General
Q What does the Community Development Department do?
A The Community Development Department is responsible for planning and zoning,
building and inspections, and development engineering and environmental
reviews. These services help assure that buildings and other structures within our
city are planned, designed and built in a way that is safe and compliant with all
codes and regulations. Our mission is to provide citizens and the development
community with a high level of professional, customer-focused service.
Q How do I get in touch with someone in Community Development?
A You can call us at 239-444-6150, e-mail us at
commdevt@cityofbonitaspringscd.org, or come by our offices between
8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Q Where are your offices?
A Our offices are located at
Sunshine Plaza and Professional Center,
9220 Bonita Beach Road, Suite 109,
Bonita Springs, Fla. 34135.
Get directions to our offices.
The permit intake couter will be located at
9220 BONITA BEACH ROAD
SUITE 111
ALL DEVELOPERS/AGENTS WILL CONTINUE
TO USE SUITE 109 FOR APPOINTMENTS
Fee Structure
Q How does Bonita Springs currently pay for building permitting and
inspection services delivered
by Lee County?
A Bonita Springs has an interlocal agreement
for services with Lee County. Under
the agreement, the County keeps all of the fees collected for the delivery of
these services. Since the fees collected for these services do not cover the
full cost of the building permitting and inspections program, the City has paid the
County additional money to make up the difference. This money has come
from the City’s general funds. In fiscal year 2006/2007, the City paid Lee County
an additional $317,000 out of its general funds to subsidize building permitting and
inspection costs. In fiscal year 2007/2008, the City paid Lee County an additional
$814,000 out of its general funds to subsidize building permitting and inspection
costs.
Q Why is the City now taking control of these building permitting and
inspection services?
A The interlocal agreement between Lee County and the City expires June 30.
In the fall of 2007, Lee County and the City decided that for operational and
financial reasons, they would not renew this agreement. As a result, and in
line with its model to deliver services to citizens in the most efficient
and cost-effective manner, the City chose to consider a public-private
partnership to deliver community development services, including building
permitting and inspections. After evaluating proposals, the Bonita Springs
City Council selected CH2M HILL OMI as its partner in December 2007.
The City will become responsible for delivering these services June 30.
Q What is the role of the City and its new community development
department?
A The City of Bonita Springs controls and manages the community development
department
function, just as it does for any other City department. The City will
make decisions
on fee structures, provide contract oversight and control, and
work with department
staff to establish key performance measures. The
community development department
will deliver day-to-day community
development services, operating as an extension
of the City. It is committed to
providing a seamless transition and excellent customer
service.
Q Why is Bonita Springs now considering adjusting its building permit and
inspection fees?
A Under Florida statute, cities are allowed to have their building
permitting and
inspection services fully self-funded. In other words, fees charged
to individuals
or companies receiving a service can be set to recover the full cost
of delivering
that service. The City is considering adjusting the fees to achieve
balance
between those who directly benefit from the service and those who pay for
it.
Also, the revenue generated by the current fee schedule is not enough to cover
the actual cost of providing the service. Without an increase, building permitting
and inspection services will have to continue to be subsidized from the City’s
general funds, reducing the amount of money available for other City and
taxpayer priorities.
Q Can the City keep the same fee schedule as Lee County?
A While this is an option, research and benchmarking indicates that keeping the
same fee schedule is likely not a practical approach. If the City does not adjust
the fee schedule, it will not be able to cover the full cost of what it
actually takes to deliver the service. This is true whether the City provides
the service through Lee County, with its own staff, or through a public-private
partnership. If the proposed increases are not adopted, there will be a continued
financial burden on city taxpayers who are not using these services.
Extensive analysis has been done to develop a proposed fee schedule
that places Bonita Springs’ fees at a general midpoint relative to
comparable to those charged other south Florida communities. The proposed
fees are by Sanibel, Marco Island, Naples, Sarasota, and Sarasota County.
Q Who will decide whether the proposed fees will be adopted?
A Building permitting and inspection fees will be set and adopted by the Bonita
Springs City Council. Meetings such as this one are being held to help citizens
and the development community learn about the proposed changes and to gather
feedback for the Council. The goal is to develop a fair approach that no longer
requires city taxpayers to subsidize building permitting and inspection services.