CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to street and sidewalk use; amending the Street Use Fee Schedule authorized by Section 15.04.074 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, Section 15.04.074 of the Seattle Municipal Code authorizes and directs the Director of Transportation to prepare and recommend to the City Council, for passage by ordinance, a schedule of fees applicable to all street and sidewalk use permits ("the Street Use Fee Schedule" or "fee schedule") that may take into consideration the desirability or undesirability of the use or occupation relative to the rights of the public; and
WHEREAS, Street Use fees are intended to cover full costs of permit issuance, inspection, and plan review, and it is appropriate that those wishing to use public rights-of-way should bear the costs associated with obtaining appropriate street and sidewalk use permits; and
WHEREAS, although Ordinance 125185 authorizes the Director of Transportation to annually adjust base street use permit and hourly fees administratively and include the changes in a schedule of adjusted fees the Director files with the City Clerk, this action resets the fees that can be administratively changed by using 2018 as the base of calculations; and
WHEREAS, use, occupancy, and citation fees have not been adjusted since 2019 to reflect inflationary increases as calculated by Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, which would have implemented rates approximately 25.8 percent higher than the 2019 rate; and
WHEREAS, Street Use fees for permit issuance, renewal, and hourly service rates for inspections and review have been adjusted by CPI annually but have not been adjusted for the current year, which would be a 2.4 percent increase from the current rate; and
WHEREAS, all fees require updating to more fully capture costs of permitting and ...
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