HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 2023-06-13RECORD OFPROCEEDINGS
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado June 13, 2023
Minutes of a Study Session meeting of the TOWN BOARD of the Town of
Estes Park, Lorimer COuOh/' Colorado. Meeting held at T0vvO Hall in the
Board Room insaid Town ofEstes Park onthe 13mday ofJune, 2O23.
Board.- Mayor Koenig. Mayor Pm Tern Cenao. Trustees Hazelton.
Attending: All
Also Attending:
Town Administrator Maoha|ek, Deputy Town Administrator
Demwobor, Town Attorney Kramer, and Town Clerk
Williamson
Absent: None
Mayor Koenig called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
PLANNING FEE SCHEDULE.
Director Garner stated Community Development has been working with Ayres
Associates to evaluate the adopted fee schedule from 2016 to determine if development
foes should be adjusted to recover staff costs and adjust annually for inflation. Josh
01hevaA\ynea and Associates reviewed the process to date which included the analysis
and comparison offee schedules, philosophies related to development application feao,
and approaches to updating fees from twelve (12) organizations. Staff would continue to
analyze the average staff time to complete development reviews. The information
would be used to oneaha a detailed service cost table and to calculate appropriate fee
rates. An overview of each comparison organization highlighted they typically establish
a fee schedule that includes one or o combination of the following approaches: bane
application foo' deposit atruoture, or hourly cost and invoice structure. The initial
recommendations for the Board's consideration included establishing a nou\ recovery
goal for Planning and Engineering boned on calculated service costs atOOY6to 90Y6;
maintaining the current mooting publication and notification structure payable by the
applicant,- applicant continues to pay for applicable recording fees; establish a
reoubmitta| fee beginning with the third submittal using a set percentage of the overall
application fee such as25% or50% of the initial application fee; develop an equity'
based policy to reduce the application fee for certain application types such as
attainable housing projects; establish on annual update process using the Consumer
Price Index-, round all fees to the nearest whole dollar-, and conduct follow-up naviovv of
the fee schedule; and uemiuo costs following the completion of the Development Code
update and every five years to re-evaluate the Town'a aomioe cost recovery goal and
make necessary adjustments.
Board discussion and questions have been summarized: questioned if the initial
application fees prevent an applicant from making changes to their development
proposals; questioned the need to recoup the costs associated with the development
review-, Planning provides direct benefit tothe applicant and the community should not
subsidize the development-, some applications benefit the entire community and should
be subsidized by the local government; development costs should be in alignment with
Lahmmr County; support was heard for the resubmitta| fee for incomplete applications;
concern was raised on an automatic increase to fees using CPI and suggested the
Board reconsider fees on an annual basis; the Board stated support for an equity -base
policy to inoentivize development related to items such an housing and childcare; and
support was heard for fee recovery between 8O%-8596.
Director Garner stated the current fee structure does not incentivize developmentsuch
asADUs. She commented that smaller communities require developers to cover the
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Town Board Study Session — June 13, 2023 — Page 2
development costs. Town Administrator Machalek stated any cost not covered by the
developer would be covered by the General Fund. Mr. Olhava stated Ayres just
completed the Larimer County fee study with a 90% recovery model.
Staff would develop a proposed fee schedule with a base application fee and an equity -
based policy for the Board to review in late July and August.
1% SALES TAX RENEWAL COMPONENTS & STORMWATER
Town Administrator Machalek stated the voters approved the current 1 % sales tax (1A)
in April 2014 which expires on June 30, 2024. Staff prepared a draft proposal of the 1%
sales tax renewal and implications for the Stormwater Utility for Board discussion;
reviewed strategies the Board would like staff to implement to solicit feedback from the
public about the proposed breakdown (for example, engaging with the Transportation
Advisory Board, meeting with community partners, public meetings, and workshops);
and determine the stormwater option or options the Board would like to pursue. The
proposed 2024 renewal package would include Street Maintenance at 46%, Stormwater
at 28%, 17% Trail Expansion and Maintenance, and 9% Wildfire Mitigation. He stated
there are a number of high priority items that are not included in the funding including
workforce housing, childcare, year-round shuttle service, land use planning, downtown
parking availability, acquisition and management of open space. Most of these items
already have dedicated funding. The Stormwater Utility funding options include: Option
1 — Sales Tax only (25% grants, 47% sales tax, and 28% General Fund for operations
and maintenance funded), Option 2 — User Fee and then Sales Tax (25% grants, 31%
sales tax, 26% General Fund, and 18% user fee), and Option 3 — Sales Tax and then
User Fees (25% grants, 31% sales tax, 26% General Fund, and 18% user fee). Both
Option 2 and 3 would fund an additional $20 million in administrative expenses through
user fees, capital expansion funded by grants, sales tax and user fees, and operations
and maintenance funded by the General Fund.
Board discussion and questions have been summarized: the Board expressed general
agreement with the proposed breakdown of the proposed 1% renewal with Stormwater
Utility Option 1; multiple public meetings should be held that include translation;
emphasize the stormwater utility would include the entire valley and not just downtown;
stated concern with the Fire District becoming more reliant on sales tax for operations;
diversifying the funding approach for stormwater should be considered; would
encourage partner agencies to support the taxing package; and a separate Larimer
County user fee would support stormwater in the unincorporated areas of the valley. It
was noted that 80% of the projects would be within town limits and do not support the
need for a separate county only user fee.
TRUSTEE & ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS & QUESTIONS
None.
FUTURE STUDY SESSION AGENDA ITEMS.
Town Administrator Machalek reviewed and established the following upcoming items:
July 11 - Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), Town Board Representative
on the Housing Authority Board, and Solar Policy Overview; July 25 — Development
Potential on Town -Owned Properties; August 8 — Efficiency Works Program Overview;
August 22 - Planning Fees Schedule; and September 12 — Distributed Energy
Resources Strategy Overview.
Mayor Pro Tem Cenac requested a review of FEMA Flood maps be added to the
unscheduled items.
There being no further business, Mayor Koenig adjourned the meeting at 6:43 p.m.
J
Williamson, Town Clerk