Opa-locka commission updates RV rules and raises impact fees, adds scheduled review

Opa-locka’s City Commission unanimously approved a group of ordinances on May 27 that revise rules for recreational vehicles and update several impact-fee schedules, and it added a provision directing staff to re-examine the updated fee studies roughly three-and-a-half years after adoption.

The commission voted 5–0 to adopt an amendment-heavy ordinance that amends Article 5, Section 22-116 of the city’s Land Development Regulations to revise recreational-vehicle definitions and storage rules. The ordinance reduces the allowable overall RV length from 40 feet to 35 feet, requires certification and proof of current title and registration, allows a single recreational vehicle on single-family or duplex lots under specified conditions, prohibits use for living/sleeping/cooking and generally prohibits utility hook-ups except brief maintenance use, and adds a $100 certification fee with an affidavit against occupancy.

City Manager (name not provided) told the commission the three impact-fee ordinances are needed because existing fees no longer cover the city’s infrastructure and service needs. “The recommended amendments to the water and sewer related facilities impact fees are necessary to ensure that adequate levels of service are provided and maintained for new growth,” the City Manager said during the presentation. The manager noted the prior water impact fee of $1,439 per equivalent residential unit and a sewer fee of $1,276 were insufficient.

Vice Mayor Kelly pushed for a written schedule to ensure the fee updates are revisited: “at the three and a half year mark that the manager embark on looking at what the future would hold,” he said, urging language that would require staff to return with an updated consultant study and, if needed, new rate recommendations. The commission adopted that amendment by roll call and then approved the ordinances by unanimous votes.

What passed:
- RV-storage ordinance (Land Development Regulations, Article 5, Sec. 22-116): revises definitions and storage/occupancy rules; certification and $100 fee required; passed 5–0.
- Water and sewer impact-fee ordinance (Chapter 22, Art.12): updates methodology and fee computations; directs a revisit of the rate study around 3.5 years; passed 5–0.
- Public-safety impact-fee ordinance: updates methodology and fee schedule and includes the same scheduled-review amendment; passed 5–0.
- Parks impact-fee ordinance: updates park impact fee computations and trust fund references and includes the scheduled-review amendment; passed 5–0.

Commissioners said they expect the scheduled reviews to be captured either within ordinance language or as a supporting policy and to be tied to a future consultant selection and rate study procurement. City staff (including Mr. Gay, the consultant present at the meeting) were available during the hearing for technical questions; none were raised by public speakers.

The commission’s action adds procedural safeguards aimed at ensuring fees are revisited on a multi-year cycle so that the city’s charges more closely track infrastructure cost changes. The ordinances become effective as provided in each text; commissioners directed staff to include the adopted review language in either the ordinances’ whereas clauses or in the supporting policy work accompanying the fees.