MOORPARK : City OKs Increase in Public Works Fees

The Moorpark City Council has approved a 37% increase in fees for most building inspections and other engineering services to help make up for the revenues lost because of the overall decline in development activity.

The council approved the increase last week and also decided to conduct a study on whether fees should be raised even further. The fee increase, which will take effect later this summer, will be the first time that the city has raised its charges for public works and engineering services in eight years.

It is a substantially lower increase than proposed by the city’s Budget and Finance Committee several months ago.

The committee had initially suggested raising fees for permits and inspections by as much as 350%, which would have made the city’s charges for such services equal to Ventura County’s.

But after months of lobbying against the proposed increase by the Calabasas-based Building Industry Assn., which represents developers, the council decided on a smaller hike in fees for now.