Leland Fee Increases Postponed

The Business Alliance for a Sound Economy (BASE) has successfully worked to delay the town of Leland’s Developmental Services Planning and Zoning fee increases for six months.  The Leland Town Council voted four to one to postpone the increases until January 1, 2011 saying that with the current economic conditions, now is just not the right time to raise fees.

While BASE recognizes the need for local governments to mitigate their cost, any short-term gains now could be off-set by a slower recovery and loss of revenue overall. The housing economy is slowly but surely rebounding in our area. However, it still remains very fragile and even the smallest increase in fees could have a negative effect on our recovery.

The issue of Developmental Services fees first came about during last year’s budget negotiations when the Leland Town Council adopted a five year fee schedule that ultimately will adjust the fees to stay current with inflation based upon the urban CPI (2.2%).  During budget discussions this year, the Council directed town staff to bring the fee schedule back with a resolution to adjust the fees to the next tier.  The scheduled price influx is set to take place each fiscal year for the next five years with 2010 being year two.  The proposed changes would have effected commercial zoning compliance, rezoning, planned unit developments, and improvement guarantees the most.  For a complete list of the proposed fees and their associated costs when they are implemented click here.