TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the Findings of the City Fee Structure Study for Fire Rescue Fees; Parks and Recreation Fees; Facility Rental Fees; Road and Drainage Fees; and Utility Fees Conducted by Willdan Financial Services.
Recommended Action
Discussion and possible direction regarding the findings of the City Fee Structure Study for Fire Rescue fees; Parks and Recreation fees; Facility Rental fees; Road and Drainage fees; and Utility fees conducted by Willdan Financial Services.
Background Information
During the City Commission Workshop held on January 8, 2024, the Commission discussed agenda item no. 24-0041, Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding the City Fee Structure and City Fees Study. At the conclusion of the discussion, the Commission made the following consensuses:
Ø A consensus was requested to direct the City Manager to work with staff to conduct a fee study on all Building Department fees and any new fees instituted in Fiscal Year 2023-2024.
Ø There was a consensus to direct the City Manager to conduct a fee study analysis of all fees listed in Appendix A.
A Request for Letter of Interest (RLI No. 2024-01FN) was issued to all firms within Agreement 2023-32.004, Professional Services for City Fees, Methodologies, and Assessments and Willdan Financial Services (Willdan) was selected to conduct the study. Some fees were not included in the RLI because they were part of earlier studies conducted by GovMax and Kessler Consulting.
Willdan conducted numerous meetings with several City Departments to gather information and understand the processes and staffing involved in delivering fee-based services. They developed a comprehensive fee model that identifies the full cost of providing services, including overhead, direct and indirect costs. The model incorporates benchmarking against comparable Cities and agencies in Sarasota County, or jurisdictions with similar geographic or demographic profiles to the City of North Port. It also considers fiscal objectives, policy factors, and various approaches to arrive at appropriate cost recovery levels.
Willdan’s recommended fee structure and methodology will be incorporated in the annual Citywide Fee Update. Please note that this does not include Development Services fees, which will be finalized and presented later.
The Willdan presentation was not available in time for inclusion on the posted agenda, however it will be made available and incorporated into this agenda item by end of day on February 28, 2025.
Strategic Plan
Good Governance
Financial Impact
City revenues will be impacted by changes to the City Fee Structure.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. Current Appendix A - City Fee Structure
2. Presentation
Prepared by: Tiffany Fowler, Accountant III
Department Director: Kimberly Williams, Finance Director