San Ramon council to vote on municipal fee changes

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The San Ramon City Council is set Tuesday to consider approving new fees for a number of municipal services across a range of sectors within the city’s operations for the current fiscal year.

Councilmembers will conduct a required public hearing ahead of their vote on the recommended new fees for city services at their upcoming regular meeting, following an introduction of the proposed resolution at their March 28 meeting.

“Before the City can levy a new fee or service charge, or approve an increase in an existing fee or service charge, a local agency must hold at least one public hearing, at which oral or written presentation can be made, as part of a regularly scheduled meeting,” deputy city clerk Joan Snashall wrote in a staff report.

Prior to the March 28 meeting, the proposed fee schedule was reviewed by the city’s Finance Committee on March 6.

The proposed fee schedule will primarily see increases to fees for services under the city’s Community Development, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works departments.

Within community development, the proposed changes include increases to impact fees for developments within the city’s Westside Specific Plan and North Camino Ramon Specific Plan — by 3.57% for the former and 8.4% for the latter — as well as 8.4% increases for the School Age Child Care Fee and Park and Recreation Facility Impact Fee and the Affordable Housing Impact Fee.

In the Public Works Department, proposed changes include increased fees for subdivision and preliminary reviews by the engineering and transportation services divisions, as well as a 5.3% increase to all traffic and transportation impact mitigation fees across the city.

“This change will result in an increase in cost to the applicant, but will significantly improve cost recovery and this increase proposed rate falls within the range of what other surrounding cities charge,” Snashall wrote. “This rate is also consistent with the Planning general hourly rate.”

Increases for the Parks and Community Services Department under the proposed new fee schedule include an increase in application fees for small special events, from $50 to $100, and a new $300 fee for moderately sized events. The $600 fee for large events would remain unchanged.

The Bella Vista Room and the Russell Room at the Amador Rancho Community Center could also see hourly rental fees increased by $10 for residents, with a $1 hourly fee increase proposed for the use of grass fields.

Other proposed fee changes include a $2 fee increase for outdoor fitness permits, a $14 increase for tournament and special event fees, a $1 to $2 increase for the use of batting cages, and an $11 increase monthly per unit for storage facilities.

The San Ramon City Council is set to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday (April 25). The agenda is available here.