Agenda - Council - 04/05/2011 - Special

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a.Planning commission review State law does not require that subdivision applications be submitted to the Minn. Stat. §462.358 subd 3b city planning commission for review. However, cities may delegate review authority to the planning commission in city ordinance; but statutory cities See LMC information may not delegate finalapproval or disapproval to the planning commission. Planning memo, Final approvals or disapprovals can only be granted by the city council. Commission Guide Charter cities may delegate this authority if their charter specifically provides for this. b.Reimbursement for city review costs City review of a proposed subdivision application may involve significant Minn. Stat. § 462.358 subd 2a staff time as well as consulting services of planners, attorneys, engineers,and Sample ordinance for other professionals. Cities are authorized to seek reimbursement for the city’s review costs costs for review, approval,and inspection of aproject. Cities must authorize reimbursement in their subdivision ordinance. For outside consulting services, such as an attorney or engineer, cities must charge a subdivision applicant at the same rate as the city itself is billed. Cities cannot attach an additional premium to consultant rates. When billing for city staff time, cities must bill applicants at an established rate. For subdivision applications for projects of any size, cities should require that an applicant provide the city with escrowed cash in an amount likely to cover the city’s costs for reviewing, approving,and inspecting a project. In the alternative, cities may require some other type of security—such as a letter of credit—in an amount sufficient to guarantee coverage of the city’s review costs. These requirements should also be stated in the subdivision ordinance. i.Verification of plats and surveys When a city requires a plat to be submitted along with a subdivision Minn. Stat. § 505.03 subd 3 application, cities have additional authority to seek reimbursement for city review costs. Cities are authorized to employ qualified persons, such as a surveyor,to check and verify surveys and plats and to determine the suitability of the plat from the standpoint of community planning. Cities may require the applicant to reimburse the city for such services. When the city uses a city employee to perform these reviews, the city may charge for these services based upon the employee’s regular wage. ii.Fee requirements:accounting/management All cities are required to adopt management and accounting procedures to Minn. Stat. § 462.353 subd 4 (b) ensure fees are maintained and used only for the purpose for which they are collected. SGC17 UBDIVISION UIDE FOR ITIES