Service Fees

May 21
2 min

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...

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Oct 17, 2023
4 min

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...

37 views0 comments

Aug 17, 2023
2 min

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...

30 views0 comments

May 16, 2023
2 min

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...

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Sep 11, 2022
2 min

The Nuts and Bolts of Getting Your Fees Approved

So, you’ve just spent the last number of months developing a Cost of Services Study with recommendations to update your fees, and now...

41 views0 comments

Jul 18, 2022
6 min

Setting the Record Straight on PRA Fees

The California Public Records Act (PRA), all the supplementary legislation, and numerous court decisions has made it clear and specific...

587 views1 comment

May 15, 2022
2 min

How often is enough? When should you update your fees

As 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...

52 views0 comments

Nov 14, 2021
2 min

Taxes 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...

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But Wait…There’s More! A Fee Study Gives You More Than Additional Revenues

Sep 13, 2021
3 min

But Wait…There’s More! A Fee Study Gives You More Than Additional Revenues

The common understanding is that a fee study is performed to increase city revenues (even though the conversation should be about...

76 views0 comments

Jul 11, 2021
2 min

Another Look at Proposition 26

In a recent article, I talked about Proposition 4, passed in 1979, as the godfather of voter initiatives that defined service fees and...

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Jun 14, 2021
3 min

Modified Deposit Fees to the Rescue

After calculating the full cost for a current development-related application, the RCS effort turns to the process of cost recovery by...

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Feb 14, 2021
3 min

Evolution of the Hourly Rate

A recent question on the CSMFO website was from a finance director that wondered what to do when the fiscal year had twenty-seven pay...

273 views0 comments

Nov 15, 2020
2 min

Do 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...

36 views0 comments

Mar 8, 2020
2 min

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...

27 views0 comments

Oct 14, 2019
2 min

Is 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...

12 views0 comments

Aug 12, 2019
2 min

Do 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...

16 views0 comments

Jun 7, 2019
3 min

Credit Card Processing Fees

Since there is a lot of interest in credit card processing and convenience fees recently, I thought this would be a great time to write...

17 views0 comments

May 12, 2019
3 min

Framing the Case for Fees

As the typical reader of the RCS blog articles, you are a technically skilled government finance professional and can make a strong...

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