top of page
Search
Contracting for Fee Services
In 2013, I wrote an article looking at the big picture of contracting. I felt it made sense to contract if your agency was too small to...
Rick Kermer
Apr 202 min read
26 views
0 comments
Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDUs) – A Mirage of a Nexus
I recently came across a few DIF calculation studies where the impact fees were calculated upon the concept of an Equivalent Dwelling...
Scott Thorpe
Mar 254 min read
18 views
0 comments
CSMFO Conference
If you are attending the CSMFO Conference in San Jose next week, please stop by Booth 522 and say Hi. See you there.
Eric Johnson
Feb 101 min read
6 views
0 comments
Building Fees – Based on Valuation or Square Footage?
Building & Safety fees for new construction have historically been charged based on the construction value of the work being done. This...
Eric Johnson
Jan 142 min read
26 views
0 comments
Overview of Court Rulings on Impact Fees
The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Sheetz v. El Dorado court case has made the Nollan/Dolan Standards prominent in discussions...
Gregory Brown
Nov 14, 20242 min read
55 views
0 comments
Deposit Fee or Flat Fee?
There are many ways to charge fees to recover the costs of providing services. The only requirement is that you broadly don’t charge...
Eric Johnson
Sep 18, 20242 min read
35 views
1 comment
Other Uses for a "Fee Study"
What many readers think of as a “Fee Study” was created by RCS (née Management Services Institute) back in 1980. We called the “Study” a...
Rick Kermer
Aug 12, 20243 min read
31 views
0 comments
What is a Defensible Impact Fee Nexus?
AB-1600 (1989), later Chaptered as Government Code 66000, identified and codified the process and nexus effort required to calculate and...
Eric Johnson
Jul 20, 20243 min read
37 views
0 comments
California Development Impact Fee AB 602 Website Requirements
AB 602 came into effect on January 1, 2022. One of the Assembly Bill's main goals was to create more transparency for development impact...
Gregory Brown
Jun 11, 20242 min read
73 views
0 comments
Update your Building Revenues without changing your Building Fees
Building & Safety fees for new construction have historically been charged based on the construction value of the work being done. This...
Eric Johnson
May 21, 20242 min read
51 views
0 comments
Budgetary Pitfalls - Revisited
As most of you are neck deep in your budget, we thought we would remind you about some budgetary pitfalls that we have experienced over...
Rick Kermer
Apr 16, 20243 min read
16 views
0 comments
Negative Development Impact - It was bound to happen
Over the many years of calculating development impact fees, RCS has largely worked with cities/public agencies that have had significant...
Scott Thorpe
Feb 14, 20244 min read
51 views
0 comments


CSMFO Conference
If you are attending the CSMFO Conference in Anaheim next week, please stop by Booth 426 and say Hi. And if you are coming on Tuesday,...
Eric Johnson
Jan 23, 20241 min read
21 views
0 comments
Every City needs a Master Facility Plan
The Master Facilities Plan (MFP) is a valuable tool for effective urban planning and development. It serves as a comprehensive, long-term...
Gregory Brown
Dec 12, 20232 min read
28 views
0 comments
Let the Council decide
When reviewing fee recommendations with staff as part of a Cost of Services Study, there are often discussions about what they think the...
Eric Johnson
Nov 14, 20232 min read
33 views
0 comments
Comparing Your Fees to Other Cities?
Before the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, I was a finance director in California. Annually, finance directors would calculate the...
Eric Johnson
Oct 17, 20234 min read
39 views
0 comments


Just be yourself and don’t compare
In just about every project we work on our client city asks for a fee comparison to neighboring cities. And just about every time we...

Chu Thai
Aug 17, 20232 min read
32 views
0 comments
Where is the General Plan Financial Element?
1927 - State creates (requires) authority for cities/counties to prepare a General Plan. 1955 - Circulation and Land Use Elements...
Scott Thorpe
Jul 13, 20234 min read
28 views
0 comments
The Echo City
An Echo City Buildout is a new type of city structure that we are encountering on the development impact side of RCS. The term Echo City...
Gregory Brown
Jun 14, 20233 min read
30 views
0 comments
Next Steps After a Fee Update
So you have just updated your fees and you are justifiably proud of this accomplishment. Now, what’s next? You could just rest on your...
Eric Johnson
May 16, 20232 min read
48 views
0 comments
bottom of page