Pico Rivera : City Considers Fee Hike for 74 Municipal Services

Residents and builders who do business with the city will have to pay more to get it done.

The City Council unanimously agreed recently to raise fees for 74 municipal services, from reviewing building plans to copying documents. The city also will add new fees.

Council members will review the proposed fee increases one more time Nov. 1. If final approval is given, the increases will become effective Jan. 1.

City Manager Dennis Courtemarche said he recommended the increases after a consultant identified services for which the city was undercharging or not charging at all. The increase in fees is expected to generate an extra $260,000 a year, he said.

Many of the increases are for services provided to builders. The fee to change municipal zoning codes, for example, rose from zero to $1,985. To change the zone on a piece of property, landowners will have to pay $970 instead of $750.

In addition, repeat violators of code-enforcement regulations will have to pay for the cost of sending an officer to a residence or business to handle a complaint.

Business owners will have to pay an additional $14 to renew their licenses every year, and those who damage city property or spill dirt and hazardous waste on public areas will have to pay $200 a minute for the cost of cleanup.

If residents don’t pay the fees, the city could impose a lien against the property, Assistant City Manager Ann Negendank said.