[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of
West Reading 12-20-2011 by Ord.
No. 1005. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Any applicant of any permit application, plan review, zoning
application, appeal or similar application submitted or to be submitted
to the Borough of West Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (the "Borough")
who requests to confer with professional(s) engaged by the Borough,
including but not limited to engineers, attorneys and accountants,
regarding such application prior to the submission of such application
or after the rejection of such application but prior to the filing
of an appeal for such application, shall be charged a fee which shall
be equal to the cost of the professional(s) fees charged to the Borough
for such conference(s) and all other expenses incidental thereto.
The applicant shall deposit with the Borough Manager, or his
or her designee, at the time of any such request funds to cover the
estimated costs of such conferences and expenses in an amount to be
reasonably determined by the Borough Manager, or his or her designee,
to be sufficient to pay for such anticipated fees and expenses, but
in no event more than $2,500, which funds shall be held in escrow
by the Borough Manager, or his or her designee, in a non-interest-bearing
Borough account and applied to the payment of such fees and expenses.
In the event the remaining escrowed funds, after the application
of appropriate fees and expenses and prior to the completion of the
anticipated conferences, is less than $500, the applicant shall pay
to the Borough Manager, or his or her designee, an amount equal to
the difference between the original escrowed funds and the current
balance remaining in the escrowed funds.
Upon completion of all such conferences, the applicant shall
apply to the Borough Manager, or his or her designee, for the return
of any escrowed funds remaining after application of all appropriate
fees and expenses. The Borough Manager, or his or her designee, shall,
within 15 days after receipt of request for return of the remaining
escrowed funds and payment in full of all outstanding fees and expenses
pertaining thereto, return to the applicant the remaining funds, together
with a list of all funds expended and to whom such funds were paid.
