Eric Johnson2 days ago2 minHow often is enough? When should you update your feesAs a fee consultant, the question that I get asked most often is, “How often should we be updating our fees?” Once I dispose of the...
Eric JohnsonNov 15, 20212 minTaxes already pay staff’s salaries, don’t they?A question that I am often asked by City Council members is, “Aren’t taxes already paying staff’s salaries, so why do we need to worry...
Chu ThaiSep 14, 20213 minBut Wait…There’s More! A Fee Study Gives You More Than Additional RevenuesThe common understanding is that a fee study is performed to increase city revenues (even though the conversation should be about...
Eric JohnsonJul 11, 20212 minAnother Look at Proposition 26In a recent article, I talked about Proposition 4, passed in 1979, as the godfather of voter initiatives that defined service fees and...
Rick KermerJun 15, 20213 minModified Deposit Fees to the RescueAfter calculating the full cost for a current development-related application, the RCS effort turns to the process of cost recovery by...
Rick KermerFeb 15, 20213 minEvolution of the Hourly RateA recent question on the CSMFO website was from a finance director that wondered what to do when the fiscal year had twenty-seven pay...
Eric JohnsonNov 16, 20202 minDo You Need a Fee Audit?After going through the process of doing a Fee Study and getting the fees approved by your Council, your thoughts turn to having a really...
Chu ThaiMar 8, 20202 minJust be yourself and don’t compareIn just about every project we work on our client city asks for a fee comparison to neighboring cities. And just about every time we...
Eric JohnsonOct 14, 20192 minIs it bad to show a profit?We all know that government is not allowed to make a profit on the services that it provides. While there are exceptions with the rental...
-Aug 12, 20192 minDo Development Fees Affect Home Sales?At about every other Council or town-hall meeting I attend there is the question about whether development fees (planning fees, permit...
Eric JohnsonJun 7, 20193 minCredit Card Processing FeesSince there is a lot of interest in credit card processing and convenience fees recently, I thought this would be a great time to write...
Rick KermerMay 12, 20193 minFraming the Case for FeesAs the typical reader of the RCS blog articles, you are a technically skilled government finance professional and can make a strong...
Chu ThaiApr 16, 20193 minServices Limited by State LawsWhile performing a fee update and going through the hundreds of different fees and fines which a city may have, we noticed some fees...
Eric JohnsonFeb 9, 20193 minCosting Recreation ServicesAs part of a Cost of Services Study we are usually asked to provide the full cost of Recreation services and then make recommendations to...
Eric JohnsonOct 23, 20182 minComprehensive or Targeted Fee StudyThere are two different approaches to doing a Fee Study. You can either do a comprehensive study that involves the entire organization...
Rick KermerJun 18, 20183 minCost StudiesThe same person who is credited with inventing accounting, Luca Pacioli, an Italian mathematician from the 15th century, is also credited...
Eric JohnsonMay 13, 20182 minGovernment as a BusinessWhen the authors of Proposition 4 in 1979 were writing the ballot measure it was based on the idea that government should act more like a...
Eric JohnsonOct 28, 20172 minNext Steps After a Fee UpdateSo you have just updated your fees and you are justifiably proud of this accomplishment. Now, what’s next? You could just rest on your...
Rick KermerSep 17, 20173 minFee Increases in Between Cost StudiesWhen I first started doing Cost Studies, cities were unlikely to know the cost of their services let alone charge what the services cost....
Eric JohnsonJun 14, 20172 minAre Credit Card Processing Fees for You?For many years the credit card industry vigorously fought against any effort to charge a processing fee to use a credit card. Credit...