Planning staff to hire consultant to rework impact-fee schedule; pickleball example cited

Planning staff told the board the city expects to engage a consultant to update the impact-fee assessment schedules and the technical foundation documents that underlie those fees. The review typically occurs every two to three years; staff said the last adopted update was about three years ago and the next update is expected to be initiated in the coming months.

Staff said a key aim is to expand the set of use categories in the fee schedule so unusual uses — staff cited the example of a pickleball facility that faced a large fee under current categories — can be evaluated more precisely. Board members asked whether the consultant could benchmark Lebanon’s fees against neighboring communities and whether fees create disincentives for affordable housing. Staff recommended the board and consultant discuss scope and early questions together so technical tradeoffs and policy goals are clear.

Staff named likely consultants with experience in impact-fee assessments and said that consultant will be brought to an early meeting to answer board questions about methodology, comparative benchmarks and options for tailoring fees to local priorities. The board did not set a dollar figure for the contract during the meeting.