Glendale proposes broad fee schedule overhaul; council questions large permit and filming increases

The Glendale City Council on May 28 heard a detailed presentation of a proposed FY 2026–27 citywide fee schedule from Revenue Manager Linda Musan, who said staff reviewed about 2,013 fees and recommended a mix of CPI adjustments, consolidations, and moves toward full cost recovery.

Musan said fees were grouped into four categories: full cost recovery, subsidized, market/operational, and regulatory. She said roughly 80% of proposed citywide fees (excluding regulatory fees) are targeted at full cost recovery while about 20% remain subsidized—most of those in Community Services & Parks and Library, Arts & Culture.

Key proposals and council concerns

Among the changes called out in council questions were large increases in certain building and mechanical permit lines and restructured library filming/rental fees: staff explained some fees were consolidated and that filming during library open hours would be charged at a higher multiple to reflect lost public access and market comparables. Examples cited during council Q&A included mechanical permit fee increases and library interior/exterior rental retooling.

Council members asked for

- A fiscal-impact estimate tying proposed fee changes to historical volumes so the council can see likely net revenue; staff said a subset of revenue changes (parking, vegetation management, new concierge fee, higher code-enforcement citations) were included in the FY26–27 forecast where volumes were reasonably estimable. Staff said those items would add an estimated $1.2M (parking) plus other forecasted items.
- Clarification about community benefit: several councilors asked that fees for parks and events preserve affordability for community events and nonprofits; staff said the fee study includes subsidized categories and some existing nonprofit discounts remain.
- Comparables: staff said fee comparisons used nearby jurisdictions (Pasadena, Burbank, Pasadena and LA) and private-market checks where appropriate and that moving many CDD fees to cost recovery would place Glendale in a middle market range rather than the most expensive.

Special items

Staff also noted statutory and regulatory changes that affect fees: police concealed-carry permit fees and renewals were proposed to move to full cost recovery in light of state law changes allowing full cost recoupment; GWP electric fees are phased to full cost recovery as previously planned; and proposed code-enforcement citation increases could generate an estimated $500,000, to be handled in a separate staff report.

Next steps

Council members requested more granular fiscal-impact estimates and asked departments to provide supporting volume data and comparisons before final adoption at the June 23 budget hearing. Staff said they will provide more detailed breakdowns and meet with council members in advance of the June 4 follow-up study session.