Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on an Ordinance Amending the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 42 - Fire Prevention and Protection and Appendix A, Schedule of Fees Relating to Fire Plan and Inspection Fees
summary
MEETING DATE: April 5, 2011
DEPARTMENT: Fire Department
CONTACT: Mark Wallace, Fire Chief
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION: Approve Ordinance
ITEM SUMMARY:
• Current Fee - $ 0.04 per square foot of building
• Proposed Fee - $0.05 per square foot of building
• FY0910 total fees collected at $ 0.04 rate = $ 57, 927
• FY1011 year-to-date fees collected = $ 11,637
• If current fee was $ 0.05 so far in FY1011, we would have collected an additional $ 2,909.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• The last time this fee was increased was in 2007 when it was increased from $ 0.01 per square foot of building to $ 0.04.
• This fee, at either rate, is a small portion of the cost of providing the service from the Fire Prevention Branch where a Fire Systems Engineer and at least one Fire Inspector are assigned to work on each building project. In addition, supervision by the Fire Marshal and administrative support by one Administrative Assistant are provided for each project.
• The majority of the work time by our two Fire Systems Engineers and one Fire Systems Technician involves reviewing new commercial building construction and the peripheral meetings and discussions of the buildings that pay this permit fee.
• The FY1011 General Fund Budget for the Fire Prevention Branch is $592,860. Therefore, the proposed increase in the cost recovery of these services is a small portion of the total cost of providing these services.
• Other services of the Fire Prevention Branch take up about ½ of the above staffs time and attention. The other work of the Fire Prevention Branch includes inspection of existing businesses and target hazards, code enforcement, fire investigation and a variety of other duties as assigned.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
• The Fire Plan and Inspection Fee is paid at the same time as the Building Permit Fee is charged.
• Had the proposed $ 0.05 fee been in place throughout FY0910, the revenue collected would have increased by $ 14,481.