(A) The City of Cologne is located in a section of the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area which is experiencing rapid growth.
(B) The city regularly receives inquiries from property owners, real estate professionals, developers, and proposed purchasers in relation to city requirements and procedures for annexation, land use planning, amendments to the city’s comprehensive plan, land subdivision, zoning and development, environmental review, and other land use issues arising out of or related to zoning and subdivision ordinances.
(C) The city also regularly receives requests from property owners for various land use matters, including, but not limited to, variances, conditional use permits, and minor subdivisions. (The issues referred to in division (B) above and this division (C) are collectively land use matters.)
(D) The city desires to be appropriately responsive to requests for information and applications concerning land use matters, both within the city and its environs, but recognizes that a significant amount of city staff and city consultant time is required by the requests, all of which places a strain on the limited resources, both personnel and economic, of the city.
(E) The city is committed to creating a balance between the need to provide general background information to property owners, real estate professionals, developers, and proposed purchasers concerning land use matters and the city’s policy that the cost of development in general, and land use matters relating to specific parcels in particular, and the costs incurred by the city in processing information requests and applications thereto, should be self-sustaining and not a cost to the city and its taxpayers.
(Ord. 160, passed 12-6-2004)