Santa Clara City Council votes to increase developer fees

ST. GEORGE — Santa Clara City Council voted at their Wednesday meeting to amend city subdivision and annexation fees to match other cities in the area.

Santa Clara City Council members discuss city subdivision and annexation fees at Santa Clara Town Hall in Santa Clara, Utah, March 10, 2021 | Photo by Megan Webber, St. George News

Subdivision and annexation fees are paid to the city by a project developer before construction begins, and sometimes include a site inspection. The city currently charges developers 1% of the total project cost for subdivision fees and $500 for annexation fees. Th council voted to increase both fees so that the city will be able to cover its budget and match other cities in the St. George area, building official Corey Bundy told St. George News.

“The staff recommends a fee increase for annexation from $500 to $1,000,” Bundy said during the meeting. “This will cover the costs of advertising, researching the annexation and all the different paperwork that is required. And the other request is staff recommends an increase of the subdivision fee from 1% to 2% to cover subdivision costs for inspection purposes.”

The amendment passed unanimously without further discussion.

In other news, the council also voted to approve an interlocal cooperation agreement with Washington County regarding election services. The city and the county sign an agreement each year to work together to run elections. This agreement will last till the end of the year, city recorder Chris Shelley said during the meeting.

“They do a great job every year for us,” Shelley said of the county. “They have the equipment, they’re very knowledgeable, they have experience and they run all the county elections for all the other cities so they are conditioned and they conduct elections well.”

In 2018, the city adopted a vote by mail system, which will remain in place under the current agreement.

The next City Council meeting will be held March 24 at Santa Clara Town Hall. The council will hold a public hearing to discuss shooting in the South Hills recreation area. The Bureau of Land Management, which manages the area, met with Mayor Rick Rosenberg earlier this week to discuss a consultant bid for project surveys, which must be completed by the end of this spring. The bid may also be brought before the council at the next meeting.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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