Santa Barbara County Municipal Code § 21-306 Fee adjustments

(a) In order to implement the goals and objectives of the Goleta community plan and to mitigate impacts caused by new commercial and industrial development projects within the Goleta planning area, a park and recreational facility development impact fee is necessary. The fee is needed to finance park and recreational facilities necessary to serve new commercial and industrial development and to assure new commercial and industrial development projects pay their fair share for these facilities.

(b) Sections 66000 et seq. of the California Government Code provide that development impact fees may be enacted and imposed on development projects. The board of supervisors finds and determines that:

(1) New commercial and industrial development projects cause the need for construction, expansion and/or improvement of park and recreational facilities within the Goleta planning area.

(2) Funds for construction, expansion and/or improvement of park and recreational facilities are not available to accommodate the needs caused by new commercial and industrial development projects, which will result in inadequate park and recreational facilities within the Goleta community planning area.

(c) The board of supervisors finds that the public health, safety, and general welfare will be promoted by the adoption of a commercial and industrial park and recreational facility development impact fee for the construction, expansion and/or improvement of park and recreational facilities, the need for which is caused by new commercial and industrial development projects. In establishing a commercial and industrial park and recreational facility development impact fee, the board of supervisors finds the fee consistent with the Santa Barbara County comprehensive plan/land use element and the Goleta community plan.

(d) Pursuant to Title 14 California Code of Regulations, Sections 15061 and 15273(4), the board of supervisors finds that this ordinance is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

Words when used in this ordinance, and in resolutions adopted under the authority of this ordinance, shall have the following meanings:

(a) "Goleta community plan" is defined as the plan that updates the Santa Barbara County comprehensive plan for the unincorporated area of Goleta.

(b) "Goleta community planning area" or "Goleta planning area" is defined as that area of the County of Santa Barbara delineated by the Goleta community plan adopted by the board of supervisors on July 20, 1993 and as amended from time to time.

(c) "Development" or "development project" means any project that involves the issuance of a permit for new construction, and reconstruction or expansion of an existing structure, which would result in an increased impact on public services.

(d) "Commercial and industrial" means any building used for retail commercial and/or nonretail commercial and industrial development as identified in article II and III of the County Code, which includes, but is not limited to, retail stores, shops, and offices supplying commodities or performing services, excluding schools, governmental facilities and churches.

(e) "Retail commercial" includes, but is not limited to, food stores, book stores and video rental stores, drug stores, laundry and cleaning establishments, barber shops and beauty parlors, repair shops for shoes, radios, TV and domestic appliances, professional services, studios and clinics, automotive service stations, vehicle maintenance and repair, banking, insurance and real estate services, restaurants, small bakeries, theaters, bowling alleys, and social clubs, discount stores, home supply stores.

(f) "Nonretail commercial and industrial" includes, but is not limited to, buildings in which medical activities are conducted, warehouses and wholesale distribution, mini-warehouses, truck terminals, manufacturing, processing, fabricating, assembly, refining, repairing, packaging, or treatment of goods, material, or produce, sheet metal and welding shops, wholesale lumber yards, contractors yards, auto wrecking yards, canneries, commercial feed lots and stock yards, research and development, light industrial such as product assembly, laboratories, printing plants, and power stations, hotels and motels.

(g) "Fee" means a monetary exaction, other than a tax or special assessment, that is charged by the County of Santa Barbara in connection with approval of a development project or subdivision for the purpose of defraying all, or a portion of, the cost of park facilities related to the development project or subdivision.

(h) "Park and recreational facilities" include public park and recreation facilities, open space, riding and hiking trails, ancillary facilities, and any other capital park and recreation facility projects identified in the county's five-year capital improvement plan.

(i) "Park and recreational impact" means any commercial or industrial development project which generates an increased demand for park and recreational facilities within the Goleta planning area.

(j) "Capital improvement plan" means the plan for park capital improvements as identified in the county's five-year capital improvement plan or its successor as adopted or updated by the board of supervisors. The capital improvement plan indicates the approximate location, size, time of availability and estimated cost of capital improvements to be financed with impact mitigation fees and appropriate money for capital improvement projects.

(k) "Board of supervisors" means the board of supervisors of the county.

(l) "County" means the County of Santa Barbara, a political subdivision of the State of California.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1; Ord. No. 4364, § 1)

(a) Pursuant to this ordinance, commercial and industrial park and recreational facility development impact fees shall be adopted from time to time by resolution of the board of supervisors after a noticed public hearing. Payment of such fee, when adopted, shall be a condition of the issuance of permits for, or the approval of, new commercial and industrial development projects within the Goleta community planning area.

(b) In adopting the resolution, the board of supervisors shall:

(1) Identify the purpose of the fee;

(2) Identify the use to which the fee is to be put;

(3) Determine a reasonable relationship between the fee's use and the type of development project on which the fee is imposed;

(4) Determine a reasonable relationship between the need for the park and recreational facility and the impacts from the type of development project on which the fee is imposed;

(5) Determine a reasonable relationship between the amount of the fee and the cost of the park and recreational facility, or portion of the park and recreational facility; and

(6) Establish a schedule of fees for commercial and industrial park and recreational facilities.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

(a) A commercial and industrial park and recreational facility development impact fee shall be charged upon approval for the following new development within the Goleta planning area:

(1) The construction or installation of any new commercial or industrial buildings, including any additions to such existing buildings which add more than five hundred square feet of floor area.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

The following will be exempted from payment of the commercial and industrial park and recreational development impact fees referenced herein:

(a) Any development project that has no park and recreational facility impact, as defined by section 21-301(i) of this ordinance.

(b) Any development project that does not require a building permit that allows for the erection, moving, alteration, or improvement within the county.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

(a) Imposition of Fees.

(1) Fees shall be imposed at the time of approval of any discretionary permit for development or, if the fees could not have been lawfully imposed as a condition of discretionary approval, at the time of any other subsequent permit required for the development to proceed, including but not limited to building permits.

(2) When the applicant applies for a new permit following the expiration of a previously issued permit for a development project for which fees were paid, another fee payment is not required unless (i) the project has been changed in a way that alters its park and recreational impact, or (ii) the schedule of fees has been amended since the previous approval. In this event, the applicant shall pay the appropriate increase or decrease in the fees.

(3) When fees are paid for a development project and the development project is abandoned without any further action beyond the obtaining of a permit or an approval, the payor shall be entitled to a refund of the fees paid, less a portion of the fees sufficient to cover costs of collection, accounting for and administration of the fees paid.

(b) Payment of Fee.

(1) Except as set forth in subsection (2) below, commercial and industrial park and recreational facility development impact fees shall be paid on the date the final inspection is approved.

(2) The county shall require the payment of fees at an earlier time if the fees will be collected for public improvements of facilities for which an account has been established and funds appropriated and for which the county has adopted a proposed construction schedule or plan prior to final inspection, or the fees are to reimburse the local agency for expenditures previously made.

(3) No building permit for any development project shall be issued unless a contract has been executed to pay the fees, and no final inspection for any development project shall be approved unless fees have been paid.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

(a) A developer of any project, or a subdivider of any land, subject to the payment of fees pursuant to this ordinance may appeal to the board of supervisors for a reduction, adjustment, or waiver of any park and recreational facility development impact fee(s) based upon the absence of any reasonable relationship or nexus between the park and recreational impacts of the project or subdivision and either the amount of the fee(s) charged or the type of park and recreational facilities to be financed. The appeal shall be made in writing, shall state the factual basis for the claim of reduction, adjustment or waiver, and shall be submitted to the park director within fifteen calendar days following determination of the fee amount.

(b) The park director shall review the appeal, develop recommended actions to be taken by the board of supervisors, and submit both the appeal and recommended actions to the board of supervisors for their consideration at a public hearing to be conducted within sixty days after the filing of the appeal. The decision of the board of supervisors shall be final. If a reduction adjustment or waiver is granted, any change in use from the project as approved shall invalidate the waiver, adjustment or reduction of the fee.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

(a) The board of supervisors may establish by resolution categories of "beneficial projects" which are eligible for fee reductions or waivers. The resolution will establish administrative procedures for granting fee reductions or waivers.

(b) Any reduction or waiver of commercial and industrial park and recreational facility development impact fees must be accompanied by a finding of availability of substitute funds to assure that the park and recreational facilities can be constructed.

(c) Any commercial and industrial park and recreational facility development impact fee reduction or waiver granted as a result of a fee reduction policy shall apply only to the permit being sought and the original specified land use. Any new permit and/or change in land use shall be subject to reevaluation by the county and may result in the imposition of fees previously reduced or waived.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1; Ord. No. 4364, § 2)

(a) Upon receipt of a fee subject to this ordinance, the county shall deposit, invest, account for and expend the park and recreational facility development impact fees pursuant to California Government Code Section 66006.

(b) Park and recreational facility development impact fees paid shall be held by the park department in a separate park and recreational facility development impact fee account to be expended for the purpose for which they were collected. The park department shall retain all interest earned on the fees in such accounts and shall allocate the interest to the accounts for which the original fee was imposed.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

(a) Funds collected from park and recreational facility development impact fees shall be used to acquire, construct, and install park and recreational facilities or reimburse costs of previously constructed facilities.

(b) No funds collected pursuant to this ordinance shall be used for periodic or routine maintenance.

(c) Funds may also be used to pay debt service on bonds or similar debt instruments to finance the acquisition, construction and installation of related equipment to the park and recreational facilities.

(d) Funds may also be used to offset the cost of administration of the fund including audits, yearly accounting and reports, and other costs associated with maintaining the fund.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

In lieu fee credit for the construction of park and recreational facilities and service improvements is allowable under the following conditions:

(a) The costs of park and recreation facilities listed on, or exempted from, the applicable park and recreation capital improvement plan, or county comprehensive plan/land use element recreation section, or the adopted park, recreation, and trail map (PRT-3), or other public park and recreation facilities approved by the park director or her/his designee, may be eligible for in-lieu credit.

(b) With prior approval of the park director or his/her designee, an in-lieu credit of fees may be granted for actual construction costs (or a portion thereof) of park and recreational facilities provided by the developer.

(c) If the actual construction cost is greater than the required relevant fees, the county shall have no obligation to pay the excess amount.

(d) An amount of in-lieu credit that is greater than the specific fee(s) required under this ordinance may be reserved and credited toward the fee of any subsequent phases of the same development or subdivision, if such credit is determined to be appropriate and timely, and approved in advance by the park director.

(e) If an applicant is required, as a condition of approval for a discretionary permit, to construct any off-site park facilities, and the cost of the facilities is determined to exceed the fee due under this ordinance, a reimbursement agreement may be offered in writing by the park director. The reimbursement agreement shall contain terms and conditions approved by the park director, auditor-controller, county counsel and the board of supervisors. This section shall not create any duty to offer a reimbursement agreement.

(f) Park and recreational facilities specifically serving the project exclusively may be eligible for partial in-lieu fee credit-based on an adopted credit schedule.

(g) A developer seeking credit and/or reimbursement for construction or improvements of facilities, or dedication of land or rights-of-way, shall submit documentation acceptable to the park director to support the request for credit or reimbursement. The park director shall determine whether the facilities or improvements are eligible for credit or reimbursement, and the amount of such credit or reimbursement due the developer if so eligible.

(h) Any claim for credit must be made at or before the time of application for a building permit. Any claim not so made shall be deemed waived.

(i) Exemptions, credits, reductions, adjustments, or waiver of fees shall not be transferable from one project or subdivision to another without the board of supervisors' approval.

(j) Determination made by the park director pursuant to this section 21-310 may be appealed to the board of supervisors by filing a written request with the clerk of the board, together with a fee established by the board of supervisors, within ten working days of the determination of the park director.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

(a) If a permit expires without commencement of construction, the taxpayer shall be entitled to a refund of the park and recreational development impact fee(s) paid, with any interest accrued thereon, as a condition for the issuance of the permit. The feepayer shall submit a written request for a refund to the park director within two years after the expiration date of the permit. Failure to timely submit a request for a refund shall constitute a waiver of any right to a refund if the fee has been allocated to facility projects included in the county's five-year capital improvement plan.

(b) The park director shall report to the board of supervisors, once each fiscal year, any portion of park and recreational facility development impact fees remaining unexpended or uncommitted in an account five or more years after deposit and identify the purpose for which the fee was collected. In accordance with Government Code Section 66001, the board of supervisors shall make findings once each fiscal year on any portion of the fee remaining unexpended or uncommitted in its account five or more years after deposit of the fee, to (1) identify the purpose to which the fee is put; (2) demonstrate a reasonable relationship between the fee and the purpose for which it is charged; (3) identify all sources and amounts of funding anticipated to complete financing of the park and recreational facilities and; (4) designate the approximate dates on which the funding is deposited into the appropriate account.

(c) For all unexpended or uncommitted fees for which the findings set forth in subsection (b) cannot be made, the county shall refund to the current record owner or owners of lots of the development project(s) on a prorated basis the unexpended or uncommitted fees, and any interest accrued.

(d) If the administrative costs of refunding unexpected and uncommitted revenues collected pursuant to this ordinance exceeds the amount to be refunded, the board of supervisors, after a public hearing, for which notice has been published pursuant to Government Code Section 66001 and posted in three prominent places within the area of the development project, may determine that the revenues shall be allocated for some other purpose for which the fees are collected pursuant to Government Code Section 66001 et seq. and that serves the project on which the fee was originally imposed.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

(a) At least once every year a proposed capital improvement plan detailing the specific park and recreational facilities to be funded by park and recreational facility development impact fees shall be presented to the board of supervisors for adoption by resolution. Notice of the plan shall be given pursuant to Government Code Section 65090 and Section 66002, as they now exist or may be amended.

(b) Except for the first year that this ordinance is in effect, no later than sixty days following the end of each fiscal year, the park director shall submit a report to the board of supervisors identifying the balance of fees in the park and recreational facility impact fee program fund established pursuant to this ordinance, and the facilities proposed for construction during the next fiscal year. In preparing the report, the park director shall adjust the estimated costs of the public improvements in accordance with the appropriate Engineering Construction Cost Index as published by Engineering News Record, or its successor publication, for the elapsed time period from the previous July 1 or the date that the cost estimate was developed.

(c) At a public hearing the board of supervisors shall review estimated costs of the park and recreational facilities described in the capital improvement plan, the continued need for these facilities, and the reasonable relationship between the need and the impacts of development for which the fees are charged. The board of supervisors may revise the park and recreational facility development impact fees to include additional projects not previously foreseen as being needed.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

Each fee imposed pursuant to this ordinance shall be adjusted automatically on July 1st of each fiscal year, beginning on July 1, 1999, by a percentage equal to the appropriate Engineering Cost Index as published by Engineering News Record, or its successor publication, for the preceding twelve months.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

The amount of each fee established pursuant to this ordinance may be set and revised periodically by resolution of the board of supervisors. This ordinance shall be considered enabling and directive in this regard.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

This ordinance and any resolution adopted pursuant hereto supersedes any previous county ordinance or resolution to the extent the same is in conflict with this ordinance.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

If any section, phrase, sentence, or portion of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the final decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct and independent provision; and such holding shall not affect the remaining portions of this ordinance.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

Pursuant to California Code Section 66017(a), this ordinance shall be in full force and effect sixty days after the date of its adoption by the board of supervisors.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)

The clerk of the board is hereby authorized and directed to publish this ordinance by one insertion in the Santa Barbara News-Press, the Lompoc Record, the Santa Ynez Valley News, and the Santa Maria Times, and all other newspapers of general circulation within Santa Barbara County, within fifteen days of its adoption by the board of supervisors.

(Ord. No. 4341, § 1)