Saturday, January 16, 2010

Pacific Grove responds to grand jury over building permit fees

Acting deputy city manager responds to grand jury
The Monterey County Herald
Herald staff report
Updated: 01/16/2010 01:30:04 AM PST

A Pacific Grove official is disputing a county grand jury statement that the city has not provided justification for its building permit fees, which are higher than those of neighboring cities.

"I provided lots of data" to the jury, Jim Becklenberg, acting deputy city manager, said Friday.

While Pacific Grove's fees range from 31 percent to 61 percent higher than nearby cities, they only account for two thirds of the cost of providing service, Becklenberg said.

"We do have more intense involvement by planners" than some other towns, Becklenberg said.

The civil grand jury report said Pacific Grove has fees "not common to other jurisdictions because of the large number of coastal archaeological sites and historic properties."

The City Council is required to respond to the grand jury, but the jury has no enforcement powers.

http://www.montereyherald.com/news/ci_14206286?nclick_check=1

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