(A) All fees charged by the city shall be reviewed by the Mayor periodically as necessary to keep charges at levels consistent with city policies; where appropriate, fee revisions shall be promptly proposed to the Council.
(B) Fees shall be set at a level approximately equal to city cost of providing the services, including overhead costs, except:
(1) Fees may be set lower than city cost where the fee would otherwise be likely to deprive citizens means of having their concerns officially considered; and
(2) Fees shall be set higher than city cost where the city service given for the fee is commonly rendered by private enterprise and the free market price is higher than city cost. City fees shall not undercut the usual and customary fees charged by private enterprise.
(C) It is appropriate to enact ordinances and amend existing ordinances so as to allow the Mayor to set fee levels, after considering public input on the proposed fees, in the following situations:
(1) The fee is low and will not have a major impact on the payor; or
(2) The fee is for a service which the city is willing to provide but which can alternatively be obtained from private enterprise.
(Res. 196-1981, approved 9-16-81)