy McClung, city community development director.
By getting traffic, building and development personnel all in the same room and doing necessary research for possible applicants, the $250 is a “good deal” for citizens, McClung added. Many times, however, nothing ever develops beyond the initial meeting.
McClung suggested that the $250 could be deducted from the application fee if the proposal moves forward. That idea was welcomed by the council.
Still, come council members were cool on the suggestion that there should be a 5-percent across-the-board increase in all city fees since Spokane Valley incorporated. Only those that haven’t gone up since 2003 should go up, said Council Member Steve Taylor.
“I have a problem with COLAs (cost of living adjustments),” Taylor said.
The council will take up the issue again at a future meeting after city staff brings forward some updated numbers.
|
|
By
Mike Huffman
