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16 <br /> Second, many Erosion Control fees are paid upfront and pay for work that is performed by staff <br /> over the course of several years. The County started many large Erosion Control Projects in FY <br /> 2025, which means that the excess revenue generated by the fees will be used to cover staff <br /> time in future fiscal years. <br /> Like the Emergency Services Department, MGT discussed with management potential changes <br /> to the fee schedule that could refine its structure to better match workload drivers. Based on <br /> these conversations, Department management do see potential for revisions, such as adjusting <br /> fees to better match workload drivers, such as aligning permit costs with the project type and <br /> complexity, rather than a flat fee. <br /> From a policy standpoint,this shift moves development review closer to a "growth pays for <br /> growth" model. Private projects that generate the work are expected to cover the full cost of <br /> those services, which in turn reduces the extent to which general taxpayers subsidize private <br /> construction and land use decisions. <br /> During the study,the County expressed a desire to streamline the Planning and Inspections fee <br /> schedule by either removing or reclassifying fee groupings and descriptions. MGT has reviewed <br /> the fee structure and believes the best opportunity to combine or reduce the number of fee <br /> listings is within the Building Miscellaneous and Trades permits section. <br /> Once recovery levels and recommendations are in place, County staff should look for services <br /> being charged at the same price point and should discuss whether those services should <br /> remain individualized or if they can be grouped together. For example, schedule I in the Building <br /> section has four fees that are all charged at the same rate (currently$125). The fees within that <br /> section could be grouped into one line item with a new all-encompassing description. <br /> Peer Comparison Analysis <br /> As with the other sections of this study, MGT collected peer data from several other agencies. <br /> Based on the information gathered,the County's fees generally fall within the middle of the <br /> peers reviewed for subdivision review, zoning compliance, and map amendments. The County's <br /> Erosion Control Plan Review is the main outlier when compared to peer agencies. The County's <br /> fee is much higher than the selected peers. Please see Exhibit B for the complete listing of <br /> peers and fees MGT collected data for. <br /> MCIT PAGE 12 <br />