Finance Committee Agenda and Packet 2025 09 18

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SUBJECT: INITIAL 2026 CITY MANAGER FEE DISCUSSION DATE: SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 PAGE 2 OF 5 by the manager shall be published on the city website. The city manager may in writing delegate such authority to the manager's designee." City Manager Fees are either adjusted by an inflationary factor, through benchmarking against other comparable jurisdictions, or another previously established methodology such as Department recommendations or Advisory Board input. Of the total —292 City Manager Fees listed in Attachment 2, 151 fees (52%) are proposed or likely to be adjusted by an inflationary factor or CPI, 138 fees (74%) are to remain unchanged from 2025, while an alternative methodology adjusted 3 fees (1%). BACKGROUND: The City Manager, or their designee, has administrative authority to manage the approximately 300 fees by City Code, under their Powers and Duties, Section B, Paragraph 10. Link to Code. For ease of understanding for this discussion, Staff have broken them out into the following categories. Miscellaneous Fees (Sec 2.06.020.- Duties — Files on Demand): Background: These fees typically cover administrative expenses, including copies, maps, police reports, and technical data. Process: These fees are de minimis, often under $50. While they are adjusted annually by an inflationary factor, some may remain unchanged as fees are frequently rounded to the nearest dollar. These fees aim to recover the full cost of the service, the financial impact of these fees are not material, and can be found in Rows 1 — 40, and 49 - 57 of Attachment 2 — Fees Established by the City Manager, 2025 and 2026 (Projected). Cemetery Fees (Sec 14.24.120- Fees for opening graves): Background: These fees relate to and fund Cemetery operations. User Fees are the primary funding source of Cemetery operations. However, the Cemetery fund is also funded by an annual transfer of interest from the Cemetery Endowment / Permanent Fund and an annual General Fund subsidy transfer for operational support. Process: For 2026, Staff is proposing a 3% increase to all cemetery fees. These fees are reviewed annually by City Staff and are not tied to CPI or another inflationary factor. These fees seek partial cost recovery of the service. Cemetery fees have been historically subsidized by the General Fund. User Fees, as well as the annual General Fund transfer, are material to the Cemetery Operating Fund. Non -Residents are charged a significantly higher rate than City Residents. These fees can be found in Rows 58 — 71 of Attachment 2. Facility, Parks, Room, and Sports Field Rentals (Sec 4.04.090 — Group Use): FINANCE COMMITTEE COMMUNICATION