City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Fee Committee, 6 Mar 2023

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From YouTube: 3.6.2023 Fee Committee

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3.6.2023 Fee Committee

A

Welcome to the march 6th 2023 fee committee meeting we have four.

A

Members on the committee two voting members, counselors denton and tabor.

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And two non-voting members, the city manager and a finance rep. Who is me.

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Just a reminder: the fees that we talk about that affect the general fund.

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Today, it's it brings in about one percent of the total general fund revenue from.

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um With that we'll get on to the agenda, if I could have a motion to accept the minutes of.

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January 17th, it's almost second, all those in favor, aye, aye, all right that passed all right, we'll go.

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Right down the agenda, we'll start with the library which is on page 60.. Even the roll calls are fast.

B

About your fee there, thank you. I have.

A

Oh, you, don't, have you don't I don't. I have two fees.

C

Can I steal yours good afternoon.

D

um We are asking to add a new category for our non-resident fees, not to increase them. We feel.

D

The trustees feel that this is not the year to be increasing our non-resident fees, but we have asked.

D

To add a three-month card right now we have six month in one year cards and we've had some people.

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Like temporary people, people are here for the summer grandparents and that sort of thing ask.

D

If we might have a three-month card so our so, our trustees approved that idea um three months at 35.

D

Dollars three months at thirty dollars, but not raising any of the other fees for the time being.

D

The um the new fee that we're requesting is a fifteen dollar non-refundable fee for interlibrary.

D

Loan materials that are coming from other states in the past we've taken some money in sometimes.

D

Had to give money back sometimes what they took in, wasn't enough for the postage for say harvard.

D

University sending us materials and then when we have to mail them back, it's not enough. So.

D

We've determined that the average is between 12 and 15 dollars and we'd like to have a fee.

D

That we can just take in as that's just a flat fee. If you get something from out of state, we.

D

Figure that if it's a little bit under that'll cover something else, that's a little bit over.

A

A

A vote to approve the library. Excuse me. Second, all right, all those in favor aye aye all right on to.

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Health page 46., you can go you're welcome to stay good luck! Sorry! What page 40 46.

E

Afternoon, carmen only has two changes. One is just editorial: we're removing the 14 days or less from.

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The sampling for non-potentially hazardous foods- that's events- people can sample their.

E

Wares the 14 days just um referred to a late fee, which um we don't need.

E

We are asking to remove uh dog variants outdoor dining fee of seventy dollars, because there is.

E

Now, a new state law that allows outdoor dogs on outdoor dining areas, we used to request a.

E

Seventy dollar variance fee because we do have to process the variance applications.

E

We allow it in portsmouth, but there is a process. People have to go through, however, in consulting.

E

With our legal department, they felt that, because there's this new state law, we should remove that.

F

Question kim, which is not directly related to removing the fee. So it's right, if you.

F

Can answer this, but does that mean we're going to eliminate the forms required to.

F

Apply for the dog variants? No, okay, nothing will change, except for we won't be charging for it.

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More questions, no all those in favor of the health changes.

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Aye aye all right, thanks again on to page 62 through 66 prescott park,.

A

Good afternoon.

C

um We are proposing some increases in the doc fees um this year. um Basically, the hourly rates.

C

For the wooden docks would like to increase by one dollar per hour, the four hour minimum.

C

Rates at the cement docks, we also would like to increase that by a dollar an hour.

C

And then, our overnight hour, we'd like to increase those by two dollars an hour and then basically we.

C

Just did a flat dollar increase, because we really don't want to be handling change or anything at.

C

The docks we still have transients that do come in transient, voters that come in and pay.

C

um You know with cash so and then we're also making a recommendation to increase our seasonal.

C

Rates the resident fees from 122 dollars per foot to one hundred and forty dollar per.

C

Foot and then non-residents from 150 per foot to 173 per foot. Excuse me, which is a 15 increase.

C

And then the electricity rates increase of per day, ten dollars to fifteen.

C

And seasonal rate from 275 to 300., these increases are all based on the fact that you know the.

C

Operational costs have gone up significantly. We need to be able to pay our seasonal help. There.

C

In order to compete with hannaford's and target and those, we need to be able to increase those.

C

As well as electricity costs and, of course, any operational dock fees that need to come into play.

C

Tim correct and I don't think, we've increased the hourly rates uh since 2020, correct yeah.

A

Any questions I'm good all those in favor of the changes to prescott park fees.

A

Hi hi all right thanks, judy all right to uh planning peter britz, page 14 through 16., okay,.

G

So the there's a number of increases here- um the prior planning director of beverly mesa- did.

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A pretty elaborate, not elaborate, but an in-depth study um looking at other communities and where.

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They're at with fees and kind of fell out that we're maybe a little bit higher than than a lot of.

G

Communities but they're smaller in size than our community. When you look at portland maine we're.

G

More in line with their fees and um the increases are pretty pretty nominal on most cases to capture.

G

Some of the work we do one of the unique things about portsmouth and we couldn't find another.

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Community to have one is: we have a land use compliance person that focuses exactly on making.

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Sure people do what they got approved to do at the planning board and other boards. So it's a really.

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Important role and it makes sure our projects get completed as they're approved. So, as you know,.

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That staff person that's their their primary role. So that's a pretty big cost right. There.

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So, just to start um one of the things that happens a lot and and trevor's here to speak to this too.

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If there's questions the legal department and the planning department work together on site review,.

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Compliance and a lot of those involve recording mylars at the registry for either easements or.

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Deed recordings for new deeds for subdivisions and things like that, and we had a system where we had.

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A runner that would go, they do title searches and bring the things to get recorded, but um it was it.

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Was getting complicated with the way the fees were working and we needed to structure it into here. So.

G

What we're proposing here is 150 fee for a milo recording, so that sheet that gets recorded for.

G

The site plan, in that case, or indeed recording, is a hundred dollars, so those are new fees that have.

G

Have not been in this fee schedule before and there's labor on our part involved quite a bit.

G

Yeah, quite a bit of coordination and labor and review back and forth with different departments.

B

So we're not just pulling that number out of here it's for for work. We do it's for work. Well, the.

G

Number is is largely for the runner that takes the the recordings and we have to pay their them.

G

For their time, if I may, I mean, I think you know when you say runner that doesn't really totally.

H

Describe all the work that uh that the courier does she also updates title makes sure that the.

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Documents are properly recorded in the chain of title uh to protect the interest that the.

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uh The developer has has promised the planning board and the city council would would be there.

H

Make sure that that legal interest is is protected, okay and then in subdivision.

G

Subdivision applications for residential and for non-residential, we had a per lot increase.

G

Of 100 from six from 500, so it'd be up to six hundred dollars on the lot line.

G

Revision amendment there's an administrative approval which is currently 100. We want to.

G

Increase that to 200 and attack or planning board approval, which is currently 150 dollars. We want.

G

To increase that to 250. so both of those are increase of a hundred dollars and then there's.

G

A conditional use permit for non-wetlands, so there's we have our wetland conditional use.

G

Permit permits and fee structure we're not altering, but there's non-wetland conditional.

G

Use for things like accessory dwelling units, garden cottages, parking, um flexible development.

G

Drive-Through facilities, that's currently a 200 fee. We want to raise that by 300 to a 500 fee.

G

Then the board of adjustment fees for residential one to two dwelling application.

G

It's currently 150. We want to raise that to 200 the three to four dwelling units.

G

Is currently 250 or want to raise that to 300.? So those are both 50 increases and.

G

Then the five units and more currently at 250, we want to raise to 100 by 100 to 350 dollars.

G

And then I'm not a non-residential application. The fee for board of adjustment is currently 300.

G

We want to raise that by a hundred dollars to four hundred dollars.

G

First uh site plan review and all developments currently the the.

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Fee is 500. We want to raise that by a hundred dollars for the.

G

For the fee for that um and then there's a total, so this is a probably their biggest uh potential.

G

Increase is a total application fee um where you're paying for the thousand dollars of site.

G

Costs at five dollars a thousand square feet. The minimum fee right now is 15 000 or the maximum fee.

G

Excuse me is fifteen thousand dollars. We want to increase that to twenty thousand dollars.

G

And then um on site plan amendments for changes to plans that come back for changes to the.

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Department they're, currently 200. We wanted to increase that to four hundred dollars.

G

I believe those are all the changes. We have any questions. You have.

B

No questions all right are these, I mean obviously the assessed value of these projects is growing.

B

I would imagine we're less than proportional to the growth in the value of these projects.

G

I'd say: that's fair. It's also. The the approval process themselves have become more complicated.

G

And require more staff time and more input. Thanks all right motion to accept the planning.

A

Department changes so move; second, all those in favor aye all right. Thank you, peter peter off.

A

To the inspection shanti page 19. good afternoon, so I have several quite a few proposed changes.

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Here and they go from page 19 through page 25., I'm starting on uh actually before we even get.

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Into the changes, I think the reason that I'm suggesting changes it's been a while it's been.

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A number of years since there's been an increase to reflect the salaries, the vehicle maintenance.

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The gasoline, the you know, the admin work, all the inspections. You know all the inspectors.

I

That go into every single permit and, for example, starting on page 19. There is a minimum fee for.

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um For a residential permit of fifty dollars- and that's just not enough, there's just you.

I

Can't get anything done on the fifty dollars, it doesn't go very far, so I recommend that we that.

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We raise that to 75, which I still feel is very fair, but enough to get the job done and then so.

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Kind of throughout this I'll go page by page, but you're going to see that you know basically that.

I

Percentage of increase minimum fee for commercial was 100, and now it's 150 dollars and then page 20.

I

Is demolition permits so fifty dollars um up to 75 and what's involved with the demolition.

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Permanence is um admin which, which is filling with the placard, providing the placard which.

I

Is a pretty large vinyl, um you know product that gets hung on the job site, lots of review.

I

And a couple of inspections, so all that for 75 dollars seemed pretty reasonable.

I

um And then the residential rates it presently it's seven dollars per.

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Thousand and I'm recommending that it goes to eight dollars per thousand, so you know.

I

um It's every every one thousand dollars for the work. It would increase. One dollar.

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And then uh similar to commercial, that one dollar increase per thousand and then page 22.

I

Is the so here's an interesting one, so plan review fee? He says fifty dollars, I'm raising it to 75.

I

And honestly, this is a service that I'm not sure has ever been charged for or is possibly even.

I

Utilized so in, in my opinion, this is here so that um you could be a resident, but it also could be a.

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Developer, they want to drop off a set of plans for us to kind of review. This is pre-permit, so.

I

No, we don't have anything in the system, so we're going to take possibly three four five hours. Maybe.

I

Only an hour, but it could potentially be very time consuming, so we would do that for a flat.

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Rate of 75 dollars, so it's kind of a service that the city would offer for plan review.

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And really, I feel like it's a it's a discretionary type of situation to where 99 of the time someone.

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Comes in, can you look at these plans? I look at them. Here's a few red flags. You know back of the.

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Drawing board, but if you really wanted to sit down and do a full review, then we feel like we.

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Should you know we should charge for that, and then we get back into some minimum fees so presently.

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There's a fifty dollar fee for electrical and I have suggested that we raise it to 75 dollars so.

I

That means, once again, um you may have several uh uh small. You know items that are being performed.

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As part of the scope of the work in the permanent application, but they still need to be reviewed.

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You know you still need to use our software. We still need to send an inspector out to the job to.

I

Look at the work at least once more than likely twice so 75 dollars is what I'm asking for that.

I

Page 23: um this has been a minimum fee for commercial electric and that's a hundred dollars.

I

Residential is 75 commercials, 100., typically a lot more involved in the commercial project.

I

Page 24, this is um the topic, is chapter 14 housing code certificate of occupancy. This is another.

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um uh Another service or or an aspect of of our the inspections department that has to date, has.

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Not been utilized so right now we do actually have a a chapter 14 housing code which which.

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Specifies that every three years we'd be performing inspections on rental properties,.

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um Two family, three family, you know apartments, basically, apartment houses.

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um We don't we don't have the staff to actually implement that that program right now.

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um And I'm working on rewriting that code, um which hopefully will be a combined effort of.

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Fire and health in inspections, so perhaps we will have the staff if we join forces and once.

I

We do we'll want to have a placeholder, because that could happen this year, so we want to make.

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Sure that we have something in there for these inspections, so it would be 35 per unit for us.

I

To inspect now, once you receive your certificate of compliance, that certificate will be good for.

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Three years, so it's basically 35 dollars for three years for each unit with a minimum fee.

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Of a hundred dollars so if you've got a 10 unit, apartment building it'll be 350. But if you have.

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A two unit, you might think, it'll be 70. Well, no, it's actually 100 because we've got a minimum.

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Fee of 100., so that's what that's there for it's! Nothing that we're currently doing, but I feel.

I

It's important that we that we have it in there and it this is not a new fee. It's.

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Just that it was never utilized and it had a a previous amount of a dollar assigned to it. So.

I

I think that you know it was basically there as a placeholder and then at the bottom of.

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Page 24 minimum permit fee. This is for mechanical electrical and plumbing residential from 50 to 75..

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On page 25, this is once again um a commercial rate for mechanical electrical plumbing, from 50 to 100.

I

So the residential was 75 and the commercial would be a hundred.

I

And then uh I believe that is it.

A

Any questions, no not for me, uh is the certificate of occupancy.

B

Is that a state code requirement or are local the certificate of compliance for.

I

The rental housing that's out of our our local chapter, 14, our rental housing, ordinance, okay,.

I

So the way we're doing those now is complaint basis, which we get quite quite a few of so many.

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Calls in and feels that their landlord isn't satisfying the minimum standards and we'll stop.

I

By and nine out of 10 times, if the complaint is found valid, then we'll request an inspection of.

I

The entire apartment house, through the owner, yeah, okay, business v, is assessed on the owner.

I

The owner correct this fee would not be to the to the tenant it would. It would.

I

Be going towards the property owner yep yep to all my questions? Okay, all right! A.

A

Motion to accept the inspection department's requests so moved. Second, all those in favor.

A

Aye aye all right on to parking transportation. Thank you, shanti, council. Thank you page 48.,.

J

Okay, so we got a pretty short list this year. uh One is to address uh snow band parking rates at.

J

The founder garage to raise that from three to five dollars to match the hanover garage.

J

There was a question earlier on this item. Generally, we do price these two facilities.

J

Differently as much of our inbound traffic during normal times is, uh is non-local so.

J

We want to encourage the use of that garage for for walking purposes park, one's philosophy, things.

J

Like that, in this case, however, in snow removal situations, uh 100 of our traffic is local, so you.

J

Have a certain constituency that lives closer to hanover such as the south end, that might be.

J

More compelled to use that facility a different con contingency that lives near foundry garage.

J

Say the west end that might be more compelled this basically just evens the rates for both.

K

We're gonna make you back up, then, okay, to deal with the two items on page 48., first or a second.

J

Okay, so sorry, I got out of order there uh vendor from motor vehicle, so this probably requires a.

J

Greater degree of discussion, but uh that five thousand dollar rate uh coincides with a.

J

An rfp that has gone out uh in in recent years that invites one downtown vendor or one vendor.

J

To put a food truck in a down in the downtown area, at a certain position on state street.

J

And uh for a block of time, that's basically the summer time and uh the idea for reducing this.

J

Fee would be to encourage more of that traffic in light of the fact that the city has extended.

J

Itself to uh the restaurant uh industry, the static restaurant industry, by allowing for parking spaces.

J

To be rented for this exact rate for the course of the summer and the other part of that discussion.

J

Would be, do we want if more than one vendor applies? Do we want to look at possible different.

J

Locations and and have a discussion furthering furthering that that's what this is about.

F

And just a comment on that, I believe this was the outcome of a request I made years ago for.

F

um More food trucks downtown and became more late night food trucks downtown and then at first it.

F

Was the um the muffin man? As far as I know, that's the only thing yeah and then has the salvation.

F

Army been using the spot, or is that someone else they did during the um during covid yeah, okay, but.

J

There wasn't a fee associated with that. I don't believe so I don't recall, I don't think there's.

J

Been any other vendors outside of the muffin person and it's just a prohibitive cost and we.

J

Wanted to see if we could have a discussion about matching um the rate that was being charged to.

J

The static restaurants produce at parking space. I would fully support this along with supporting, if.

F

Other food trucks wanted to try something out as well expanding it. I don't know if we could.

F

Because I would have to go to the city council, for policy or and in the last case it's last.

J

Cases, it's been an rfp, that's gone out, so I can revamp the rfp and then put it through.

J

The appropriate channels to see if you guys like what I come up with and then uh you know, issue.

J

It as an rfp and see who's interested. I think if we understood the goal of the city council was to.

K

Widen the base war responses, we would can work that into the rv language yeah. She may want to.

L

Have a couple suggested locations absolutely if we had that requests for locations besides state.

B

Street, uh just about everywhere about that yeah, this position, because it's kind of out of the.

J

Way so I mean I think most vendors would like to be unpleasant or congress or where there's.

J

A lot of foot traffic and we could probably find ways to do that. Maybe there's premium to charge.

J

For areas that have a higher foot traffic there's a lot of ways, we could look at it, but I think it.

J

Would be interesting to see who's interested? I agree how about down along uh marcy street.

B

Around the park not much parking there, yeah there's not a lot of only four spaces. There.

L

There's not a lot of space. There was a hot dog vendor there for quite a while.

L

um And there's that's on sidewalk all right and in summertime you can't use. uh You know.

J

Water street, because it's permitted down there and uh the lot's a whole different situation so.

B

I think it's worth exploring: okay.

J

So this motorcycle parking on on pleasant street summer season um this just just to remove because.

J

It's in the ordinance, it doesn't need to be np committee parking rates are driven by ordinance.

J

Not by fee committee, so I'm just going to take it out of here yep and then the snow removal thing.

A

Any other questions for parking yeah, those in favor of the parking suggested changes, hi hi.

A

Thank you ben. Thank you ben all, right. We are off to water and sewer page 5657.

M

Okay, thank you uh really not a whole lot of this year for water sewer uh previous years.

M

We've made quite a few revisions and reviewing them. Everything seems to be fairly in order.

M

The one item which we update every year is on page 56 for the larger fire services, including.

M

Municipalities so that fee from municipalities for each hydrant, which does include the city.

M

Of portsmouth and all the surrounding communities we serve raising that fee from 350 to 375 dollars.

M

Would be the seventh year of raising it twenty five dollars a year per the rate.

M

Study a gradually increase to bring it up to what currently right now is probably right. Around eight.

M

Hundred dollars would be the uh the rate model, but again it's. It was policy to do a gradual increase.

M

Over time of this, one, and uh the only other is on equipment on page 57 is to delete the.

M

Paver charge, we do not charge that so that it's being removed recommended for removal. That's it.

B

Move that we accept the sewer and water division rates. Second, all those include all.

A

Right all right, that is the actual end of the um the the departments that put in for changes.

A

um I don't know if you want to open it up for public comment. I am [music] one question.

B

um Have we looked at our rate for um unmerging lots, which is something we as a council have had.

B

Four or five times a year, there's a lot of work involved in that researching the titles and.

A

I would imagine there would be a planning department.

B

I think it's under the assessor or maybe uh no it's me clark. I believe.

B

See if I can do a search.

A

Planning department is: is that a lot line revision? No, no.

B

B

Merged loss so page 15, there's um voluntary lot: consolidation, merger, no subdivision and.

A

Restoration of involuntary merged lots, that's their planning, yeah page 15. yep right on top. Yes,.

B

Right so we're charging these haven't and looked at for five years and we're charging 250 dollars.

B

But you know what we see at the council level is. There has to be a pretty thorough.

B

uh Research of all the deeds sometimes going back 150 200 years.

B

I just put a note when I was reviewing these: are we getting our? Are we paying for our costs.

B

And that we could suggest uh increasing it, if you yeah, I would suggest taking it up to 300 and 300.

F

Second, that yeah I'm gonna hit all those in favor of the change.

A

Aye all right 300, it is we'll let the planning department know.

A

Thank you any other questions or comments. All right. um No public is here no one's on there right.

K

There's nope just the folks, you see here all right with.

A

That uh the motion to close the march 6th fee committee meeting.

A

Second, all those in favor aye. Thank you.