Roseburg adopts broad fee increases to fund permit software and services
May 13, 2024 | Roseburg City, Douglas County, Oregon
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The Roseburg City Council voted May 13 to adopt a comprehensive update to the city fee schedule aimed at bringing permitting and other fees closer to peer cities and generating revenue to fund upgraded permit software.
Staff presented three scenarios for community development fees: (1) a CPI-based increase of 3.6 percent; (2) a phased increase split between July and January 2025; and (3) an immediate full increase (staff’s recommendation), in many cases a 100 percent increase to make fees more comparable with other Oregon cities. Staff said the city currently subsidizes permitting work from the general fund and that higher fees would pay for a new permit platform estimated at about $50,000 annually.
Examples cited by staff included increasing a boundary-line adjustment from $274 to $550 and raising a conditional use permit fee to $1,375, figures that still compare below some larger cities. Staff said the current site-review fee for a new single-family dwelling is $143 and that other required fees (system development charges, floodplain review) apply separately.
Councilors debated phased versus immediate implementation. Multiple councilors favored a one-time full change to avoid repetitive disruption; one councilor opposed the full increase. A motion to adopt resolution 2024-10 with community development fee 'option 3' passed on a 5–1 voice vote. Council later adopted resolution 2024-11 updating water fees (tied to CPI-U West 3.6% for commodity rates and 2.7% for SDCs) by voice vote.
Staff said a water rate study is planned within the next 6–9 months given multimillion-dollar transmission-main replacement projects.
Staff presented three scenarios for community development fees: (1) a CPI-based increase of 3.6 percent; (2) a phased increase split between July and January 2025; and (3) an immediate full increase (staff’s recommendation), in many cases a 100 percent increase to make fees more comparable with other Oregon cities. Staff said the city currently subsidizes permitting work from the general fund and that higher fees would pay for a new permit platform estimated at about $50,000 annually.
Examples cited by staff included increasing a boundary-line adjustment from $274 to $550 and raising a conditional use permit fee to $1,375, figures that still compare below some larger cities. Staff said the current site-review fee for a new single-family dwelling is $143 and that other required fees (system development charges, floodplain review) apply separately.
Councilors debated phased versus immediate implementation. Multiple councilors favored a one-time full change to avoid repetitive disruption; one councilor opposed the full increase. A motion to adopt resolution 2024-10 with community development fee 'option 3' passed on a 5–1 voice vote. Council later adopted resolution 2024-11 updating water fees (tied to CPI-U West 3.6% for commodity rates and 2.7% for SDCs) by voice vote.
Staff said a water rate study is planned within the next 6–9 months given multimillion-dollar transmission-main replacement projects.
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