|
CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
December 15, 2003 | |
Author: |
R. Birch | |
Phone No.: |
7292 | |
RTS No.: |
03798 | |
CC File No.: |
1758 | |
Meeting Date: |
January 15, 2004 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services & Budgets |
FROM: |
General Manager of Engineering Services |
SUBJECT: |
Engineering Services Department Permit Fees for 2004 |
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council approve increases in the Engineering Services Department Permit Fees totalling an estimated amount of $216,000, as set out in Appendix A to this report.
B. THAT $28,000 of this revenue increase in the street permit area and $122,000 from existing sewer and water permit fee revenues be used to provide ongoing support to the Engineering Services Geographic Information System (GIS) applications related to infrastructure management.
C. THAT an existing temporary full-time Systems Analyst IA position in Engineering Services be changed to a regular full-time Systems Analyst IA position at an annual cost of $70,800 (part of the funding in Recommendation B), subject to classification review of the Director of Human Resources.
D. THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to prepare by-laws to amend the Street and Traffic By-law, Granville Mall By-law, Encroachment By-law, and Street Vending By-law, all generally in accordance with Appendix A.
COUNCIL POLICY
Permit fees are reviewed periodically to comply with Council policy that fees recover the full cost of providing services or are equivalent to competitive charges where the fee is of a market nature.
Council approves all regular full time staffing positions.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is twofold: 1) to seek Council's approval of a schedule of Engineering Permit Fees which will generate an additional $216,000 per year in 2004, and 2) to seek Council's approval of the allocation of $28,000 of this revenue together with $122,000 of existing revenues in the Water and Sewer Utilities for the support of Engineering GIS applications.
BACKGROUND
The Engineering Services Department generates revenue from several permits, under the authority of the Street and Traffic By-Law No. 2849, Street Vending By-Law No. 4781, Granville Mall By-Law No. 4792 and the Encroachment By-Law No. 4243.
Fees related to most of the Department's permits were last adjusted in December 2002, however some fees have not been adjusted for several years and catch-up increases are now appropriate.
In a report to Council dated November 5, 2002, Council was advised that the projected ongoing costs of Engineering GIS support were estimated as $200,000 per year, at which time a temporary Systems Analyst 1A was created to perform this work. Staff advised Council that permanent funding for these costs were not immediately necessary until existing funding sources were fully utilized. Further, that ongoing operating costs and appropriate sources of funding would be determined over the next year and reported back to Council.
Now that implementation has been completed, operating funds are being requested to convert the existing temporary position to a full time basis and to provide for the associated licensing and support costs. The requested funding of $150,000 per year is lower than the original projection due to increased abilities to use internal resources and reduced needs for external consultants.
DISCUSSION
Inflationary Adjustments
A list of proposed fee increases is attached to this report as Appendix A. As part of the City's budget-building process, an inflationary adjustment of 2.75% for revenues has been established. Rounding, either before or after GST, has been applied to some fees where appropriate. All of the fees in Appendix A have been increased by this inflationary amount except for the following:
Building Encroachment Fees (various fees adjusted between 1992 and 1996)
- Proposed to increase by 25% to reflect inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index and a further 8% to reflect increased land values over and above consumer price increases.
- Under the Encroachment By-law, some encroachments are charged a fee and others are exempt from fees. No changes to this system are being proposed.
Resident Permit Parking Fees (last adjusted 1997)
- Proposed to increase by 16% to reflect accumulated inflation.
Street Use Permit Fees (last adjusted mid-2003)
- increase by 3% to reflect actual costs and permit volumes
Fee charged for dissemination of traffic information related to motor vehicle accidents and related litigation
- increase from $50 to $100 to reflect actual costs.
- revised fee would be in line with similar fees in other cities.
Street Rental Fee (last adjusted 1995)
- increase by 20% to reflect accumulated inflation
Departmental Support of GIS applications
Over the past several years, the Engineering Department has been improving the management of its infrastructure data in GIS to better support the Department's design and operations groups. GIS information has become integral to the tracking of changes to facilities such as water, sewer, and streets (e.g. fixing a hydrant, building a new sewer connection, and adding traffic circles). Over 1.3 million pieces of Engineering Infrastructure are now being catalogued and managed in GIS. This data is helping staff make decisions in all phases of work from the permit process through to construction, but is of particular benefit to the permit process due to the ability to better plan and coordinate required field work associated with construction at the time of permit issuance. The data is also being made available on VanMap for other Departments and the public to view.
Ongoing funding needs are as follows:
Staff |
$ 70,800 |
Software Licensing |
$ 54,200 |
Consulting Services |
$ 20,000 |
Training |
$ 5,000 |
Total |
$150,000 |
This annual cost of $150,000 should be shared between the Operating Budget and the Sewer and Water Utilities because the benefits of GIS are being realized in each of these areas. It is proposed to fund this cost by allocating a minor portion of the streets permit revenue increases recommended in this report ($28,000 out of a total of $216,000) together with $122,000 of existing connection fee permit revenues which are being collected by the Sewer and Water Utilities.
Implementation
The proposed fee increases will be effective upon approval of the enabling by-laws, and implemented immediately thereafter. Those fees which are related to monthly, semi-annual or annual permits will be applied upon permit renewal.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The total increased revenues generated by the recommended fee increases in Appendix A amount to $216,000 per year. This figure results from a combination of inflationary adjustments of 2.75% ($96,000) and catch-up inflationary increases to Encroachment Fees and Resident Permit Parking Fees ($120,000). It is proposed to use $28,000 of these increased fee revenues to offset the cost of support of Engineering GIS applications, with the remainder contributing to both the Engineering Dept budget ($9,000) and General Revenue ($179,000).
The Water and Sewer Utility connection fees have been set for 2004, and are at a level which can accommodate the allocation of $122,000 as outlined in this report.
PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS
If Council approves this report's recommendations an existing temporary full time Systems Analyst 1A position will be made permanent in the Engineering Information Services Branch to continue support of the Department's GIS applications, subject to classification by the Director of Human Resources.
CONCLUSION
The recommendations of this report will provide for an inflationary adjustment to several Engineering permit fees and establishes permanent funding for support of Engineering GIS applications.
APPENDIX A
PERMIT FEE SCHEDULE
Permit Type |
Current Rate |
New Rate |
Remarks |
Authority |
Street and Sidewalk Usage Fees |
|
|
|
|
Religious Street Meetings |
Free |
Free |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 69(3) |
Oversize Vehicle, Single Trip |
$ 23.00 |
$ 24.00 |
GST Included |
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 96 |
Oversize Vehicle, More than One Trip |
$ 230.00 |
$ 237.00 |
GST Included |
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 96 |
Street Entertainment, 4 Month |
$ 29.00 |
$ 30.00 |
GST Included |
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 67A(6) |
Street Entertainment, Annual |
$ 86.00 |
$ 90.00 |
GST Included |
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 67A(6) |
Granville Mall, 14 Day |
$ 29.00 |
$ 30.00 |
GST Included |
By-law No. 4792, Section 8B |
Granville Mall, Annual |
$ 230.00 |
$ 237.00 |
GST Included |
By-law No. 4792, Section 8B |
Anchor Rods, Sq. metre |
$ 37.50 |
$ 38.53 |
|
Encroachment By-law, Section 3A(4) |
Street Vendor, Food |
$ 858.00 |
$ 882.00 |
GST Included |
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Street Vendor, Other Products |
$ 643.00 |
$ 661.00 |
GST Included |
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Special Event Market, Daily/Block |
$ 86.00 |
$ 89.00 |
GST Included |
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Special Event Market, Maximum/Day |
$ 344.00 |
$ 354.00 |
GST Included |
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Individual Special Event Vendor/Day |
$ 26.75 |
$ 28.00 |
GST Included |
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Mobile Vendor Motorized, (Truck) |
$ 230.00 |
$ 237.00 |
GST Included |
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Mobile Vendor No Motor, (Bicycle) |
$ 115.00 |
$ 119.00 |
GST Included |
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Small Café, Annual |
$ 268.00 |
$ 276.00 |
GST Included |
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Produce/Flowers, Sq. ft./Year |
$ 3.48 |
$ 3.58 |
|
Street Vending By-law, Schedule A |
Large Café, Downtown, Sq. ft /6 Months |
$ 4.93 |
$ 5.07 |
|
License Agreement |
Large Café, Not Downtown, Sq. ft./6 Months |
$ 3.48 |
$ 3.58 |
|
License Agreement |
News Box |
$ 23.00 |
$ 24.00 |
GST Included |
License Agreement |
Street Rental fee per block, per 12 hour period |
$ 500.00 |
$ 600.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 30(7)a (c) |
|
|
|
|
|
Street Use Permit (Encroachment Inspection) |
|
|
|
|
- up to and including 20 square metres |
$ 35.00 |
$ 42.00 |
|
Encroachment By-law Schedule Part A |
- each additIonal square metre or part thereof |
$ 3.20 |
$ 3.85 |
|
Encroachment By-law Schedule Part A |
- Maximum total fee |
$ 250.00 |
$ 300.00 |
|
Encroachment By-law Schedule Part A |
|
|
|
|
|
Encroachment Fees |
|
|
|
|
Flat Portion (to 150 square feet) |
$ 115.00 |
$ 140.00 |
|
Encroachment By-law, Schedule Part C |
Variable Portion (per sq. foot over 150) |
$ 3.00 |
$ 4.00 |
|
Encroachment By-law, Schedule Part C |
|
|
|
|
|
Mobile Special Event Permit (Annual) |
$ 107.00 |
$ 110.00 |
GST Included |
Administrative policy |
|
|
|
|
|
Building Site Construction Crossing Fees |
|
|
|
|
Single and two family dwellings |
$ 125.00 |
$ 130.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 80(2) |
Single and two family dwellings requiring demolition |
$ 180.00 |
$ 185.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 80(2) |
Multi-residential or commercial requiring no excavation |
$ 550.00 |
$ 565.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 80(2) |
Multi-residential or commercial requiring excavation, less than 3 stories in height |
$1,030.00 |
$ 1,060.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 80(2) |
Multi-residential or commercial requiring excavation,3 stories or more in height |
$2,050.00 |
$ 2,110.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 80(2) |
Major development site, ½ block or larger |
$2,450.00 |
$ 2,525.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 80(2) |
Demolition only - multi-residential or commercial site less than ½ block |
$ 250.00 |
$ 260.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 80(2) |
Demolition only - multi-residential or commercial site ½ block or larger |
$ 450.00 |
$ 465.00 |
|
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 80(2) |
|
|
|
|
|
Resident Parking Permit Fees |
|
|
|
|
Resident parking permit |
$ 24.00 |
$ 28.00 |
GST Included |
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 23.4 |
Resident parking permit |
$ 36.00 |
$ 42.00 |
GST Included |
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 23.4 |
Resident parking permit |
$ 48.00 |
$ 56.00 |
GST Included |
Street & Traffic By-law, Section 23.4 |
|
|
|
|
|
Dissemination of Traffic Information |
$ 50.00 |
$ 100.00 |
|
Administrative policy |
* * * * *
