title
TRAFFIC STUDY REVIEW FEES (B)
Ordinance No. 0-08-08
An ordinance of the City of Gainesville, Florida, amending Appendix A, Schedule of Fees, Rates and Charges, for Land Development Code Petitions, Applications and Development Fees, by adding traffic study review fees; providing directions to the codifier; providing a severability clause; providing a repealing clause; and providing an immediate effective date.
recommendation
The City Commission adopt the proposed ordinance.
explanation
FINANCE DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT
On July 26, 2007, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 070229, to approve the Proposed Tentative General Government Financial and Operating Plan, and authorized the City Attorney to draft and the Clerk of the Commission to advertise certain ordinances increasing certain existing fees and charges and creating new fees and charges.
PUBLIC WORKS STAFF REPORT
At its meeting of February 25, 2008, the City Commission continued first reading of this ordinance to March 24, 2008, in response to concerns expressed by a representative of the Gainesville Builders Association. On March 3, 2008, Public Works staff attended the monthly meeting of the Gainesville Builders' Association to discuss the proposed fees. At its meeting, the Builders' Association recommended that: (1) the references to numeric thresholds (i.e., peak hour trips) be removed from the ordinance text, and (2) the amount of the fees be reduced by 50% until the city's fee study (currently underway) is concluded.
Public Works Staff does not object to removing the numeric thresholds as the thresholds are defined in the traffic study guidelines promulgated and maintained by the Public Works Department and can be referenced as such in the ordinance. In regards to the fee structure, the original budget proposal in July 2007 was to establish a flat rate of $2,000 for each traffic study review. In reviewing the matter further, Public Works Staff recommended a tiered fee structure to allow for "minor traffic study" reviews at the $1,000 rate and "major traffic study" reviews at the $2,000 rate. Public Works staff estimates the actual staff time and resource cost for each "minor traffic study" review to be an average of $1,300 and each "major traffic study" review to be an average of $3,700. Therefore, staff does not recommend a further reduction in the proposed fees.
CITY ATTORNEY MEMORANDUM
Certain of the new fees, including the fees created by this ordinance, required further review and development by the Office of the City Attorney and the Public Works and Planning and Development Services Departments before being brought back to the City Commission.
This ordinance requires two hearings. Should the Commission adopt this ordinance on first reading, second and final reading of the ordinance will be April 14, 2008.