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Comprehensive User Fee Schedule

Definition

User fees are charges made to an individual for a service provided by a local government that primarily benefits that individual.

Background

As part of a general cost recovery strategy, local governments adopt user fees to fund programs and services that provide limited or no direct benefit to the community as a whole.  As cities struggle to maintain levels of service and variability of demand, they have become increasingly aware of subsidies provided by the General Fund and have implemented cost‐recovery targets. To the extent that governments use general tax monies to provide individuals with private benefits, and not require them to pay the full cost of the service (and, therefore, receive a subsidy), the government is limiting funds that may be available to provide other  community‐wide  benefits.  In  effect,  the  government  is  using  community  funds  to  pay  for  private  benefit. Unlike most revenue sources, cities have more control over the level of user fees they charge to recover costs, or the subsidies they can institute. 
Fees  in  California  are  required  to  conform  to  the  statutory  requirements  of  the  California  Constitution,  Proposition 218, and the California Code of Regulations.  The Code also requires that the City Council adopt fees by either ordinance or resolution, and that any fees in excess of the estimated total cost of rendering the related services must be approved by a popular vote of two‐thirds of those electors voting because the charge would be considered a tax and not a fee. 

History

It is a recommended best practice that a comprehensive review of cost of services and fees be performed every three to five years. As part of a general cost recovery strategy, local governments adopt user fees to fund programs and services that provide limited or no direct benefit to the community as a whole. User fees recover costs associated with providing specific services benefitting the user, thereby reducing the use of General Fund monies for such purposes. In order to update user fees, a CAP is needed to ensure costs associated with City central service departments are appropriately allocated to respective City operating functions. The City contracted with Willdan to assist with preparing an updated CAP and User Fee Study. 

The primary objective of this Fee Study was to determine the full costs incurred by the City for providing services. City staff in conjunction with Willdan Financial Services evaluated all costs of services and examined whether a reasonable relationship existed between the costs of providing services and current service fees, while ensuring compliance with Proposition 26, Proposition 218, and other applicable statutory requirements. The City undertook a comprehensive citywide review and evaluation of its user fee and rate charges resulting in a cost-based user fee study. The Study has calculated the full 100% cost of providing certain City services and provides a suggested fee to be charged as determined through discussion with City staff. Additionally, the study includes Building and Safety Fees that were not part of the previous user fee study.

Development Impact Fee Study

Comprehensive User Fees 

Effective July 1, 2024

FY 24/25 Fees

Effective February 3, 2024

FY 23/24 Fees

Effective July 1, 2022

FY 22/23 Fees

Effective July 1, 2021

FY 21/22 Fees