Fees shall be collected to compensate the department for preapplication review, and special handling and review associated with any development permit set forth in this title. Special review fees include review pursuant to Chapter 19.35 KMC, Environmental Procedures; Chapter 18.55 KMC, Critical Areas; KMC § 13.35.070, Engineering plans for the purposes of drainage review; fees to review any needed compliance monitoring; fees for written certification of code compliance or exemption; Endangered Species Act review and inspection fees; and processing fees for appeals to or from the zoning and subdivision examiner pursuant to Chapter 19.30 KMC.
A.
Preapplication Fees. Preapplication fees shall compensate the department for preliminary review and evaluation of critical areas fees and for advising the permit applicant on environmental review prior to the submittal of a formal application for a permit. Preapplication review fees may be also be charged for review of permit applications required by other City agencies and for any requested services not associated with a permit application. Preapplication fees shall be hourly fees collected at the time preapplication review services are rendered.
B.
City Environmental Procedures Fees. City environmental procedures (SEPA) fees shall be divided into two types:
1.
Checklist fees to compensate for the copying, distributing, mailing and processing of the environmental checklist; and
2.
Supplemental fees to compensate for review, processing, mailing and publication costs associated with the preparation of a determination of nonsignificance (DNS), a mitigated determination of nonsignificance (MDNS), a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), a final environmental impact statement (FEIS), a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) and any addenda associated with the above environmental documents.
The checklist fee shall be a base fee payable upon development permit application submittal, and an hourly fee. The hourly fee shall apply following six hours of staff review of the checklist. In no case, however, shall the checklist fee exceed the total fee for the underlying permit. Supplemental fees shall be based on an hourly charge for time spent by City employees in the review, preparation, supervision of preparation and distribution of a DNS, a MDNS, a DS, a DEIS, a FEIS or a SEIS. Supplemental fees shall be charged for the preparation of and consultation on staff reports, permit conditions and public hearing testimony after the publication of a DEIS, FEIS, SEIS, or MDNS on the underlying permit. No supplemental fees shall be charged for any review or work performed in response to an appeal of a threshold determination. Supplemental fees shall also include all costs, if any, for experts and consultants not employed by the county, and for texts, printing or other actual costs required for the preparation and distribution of the DNS, MDNS, DS, DEIS, FEIS or SEIS. In no case shall supplemental fees be charged for review of the completed DNS, MDNS, DS, DEIS, FEIS or SEIS by City officials part of the decision-making process or for existing studies or general information already in City files. Supplemental fees shall be collected at regular intervals as the preparation of the DNS, MDNS, DS, DEIS, FEIS or SEIS proceeds, provided a deposit shall be collected prior to commencement of DNS, MDNS, DEIS, FEIS or SEIS preparation to cover initial costs. Any unexpended balance shall be refunded.
C.
Critical Area Fees. Critical area fees are distinguished by the type of development permit under review, and are differentiated by the complexity of the review involved. As such, critical area review fees for residential building permits, shoreline permits and individual short subdivision applications shall be distinguished from critical area review in conjunction with commercial building permits, grading permits, subdivisions, planned unit developments, reclassifications, variances, conditional use permits and right-of-way use permits.
1.
Complex Critical Areas Review. Complex critical areas review involving site visits, comprehensive review of technical studies or the development of special conditions of approval shall be charged a higher review fee than projects requiring only basic critical areas review involving limited review of special studies, and the assignment of standard conditions of approval.
2.
Basic Residential Permit Critical Areas Fees. Basic residential permit critical areas review fees may be reduced in those instances where multiple permit submittals can be reviewed during a single combined site visit. Residential building permit review fees shall be waived for permits filed subsequent to shoreline permits involving critical areas review.
3.
Special Fees. Special fees may be charged for the department’s processing and review of critical areas variances, reasonable use exceptions, inspection and monitoring or utility exemptions.
4.
Hourly Fees. Hourly fees may only be charged as noted in this section or if authorized by a section manager, and only after an applicant has been notified that hourly charges are being assessed.
D.
All appeals to the zoning and subdivision examiner, or from decisions of the examiner, shall be charged a fixed fee to help defray the cost associated with appeal processing. Appeal fees shall be paid at the time of appeal submittal.
E.
Departmental review of road vacation requests, road standard variances and drainage standard variances shall be charged a fixed fee to help defray the cost associated with these reviews. These review fees shall be paid at the time of submittal for the review. Hourly fees may be charged for those review types that vary in review time. These review fees shall be collected at the time services are rendered. If a deposit is required, any unexpended balance shall be refunded.
F.
Master Drainage Plan Fees. Master drainage plan review fees shall be hourly, based on all staff time required at preplanning and scoping meetings and review and monitoring of the master drainage plans. Fees shall be collected at regular intervals as the review of the master drainage plan proceeds.
G.
Compliance Review Fees. Review fees shall be based on an hourly fee to compensate for the review and analysis of monitoring results needed to determine compliance with approved plans and conditions and the implementation of a contingency plan or determination of additional mitigation, if necessary.
H.
Endangered Species Act Review and Inspection Fees. Endangered Species Act (ESA) review and inspection fees shall be collected to cover the costs to the department of the enhanced processing, inspecting and reviewing of permit applications, plans and development activity that are necessary to better protect the salmonid species that is proposed to be listed under the ESA. The fees are assessed as a fixed rate, imposed by the city council by resolution.
(Ord. 98-0020 § 1 (KCC 27.24.010); Ord. 99-0058 § 1; Ord. 02-0139 § 1)