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Copyright © 2003 Express Publishing Inc.
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Wednesday, June 23, 2004

News

Sun Valley adopts new P&Z fees


By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

Developers and property owners planning building projects in Sun Valley will be required under new legislation to pay substantially higher fees for planning services provided by the city.

Sun Valley City Council members Thursday, June 17 voted unanimously to approve a completely new set of planning and zoning fees, some of which will climb by more than 80 percent.

Under direction of the council, Community Development Director Jack Cloud had submitted a proposed set of fees designed to modestly increase the city’s recovery of planning-related expenses.

City officials have determined that the city—using a fee structure adopted in 1998—has been recovering less than 20 percent of planning-and-zoning related costs through the fees it charges. In 2002, the city collected a mere $29,000 in fees for services estimated to cost approximately $150,000.

City Administrator Jan Wellman, in his second-to-last day of work for the city, said the fee hike was warranted.

"It would bring us into consistency with other jurisdictions in the valley, particularly Ketchum and Hailey," Wellman said.

City attorney Rand Peebles said the city cannot use planning fees to create a "profit center" for the city but advised the council that the proposed hikes "aren’t anywhere close to getting into that realm."

Council members ultimately opted to add an additional 25 percent hike to the new fees proposed by staff.

The city is preparing to publish a new fee schedule for public use.


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The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.





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