City Council Minutes 2022 07 19 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes July 19, 2022 Page 4of9 Mayor Pro Tern Maloney asked when utility services will be restored. Engineer Fowlkes responded that the sewer system in the burn areas are in pretty good shape. Xcel anticipates gas and electric restoration in the next two to four weeks. There is a slight delay in some areas as lots are cleared. Mayor Pro Tern Maloney also asked about fencing and Manager Ritchie responded that they are working on design requirement and with a number of the neighborhoods to revise plans to include non-combustible materials. Councilmember Dickinson asked if staff has the resources needed to process permits. Manager Ritchie stated staffing is appropriate for the permits they are expecting. Mayor Stolzmann asked how plan review is going. Manager Ritchie responded that the turnaround time on first review is usually 2-3 weeks. If there are changes and a resubmittal is requested it can take longer. Contractors are getting better at submissions and a pre -construction meeting is important to help reviews go more quickly. Councilmember Dickinson asked if builders are submitting similar plans for multiple homes. Manager Ritchie responded that they haven't seen any Master permits replicated across lots to date. Mayor Stolzmann asked if staff can report on Council's earlier direction regarding building permit fees. Acting City Manager Davis responded that permit fees cover the cost of administration for the work that done and the cost of permit review. If the fees are in excess of the services a determination will be made to rebate or lower the fees. Use Tax Acting City Manager Davis provided information on the Use Tax. Use tax is paid to the City instead of paying sales tax at the point of purchase. If the City eliminated the use tax, the purchaser would pay a sales tax at the point of purchase. Voter's approved the tax and the revenues are restricted for specific uses. Due to the restricted nature of the funds, a waiver or elimination of the fees would require the General Fund to back fill the restricted funds. Councilmember Dickinson asked if the tax was calculated based on the cost of construction or the value of the home after home is completed. Manager Ritchie stated the tax is calculated on the cost of construction and labor not market value of the home. Acting City Manager Davis noted that budget discussions are underway and the City is not in the same financial position as it was in the beginning of the year. Councilmember Most asked if Boulder County or Superior has the same restrictive nature on their use taxes. Mayor Stolzmann offered that Boulder County has indicated that their use tax is restricted and bonded against so they would have to rebate or do a