(A) To prevent the taxpayers from having to bear the cost related to the issue of permitting and regulating a commercially used wireless telecommunications facilities or negotiating an agreement to lease or amend or modify a lease for any city-owned property or structure, an applicant shall pay to the city fees as set forth in the city’s Fee Schedule. The fees are intended to cover all reasonable costs of the expert assistance needed by the city in connection with the review of any application, including both the technical review and nontechnical review, and the permitting, inspection, construction or modification requested, any application pre-approval evaluation requested by the applicant and any lease negotiations. The payment of the expert assistance fees to the city shall precede any work being done that is related to the intended application or lease, including a pre-application meeting or site visit.
(B) The city may hire any consultant of its choice to assist the city in reviewing and evaluating applications and negotiating leases, provided the consultant has at least five years experience working exclusively for the public sector regulating towers and wireless facilities and negotiating leases.
(C) The total amount of the funds needed for expert assistance as set forth in the city’s Fee Schedule may vary with the scope and complexity of the application, the completeness of the application and other information as may be needed to complete the necessary technical and non-technical reviews, analysis and inspection of any construction or modification or the amount of time spent responding to an applicant’s arguments as regards its application or the requirements of this section.
(D) The city will maintain an accounting record for the expenditure of all such funds.
(E) Pursuant to G.S. § 160A-400.52(f), if an application is amended, or a waiver or relief is requested from any regulations at any time prior to the grant of the certificate of completion required under this chapter, the city reserves the right to require additional payment for the review and analysis equal to, but not exceeding, the cost created for the city by the applicant or its application. Such amount shall be paid to the city prior to the issuance of the conditional use permit or administrative approval or the certificate of completion, whichever is procedurally needed next.
(Ord. 2016-4-26-38, passed 4-26-2016)