City Fee Increases

At a glance

What: The Fee Ordinance raising fees as part of the FY 2027 budget, including fees for metal recyclers and used auto part recyclers, proactive apartment inspections, vehicle booting, parking fines, river barge tickets and non-resident library cards.
Where it stands: The Fee Ordinance passed 8-3 on September 17, 2026 (No: Alderete Gavito, Spears, Whyte).
Next: Fees take effect with the new fiscal year; staff estimated about $30.4 million of fee revenue over two years.

Added at the September 16 work session: booting $60 to $120; parking in a residential zone without a permit $32 to $52; vacant lot and dangerous premises abatement administrative fee $250 to $400 (the proposed budget had $300); more parking fines; river barge adult non-resident ticket $15 to $20 (with $1 for cultural programming, per Meza Gonzalez); HAZMAT fee for retail gas stations $150 to $173 under 30,000 gallons and $600 to $690 above; non-resident library card $20 to $30 (about $0.5 million a year; McKee-Rodriguez first suggested $25).
Alderete Gavito and Meza Gonzalez also supported raising the speeding fine baseline from $100 to a $200 maximum.
September 10 public hearing: two speakers supported higher Development Services license fees for metal recyclers because the community asked for stronger regulation; a salvage yard owner opposed the increase for Metal Recycling Entity and Used Automotive Parts Recycler licenses and asked for less frequent inspections. On September 17 two business owners opposed the same fees and an apartment association representative opposed raising the proactive apartment inspection fee.
Spears noted almost 25 percent of library cards are held by non-City residents; Goswami confirmed. Whyte's Amendment 1 would have raised alarm fees (failed).

Castillo said her residents supported higher fees to fund inspection and enforcement of metal and auto recycling facilities for safety and environmental protection; Kaur said proactive apartment inspections and dangerous premises work would be paid for with fees collected.
Whyte's failed Amendment 1 would have raised alarm permit late fees from $30 to $78, the robbery alarm service fee from $600 to $772 and the clearance letter fee from $50 to $75 ($452,646 a year); see Fiscal Year 2027 Budget.