Brisbane accepts master fee study; staff to prepare public hearing on fee schedule

Brisbane City Council accepted a master fee study on May 21 and directed staff to prepare a proposed fee schedule for public hearing. The study, prepared by Matrix Consulting Group, reviewed nearly 500 fee line items and used a bottom‑up method that multiplies staff time assumptions by fully burdened rates to estimate the true cost of providing services.

"The primary reason for doing these types of fee studies is that there are certain rules in the state of California that dictate what you can and can't charge for fees, and they require that those fees be based on the true cost of providing services," consultant Khushbu (Matrix) told council during the presentation. She described the methodology — time assumptions multiplied by fully burdened rates that include salaries, benefits, overhead and supervisory costs — and noted staff and department head input guided the assumptions.

The study identified an approximate $300,000 gap between current charges and the estimated cost of service across building and planning work, with building's cost recovery around 76% (slightly below typical standards) and planning cost recovery lower (about 23%). The consultant recommended several changes, including new standalone flat fees for routine building permits (electrical, mechanical, plumbing), expanded encroachment flat fees, and a proposed general plan maintenance fee permitted under California statute to capture long‑range planning costs.

Council and staff discussed policy choices about where the city should continue subsidizing services (for example, many council members said public swimming lessons and some senior programs should remain subsidized for community benefit), legal constraints on some fees set by state law, and the practical need for an annual escalation factor to maintain cost recovery going forward.

The city's contract with Matrix Consulting Group for the study was stated as $50,000. Staff asked council to accept the study and indicate any changes before the item returns for public hearing; council agreed and staff said they will provide a timeline for written comments and a hearing date.

Next step: Staff will accept written feedback from council and stakeholders on the proposed schedule, publish the fee changes and set a public hearing consistent with required notice; council was asked to submit any specific change requests to staff before the public hearing process begins.