(A) Purpose. The costs to the city for receiving, analyzing, processing, hearing and approving zoning application requests for changes, modifications, or special consideration under this title, such as requests for map and text amendments, comprehensive plan amendments, conditional use permits, interim use permits, variances, administrative permits, site plan reviews and appeals are considered to be unique to the applicant requesting such consideration, and it is the intent of this section to provide that all costs of the city incurred by such requests be borne by the applicant. The reimbursement to the city, in addition to the base fee, shall be limited to actual costs of the city. Actual costs shall include, but not be limited to actual costs of the city. Actual costs shall include, but not be limited to, all administrative, engineering, legal, planning or other consultant fees or costs paid by the city for other consultants for expert review of a development application.
(B) Schedule of fees. The City Council shall establish a schedule of fees, charges and expenses, and a collection procedure for building permits, appeal and other matters pertaining to this title. The schedule of fees shall be posted in City Hall and may be altered from time to time by ordinance adoption by the City Council.
(C) Base zoning fee. Each applicant shall pay a non-refundable base fee at the time an application is presented to the city for a zoning request. This fee is intended to reimburse the city for its reasonable costs for administrative processing of a development application. If this fee proves to be insufficient to cover such costs, such additional cost will be charged to the applicant.
(D) Cost recovery. In the event additional review by the city and its consultants is anticipated and/or needed during zoning application review and the city incurs professional fees such as administrative, legal, engineering, planning or any other cost, including but not limited to postage and publication expenses, the applicants shall reimburse the city for those fees. The city may require a cash escrow, irrevocable letter of credit or other financial instruments which provides equivalent assurance to the city and which are approved by the City Clerk according to this chapter for these costs prior to the final action on the zoning application review. Such cash escrow, irrevocable letter of credit or other financial instruments shall be in the form approved by the city or its representative according to this chapter. If the applicant fails to reimburse the city for costs associated with the zoning application review, the city shall have the authority to use the provisions of the M.S. Ch. 429, as amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time, to assess those costs against any property associated with the zoning application request, and any such assessment shall, at the time at which taxes are certified to the County Auditor, be certified for collection in the manner that other special assessments are so certified.
(Ord. 2012-9-1, passed 9-11-2012)