Schedule of Fees

The Basic Fees noted on the attached Schedule of Fees shall be designated to cover the following costs associated with review of an application:

  • Applicant’s appearance at regular Planning Commission and/or City Commission meetings
  • Mailing and legal notices for public hearings
  • Involvement by City officers and employees (excluding outside contractors or professionals such as engineers, planners, architects, landscape architects, arborists, legal counsel, etc.)

1. No part of the Basic Fees shall be refundable.
2. The City Commission hereby adopts the following Escrow Account Schedule effective immediately:

Escrow Account Schedule

In addition to the Basic Fees set forth above, all other costs incurred by the City that are directly associated with reviewing and processing an application for certain uses shall be paid (or reimbursed to the City) from the funds in an Escrow Account established by the applicant as provided herein. The collection of Escrow funds is provided for within Section 23.03 of the City of Douglas Zoning Ordinance.

Applications requiring the submittal and maintenance of an Escrow Account include the following:

  • Planned Unit Developments
  • Special Use Permit
  • Platted Subdivisions
  • Site Condominiums
  • Site Plans for construction greater than 5,000 square feet
  • Other applications when City staff and/or officials determine the need for establishing an Escrow Account based on the potential for exceptional or unusual costs being incurred by the City.

An Escrow Account shall be established for all applications for which the City may incur expenses beyond those covered by the basic filing fee.

The Escrow Accounts for uses specified herein are to be established in increments of $500.00, commencing with an initial deposit to the City Treasurer at the time of application. The Zoning Administrator or his or her designee shall determine the amount of the initial deposit in an amount reasonably estimated to be sufficient to cover the expected costs to be paid from the Escrow Account as provided below. No application shall be processed prior to the Basic Fee as set forth above and the initial deposit for the Escrow Account being deposited with the City Treasurer.

Any funds remaining in an Escrow Account after the application has been processed to completion will be refunded to the applicant of record. No interest shall be paid on refunded Escrow Account money.

At no time prior to the City’s completion of review and processing of the application shall the Escrow Account balance be allowed to drop below $500.00. If the Escrow Account balance does drop below $500.00, the City Treasurer will so notify the applicant. The applicant must then deposit an additional amount of at least $500.00 or such greater amount as determined by the Zoning Administrator or his or her designee to be reasonably necessary to cover anticipated remaining or future expenses, or both, to be paid from the Escrow Account as provided below. No further review and processing of the application shall occur until the Escrow Account has been re-established to the appropriate level as determined by the Zoning Administrator or his or her designee.

The City may draw funds from the applicant’s Escrow Account to reimburse the City for out-of-pocket expenses directly related to review and processing of the application. Expenses eligible for payment via the applicant’s Escrow Account include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Services of the City Attorney directly related to the application (including the preparation of development agreements, if applicable)
  • Services of consulting civil engineers directly related to the application
  • Services of consulting traffic engineers and planners directly related to the application
  • Services of consulting land use planners directly related to the application
  • Services of other consulting professionals upon request of the City directly related to the application
  • Additional public hearings and public notices necessitated by the application.

The City Treasurer shall maintain records regarding Escrow Accounts and shall authorize the disbursement of Escrow Account funds in writing. Such Escrow Account funds shall be accounted for separately and maintained in a separate bank account or bank account category.

If an applicant objects to the reasonableness or amount of the Escrow Amount funds it must deposit with the City or how the funds have been applied, the applicant can appeal the City’s determination regarding these matters to the Douglas City Council. All such appeals shall be in writing and shall be made not later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the disputed Escrow Account billing or the decision of the Zoning Administrator or his or her designee.