25O - AGMT - USER FEE STUDY - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

City of Santa Ana I California with one occurrence. Examples where this method could be used are: reviews of applications and permits, requests for specific individual services or inspections, and licenses. A typical case study fee model should comprise the following three general cost layers: 1) Central Services Overhead: This category may Involve such costs as labor, services, and supplies that benefit more than one department, division, or project. The exact benefits to specific areas are impossible to ascribe to a single activity. Examples are purchasing, human resources, and liability insurance. As part of the user fee study, these costs are calculated in the overhead cost review. 2) Department Overhead: This category may include expenses related to such items as office supplies, outside consultants, and membership dues. It may include management, supervision, and administrative support that are not provided to a direct fee - generating service. Typically, these items are charged, on an item -by -item basis, directly to the department, division, or project. e • 3) Personnel Costs: This category refers to Costs _ direct salary and benefit costs of staff hours spent on providing a fee - generating service (e.g., on -site building inspector), N Approach 2; Average Cost Method This is also sometimes referred to as a programmatic approach, because it looks at costs at a program level, and then allocates them to participants on an occurrence basis. By taking total service costs across a substantial sample period (a year), and dividing by the total number of service units delivered over that same period, costs per unit of service is estimated. This approach is useful when services or programs are provided in a more aggregate manner, where it might be difficult to identify a specific sequence of steps associated with one user or participant; or where it is not feasible to cost- effectively segregate costs associated with specific activities. An example of where this approach is applicable is recreational programs. In these cases, residents or customers sign up to participate in a group activity, with one instructor, using a building that is shared by multiple programs or activities. In this case segregating costs associated with one participant would be very difficult; so by determining the cost of a program (such as aquatics for Instance), and attributing that cost to participants based on historical and /or planned participation levels, a cost per user can be calculated. User Fee Study Work Plan Our proposed work plan, described in detail by task, is provided below. We explain how each task will be accomplished, and identify associated meetings and deliverables. We want to ensure our scope provides quality and clarity, and is responsive to the City's needs and specific local circumstances. We will work in concert with the City to adjust our scope as needed during the course of the study. Taxes, fines, utility rates, and penalties are not "user fees' and will not be part of our work plan for this project. However, we will advise the City regarding additional study efforts it may pursue to evaluate fee categories not considered user fees. " Cornprehensive .innovative.Trusted. 13 City of Santa Ana d . , "; User Fee Study 250 -17