In order to promote the public health, safety and welfare by providing for orderly development within the city and to administer the planning laws and regulations of the city, the city must maintain a planning department. The policy of the city is that the cost of providing planning services should be borne to the extent possible by those who benefit from the service. In establishing planning fees, it is the intent of the city that the fees be set at a level that covers the cost of providing such services.
(Prior code § 2.70.010; Ord. 93-8 § 1, 1993)
A. 
Planning fees are established for, and shall be paid prior to, the processing of any planning application within the city.
B. 
The city council shall, by resolution, set forth the specific amount of the fees. The amount of the fees shall be in reasonable relation to the costs of processing the application which is the subject of the fee.
C. 
The city council shall each year review the fees to determine whether such fees accurately reflect the cost of processing the application which is being assessed the fee.
D. 
Fees established in this chapter shall be used only to pay the direct costs of the processing of the application, including city staff salaries, payments to contract staff, travel costs, and other reasonable expenses incurred during processing of planning applications for the city.
E. 
Any person subject to planning fees may appeal to the city council for an adjustment, reduction or waiver of such fees based on the absence of any reasonable relationship between the amount of the fee and the cost of providing the service. The appeal shall be made in writing and filed with the city clerk, along with any applicable appeal fees, and shall state the factual basis for the appeal. The city council shall consider the appeal within 60 days of receipt of the appeal, though council action on the appeal may be continued from time to time. The decision of city council on the appeal shall be final. If an appeal for adjustment, reduction or waiver from fees is granted, any change in the development proposal shall invalidate the adjustment, reduction or waiver.
(Prior code § 2.70.020; Ord. 93-8 § 1, 1993)