[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Round Lake 6-21-2023 by L.L. No. 5-2023. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A. 
This chapter is titled "Fees and Reimbursements of Costs and Expenses." It is the purpose of this chapter to make it easier for those required to pay fees or to reimburse the Village of Round Lake for costs and expenses to find and accurately determine such amounts, and to assist the Village of Round Lake in collecting such amounts. Where the fees set forth in this chapter conflict with fees in other portions of the Code of the Village of Round Lake, the provisions of this chapter shall control. Fees and reimbursements appearing elsewhere in the Code of the Village of Round Lake which do not appear in this chapter are not eliminated by not appearing in this chapter. Nothing herein shall be read to diminish any of the procedural or substantive rights of the Village of Round Lake established elsewhere in the Code of the Village of Round Lake. Unless otherwise stated, all fees charged by the Village shall be deemed administrative fees.
B. 
This chapter does not apply to penalties for code violations which are determined or ordered by a court of law.
A. 
In addition to any other tools or rights possessed by the Village of Round Lake set forth elsewhere in the Code of the Village of Round Lake, failure to timely pay any fees or to reimburse costs and expenses by a person holding any right, permit, certificate or license issued or administered by the Village shall give the absolute right to the person, department or board of the Village which has issued such right, permit, certificate or license to terminate or suspend the same by either:
(1) 
Mailing notice of such termination or suspension by certified mail, return receipt requested, to such person (Note: Such mailing shall be to the address left by the person having such right, permit, license or certificate with the person, department or board within the Village which issued the same. Service shall be effective whether or not the mail receipt has been signed and returned by the intended recipient.);
(2) 
Effectuating personal service (as defined in New York Civil Practice Law and Rules §§ 308 through 312-a, inclusive, as the same may from time to time be amended) of such notice upon such person; or
(3) 
Posting a copy of such notice on the real property which is the subject of the right, permit, certificate or license.
B. 
The Village may, on the same basis, refuse to grant further rights, permits, certificates or licenses, or direct suspension of the provision of services or expenses on behalf of the person, without prior notice. Any suspension made under this section shall toll any period of time in which a board is otherwise required to act or made a determination.
No person, department or board of or within the Village of Round Lake may grant any variation in the amount of fees or reimbursements of costs and expenses, except that the Village Board of Trustees may vary or waive the same at a regularly scheduled or duly noticed public meeting or hearing for a not-for-profit or charitable organization.
Any person may contest the accuracy of fees or reimbursements of costs and expenses to the person, department or board imposing such fees or reimbursements in writing. In addition to any other meeting, correspondence or other informal efforts to resolve such a dispute, the person, department or board imposing such fees or reimbursements shall respond in writing, giving the basis for its calculation of the amount due. If this does not resolve the dispute, any aggrieved person may appeal to the Village Board of Trustees, stating that person's position in writing.
Any cost, including court or County Clerk filing fees, reasonable attorneys' fees, service-of-process fees, research fees, stenographic fees, experts' fees, publication fees, and the like, which are incurred by the Village of Round Lake in enforcing the payment of fees or the reimbursements of cost and expenses as set forth in this chapter, or elsewhere in the Code of the Village of Round Lake, shall be paid by the person who has not paid such fees or the reimbursements of cost and expenses.
A. 
Persons obtaining rights, permits, licenses and certificates from the Village of Round Lake shall pay the fees set forth on the Village Administrative Fees Matrix annexed as Table A to this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The Village Administrative Fees Matrix is on file in the Village offices.
B. 
Persons asking the Village to incur direct costs (e.g., mailings, publication) shall prepay such costs to the Village in an amount equal to such costs as estimated by the department or office arranging for the expenditure. If the estimate was more or less than the actual expense, the Village shall promptly notify the person responsible for payment and either reimburse such person the amount overpaid, or the person shall reimburse the Village for the amount underpaid.
C. 
Whenever a person making an application to any Village board, department or office ("applicant") is required by the Village Code to pay the Village's professional costs (which may include, but are not limited to, engineering, architectural and legal fees), estimated fees shall be paid into the Village to cover such costs as follows:
(1) 
When the professional is not an employee of the Village, the Village's professional shall submit an estimate to the Village Building Department of its fees and other charges for reviewing the application, including, but not limited to, compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, any on-site inspections required to be made by the Village, and any research and document generation, but excluding any time which the professional may spend in regularly scheduled board meetings concerning the application. An amount equal to the estimated costs of the professional services shall be paid to the Village Building Department by the applicant prior to the applicant being heard by any board or otherwise acted upon. The Building Department will maintain a separate account for all escrow deposits. The Village's professional shall bill the Village monthly for its services on behalf of the applicant in reviewing such application and performing inspections. These monthly billings shall be charged against the applicant's escrow balance. If at any time during the review and approval process the applicant's escrow account shows a negative balance, additional funds must be submitted to the Village Building Department before any further action will be taken on the application. If at the conclusion of the review and approval process the amount of such services is more than the amount escrowed pursuant hereto, the applicant shall pay the difference to the Village Building Department prior to final action on the application (e.g., filing determinations, the issuance of a building permits or certificate of occupancy), and in the event the amount held in escrow by the Village Building Department is more than the amount of the actual billing of the Village's professional, the difference shall be promptly refunded to the applicant.
(2) 
When the professional is an employee of the Village, the Village Building Department, in consultation with the Village Treasurer and the employed professional, shall estimate the Village's cost for the time the professional will spend reviewing the application, including, but not limited to, determining compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, and conducting any on-site inspections he or she deems appropriate, and any necessary research and document generation, but excluding any time which the professional may spend in regularly scheduled board meetings concerning the application. An amount equal to the estimated costs of the professional services shall be paid to the Village Building Department by the applicant prior to the applicant being heard by any board or otherwise acted upon. The Building Department will maintain a separate account for all escrow deposits. The Village's employed professional shall maintain a record of the time spent in the execution of his or her duties with respect to the application and provide that information to the Building Department on a monthly basis. The time so spent shall be charged against the applicant's escrow balance by multiplying that time against the annualized salary of the employed professional, including the cost of benefits and statutorily required employer tax contributions. If at any time during the review and approval process the applicant's escrow account shows a negative balance, additional funds must be submitted to the Village Building Department before any further action will be taken on the application. If at the conclusion of the review and approval process the amount of such services is more than the amount escrowed pursuant hereto, the applicant shall pay the difference to the Village Building Department prior to final action on the application (e.g., filing determinations, the issuance of a building permits or certificate of occupancy), and in the event the amount held in escrow by the Village Building Department is more than the amount of the actual billing of the Village's professional, the difference shall be promptly refunded to the applicant.
(3) 
Any suspension of an application made for failure to make the payments required by this section shall toll any period of time in which a board is otherwise required to act or made a determination.
Fees set forth in the chapter or elsewhere within the Code of the Village of Round Lake may be revised, amended, supplemented or eliminated by resolution of the Village Board of Trustees. The Village Administrative Fees Matrix annexed as Table A to this chapter[1] may be revised, amended or supplemented by resolution of the Village Board of Trustees. Absent action by the Village Board of Trustees, the fees set forth in the Village Administrative Fees Matrix and elsewhere in the Code of the Village of Round Lake shall be increased by 2.5% per year to account for inflation, on the first of January, 2024, and on the first of January each year thereafter.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Village Administrative Fees Matrix is on file in the Village offices.