[Adopted 4-9-2003, effective 5-9-2003 (Ch. 5, Art. VIII,
of the 1983 Code); amended 5-9-2007, effective 6-8-2007]
In accordance with the authority granted in
Connecticut General Statutes, § 8-1c, the Board of Selectmen
hereby establishes a schedule of fees for the processing of land use
applications to the Town Plan and Zoning Commission and Zoning Board
of Appeals.
Application fees are established as set forth
below to defray the various costs associated with land use applications
to the Town Plan and Zoning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.
Such costs include, but are not limited to:
A. Expenses incurred for staff time spent undertaking
or participating in the review, evaluation, and processing of applications
from submission of an application until final action on the application.
B. Expenses incurred for, but not limited to, legal advertisements
regarding hearings, decisions of land use agencies and other matters
requiring publication in a newspaper, recording public hearings and
composition of minutes of land use agency meetings relative to an
application, abutter notices, staff salaries and overhead expenses.
C. Consultant expenses for the technical and regulatory
review related to an application.
In accordance with Connecticut General Statutes,
§ 8-1c, the foregoing schedule of fees shall supersede any
specific fees set forth in the general statutes, or any special act,
or set forth in the Zoning Regulations for the Town of Woodbridge
and the Subdivision Regulations for the Town of Woodbridge, or as
may have been otherwise heretofore established pursuant to § 8-26
of the Connecticut General Statutes. Fees for applications not specifically
enumerated above shall not be affected by this article.
Application filing fees may include additional
costs incurred by the Town of Woodbridge, including but not limited
to the expense of retaining experts to analyze, review and report
on areas requiring a detailed, technical review in order to assist
the Town Plan and Zoning Commission in its deliberations Upon receipt
of an application by the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, the Commission
may determine that, in order to fully and properly review and evaluate
the application, such expertise would assist the Commission. In that
case the following procedure shall apply:
A. Upon five business days' notice to the applicant identifying
the names of the expert and the expert's estimated proposed fee(s),
the Commission may retain one or more consultants, whose fees times
150% shall be paid by the applicant.
B. If the applicant fails or refuses to deposit the consultant's
estimated fee times 150%, the application shall be considered to be
incomplete.
C. At its next regularly scheduled meeting the Commission
shall note in its minutes that the application is considered incomplete.
D. The fact that the application is considered incomplete
shall be sufficient ground for denial of the application.
E. The Commission may, but shall not be required to,
deny the application without prejudice, if equitable circumstances
exist that have prevented or excused the payment of the consultant's
fee in accordance with this article.
F. Upon completion of the technical review and determination
of the costs incurred, any excess will be refunded to the applicant.
G. The applicant shall not be responsible for costs incurred
in excess of 150% of the Commission's estimate.
Permit fees shall be doubled if an application
is submitted as the result of a zoning enforcement action, and/or
site or building work, which has commenced without required Town of
Woodbridge zoning permits and approvals.
[Amended 3-3-2009, effective 4-3-2009]
The Board of Selectmen shall have the right
to waive the payment of any land use fee enumerated above for any
application filed by any board, commission, department, subdivision,
quasi-town agency funded in whole or in part by the Town, regional
entity of which the Town is a member, or officer or official of the
Town of Woodbridge, provided any waiver to an officer or official
shall only be granted when such individual is acting in his or her
official capacity.