DocumentsStaff ReportFeb 26, 2025Pages 66–89
Bylaw No. 2123 - Revised Fees and Charges Report (Referred back to Committee by Council)
Staff report regarding Bylaw No. 2123 proposing revised fees and charges; the item was referred back to Committee by Council and includes the recommended fee revisions and supporting rationale.
Key facts
- Agenda item: 6.4 (starts page 66)
- Bylaw number: 2123 (Revised Fees and Charges)
- Status note: Referred back to Committee by Council
- Report contains proposed fee schedules and commentary to support revisions (included in attachment pages through page 89)
- Context: included on Feb 25, 2025 Committee agenda
Bylaw No. 2123 - Revised Fees and Charges Report (Referred back to Committee by Council)
Staff Report to Community Advisory Committee
DATE: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
DEPARTMENT: Administration
SUBJECT: Revised Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 Amendment #16, Bylaw No. 2123, 2024
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff prepared amendments to Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 that were considered by the Community Advisory Committee in November 2024, with a recommendation that was referred to Council in December 2024. Council then referred the item back to the Community Advisory Committee as it was identified that further clarification was needed.
BACKGROUND
At its Regular meeting held Tuesday, November 26th, 2024, the Community Advisory Committee passed the following resolution:
THAT the Committee recommend that Council give first, second, and third reading to Bylaw No. 113, 1995 Amendment No. 16, Bylaw No. 2123, 2024 with the addition of clarification that Staff Time to Obtain, Photocopy, Produce, and Research Documents is not applicable for any documents required to be provided by statute.
This recommendation was brought forward and presented to Council at its Regular meeting held Monday, December 2, 2024. Prior to consideration, Council resolved to remove the item from the agenda and referred it back to the Community Advisory Committee for further consideration.
COMMENTARY
The rationale for the referral back to committee, and the clarification needed was specifically regarding the fee for staff time spent obtaining, photocopying, producing, and researching documents for individuals requesting these types of services. The report received by the Committee in November stated that the fee for this service would be a new fee, however the fee itself is not new, rather the application of the fee coming into effect prior to the first three hours would be new.
The current Fees and Charges Bylaw reads:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Staff Time to Obtain and Photocopy Documents | $11.33 per ¼ after the first 3 hours |
The proposed amendment would allow a charge of $15.00 per quarter hour after the first fifteen (15) minutes as written below:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Staff Time to Obtain, Photocopy, Produce and Research Documents | $15.00 per ¼ hour – not applicable for documents required to be provided by statute |
Staff have included in the revised proposed amended bylaw, that the $15.00 per ¼ hour is not applicable for documents required to be provided by statute, as per the committee’s November 26th robust discussion and subsequent recommendation. As such, the committee does not need this wording included in their motion, rather it has been included in the amendments as presented this evening.
To provide further clarity, staff have attached a corrected redline copy of the report considered by Committee at the November 26, 2024, meeting, and a redline copy of current consolidated Bylaw No. 113, 1995.
In addition, at the November 26th committee meeting, the Corporate Officer stated that the proposed property record search fee is $50.00. However, the proposed new fee is $25.00 plus GST as outlined in the documentation provided to the committee at that meeting.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
As previously noted, the City does not expect to see a significant increase to revenues with these amendments. The fees are intended to help in offsetting the additional costs of providing the services. Many of the changes are to adjust the current fees to account for inflationary adjustments, going forward these adjustments will occur automatically.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
Pursuant to the Community Charter, a Council may impose fees for all or part of a service of the municipality, including imposing charges for obtaining copies of records that are available for public inspection.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
5 - Good Governance
OPTIONS
Option 1
THAT the Committee recommend that Council give first, second, and third reading to Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 Amendment #16, Bylaw No. 2123, 2024 as presented.
OR Option 2
THAT the Committee recommend that Council direct staff to remove or update the following in the Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 Amendment #16, Bylaw Bo. 2123, 2024:
SUBMITTED BY: Concurrence: Marie Watmough, Director of Legislative & Protective Services
Concurrence: Melisa Miles, Manager of Legislative Services
Concurrence: Donna Petrie, Senior Manager of Communications & Economic Development
Concurrence: Yari Nielsen, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
Concurrence: Matthew Baldwin, RPP, MCIP, Director of Development Services
Concurrence: Leah Stohmann, RPP, MCIP, Director of Community Planning and Climate Change
Concurrence: Katelyn Balzer, P.Eng., Director of Engineering and Public Works
Concurrence: Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
Concurrence: Braden Hutchins, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
Concurrence: Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer
Attachments: Proposed Bylaw 2123; Redline copy of amended Bylaw 2123
Staff Report to Community Advisory Committee (November 26, 2024)
DATE: Tuesday, November 26, 2024
DEPARTMENT: Administration
SUBJECT: 20241126 - Bylaw No. 2123 - Fees and Charges Bylaw Amendment Report.docx
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff have prepared an amendment to the Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 for Council’s consideration. Many of the changes are to adjust the current fees to account for inflationary adjustments. Staff are also recommending additional charges to offset the cost of providing these services.
BACKGROUND
Last updated in 2022, the Fees and Charges Bylaw is an important document for the City. This bylaw is readily available on our website and can help inform residents and customers of fees the City charges for various goods and services.
Staff are proposing many changes to the bylaw to refresh this document and charge rates that are truly reflective of the work and time spent by staff to prepare and produce documents and various other goods.
Staff have reviewed many other similarly sized municipalities’ bylaws while preparing this amendment and it was noted that Langford charges significantly less for the same undertakings.
COMMENTARY
The Fees and Charges Bylaw is divided into Schedules based on the department that will likely fulfil these requests. Staff are recommending changes to these fees to reflect the cost of providing the services. Included in the Bylaw is also a provision to automatically adjust the fees in accordance with the All Items Consumer Price Index for Greater Victoria effective May 1 of each year. The RCMP fees are not included in the annual adjustment as the City tries to align these fees with those charged by our partner municipalities at the detachment.
Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 Amendment #16 Bylaw No. 2123, 2024
20241118 Community Advisory Committee Report
Schedule A – Administration
Photocopies:
- Currently Reads:
- Single Sided $0.37 per page
- Double Sided $0.69 per sheet
- Proposed Amendment:
- Single Sided $0.50 per page *
- Double Sided $0.80 per sheet *
- *For materials not provided under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Bylaw of the Municipality.
Staff Time to Obtain, Photocopy, Produce, and Research Documents:
- Currently Reads:
- Not currently in Bylaw.
- Proposed Amendment:
- $11.33 per ¼ after the first three (3) hours.
- $15.00 per ¼ hour
This proposed fee is a new addition to the bylaw. Staff have noted an increase in requests that are not necessarily a Freedom of Information Request but do take a considerable amount of time to create, locate, and provide materials to the requester. Many other municipalities have a fee like this written in their bylaw, below is a table outlining the applicable fees charged by some other municipalities in BC.
Municipality fees (examples):
- City of Campbell River: $75.00 per hour, $10.00 per ¼ hour after 1st hour
- Township of Langley: $63.00 per hour
- City of Nanaimo: $7.50 ¼ hour
- District of North Saanich: $12.50 per ¼ hour
- District of Central Saanich: $15.00 per ¼ hour
- Town of Sidney: $12.50 Per 15 minutes or portion thereof after the first 15 minutes.
Property Records Request/File Search:
- Currently Reads:
- Not currently in Bylaw.
- Proposed Amendment:
- $25.00 plus GST ($26.25 after tax) *
- For property owners requesting their own information, there is no fee. Occupancy certificates (if available) will also have no charge.
This proposed fee is a new addition to the bylaw. Annually, the City completes over 500 property records requests for property owners, real estate agents, and other interested parties. Many municipalities charge for such a service. Staff have recommended $25 plus GST to reflect the average processing time of 30 minutes per request. Below is a table outlining the fees throughout the CRD municipalities:
| Municipality | Fee |
|---|---|
| Colwood | $15.00 |
| Sooke | $30.00 |
| Metchosin | $15.00 |
| Esquimalt | $50.00 plus GST ($52.50) |
| Highlands | $15.00 |
| View Royal | Fees and Charges Bylaw notes there may be a charge ($40.00 if more than 4 hours of staff time). |
| Victoria | $25.00 |
| Central Saanich | $25.00 |
| North Saanich | $75.00 |
| Sidney | Cost per page from Island Blue Print |
| Oak Bay | $10.00/ page for building plans, but no charge for permit history. |
Schedule B – Finance
Mortgage Company Tax List:
- Currently Reads: $8.00 per folio
- Proposed Amendment: $10.00 per folio
Staff note there is a significant amount of staff time involved in generating and administering the mortgage company tax lists and with rising costs, recommend increasing this fee accordingly.
Schedule C – Planning and Development
Documents:
- Currently Reads: Not currently in Bylaw.
- Proposed Amendment:
- Official Community Plan $50.00 per printed document
- Zoning Bylaw $75.00 per printed document
Staff note that charging a flat rate for these highly requested documents rather than a by-page photocopy fee will save requesters money. Both the Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning Bylaw are available in their entirety on the website.
Schedule D – Mapping
- There are no proposed amendments to this Schedule at this time.
Schedule E – RCMP
- Proposed increases to these fees, with totals rounded to the nearest dollar as many applicants pay by cash.
- Staff are recommending an addition to this Schedule to allow staff to waive the fees for Police Information Checks and Fingerprints for instances of hardship.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
While fees collected are generally captured in General Revenue, the City does not collect a significant amount of money annually. While we do not expect to have any significant increase to revenues with these amendments, the fees do help in offsetting the additional costs of providing the services. Many of the changes are to adjust the current fees to account for inflationary adjustments, going forward these adjustments will occur automatically.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
Pursuant to the Community Charter, a council may be bylaw impose fees for all or part of a service of the municipality, including imposing charges for obtaining copies of records that are available for public inspection.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVES
5 - Good Governance
OPTIONS
Option 1
THAT the Committee recommend that Council give first, second, and third reading to Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 Amendment No. 16, Bylaw No. 2123, 2024.
OR Option 2
THAT the Committee recommend that Council direct staff to remove or update the following in the Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 Amendment No. 16, Bylaw No. 2123, 2024:
Option 3
THAT the Committee recommend that Council take no action regarding Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 Amendment No. 16, Bylaw No. 2123, 2024 at this time.
SUBMITTED BY: Marie Watmough, Director of Legislative and Protective Services
Concurrence: Melisa Miles, Manager of Legislative Services
Concurrence: Donna Petrie, Senior Manager of Communications & Economic Development
Concurrence: Yari Nielsen, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
Concurrence: Matthew Baldwin, RPP, MCIP, Director of Development Services
Concurrence: Leah Stohmann, RPP, MCIP, Director of Community Planning and Climate Change
Concurrence: Katelyn Balzer, P.Eng., Director of Engineering and Public Works
Concurrence: Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
Concurrence: Braden Hutchins, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
Concurrence: Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer
Attachments: Bylaw No. 2123
CITY OF LANGFORD
BYLAW NO. 2123
A BYLAW TO AMEND CITY OF LANGFORD FEES AND CHARGES BYLAW NO. 113, 1995
The City of Langford Council in open meeting assembled enacts as follows:
- City of Langford Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 113, 1995 is amended as follows:
a) By replacing existing Schedules “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, and “E” inclusive to Bylaw No. 113 with Schedules “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, and “E” which are attached to and form part of this Bylaw.
- By adding a new Section 2 as follows:
a) That the fees in Schedules “A”, “B”, “C” and “D” automatically be adjusted effective May 1 of each year by the annual percentage change in the All Items Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Greater Victoria for the then most recently ended calendar year as published by Statistics Canada or successor in function.
- This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “City of Langford Fees and Charges, Amendment No. 16, Bylaw No. 2123, 2024”.
READ A FIRST TIME this ____ day of ______, 2024.
READ A SECOND TIME this ____ day of ______, 2024.
READ A THIRD TIME this ____ day of ______, 2024.
ADOPTED this ____ day of _____, 202.
PRESIDING COUNCIL MEMBER
CORPORATE OFFICER
City of Langford Fees and Charges, Amendment No. 16, Bylaw No. 2123, 2023
Schedule A – Administration
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Photocopies (for materials not provided under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Bylaw of the Municipality) - Single-sided | $0.50 per page |
| Photocopies (for materials not provided under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Bylaw of the Municipality) - Double-sided | $0.80 per sheet |
| Requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act | $10.00 per requests plus applicable charges as set out in the Act |
| Staff Time to Obtain, Photocopy, Produce, and Research Documents | $15.00 per ¼ hour – not applicable for documents required to be provided by statute |
| City of Langford Pins - First pin free of charge to Langford residents and business community; Groups active in the City to be given 20 free pins per year for distribution at special functions, each additional pin after 20 pay full price | At cost |
| City of Langford Branded Merchandise | Cost plus of up to 15% for administration |
| List of Electors where the Municipal Act entitles a person to obtain a copy | $25.00 per copy |
| Property Records Request/File Search (*Owner requesting information – no charge. **Occupancy certificates – no charge if available.) | $50 + GST |
| Fire Report | $60.00 |
Schedule B – Finance
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Taxes and Charges Outstanding (to other than a registered property owner) | $34.85 per certificate – available electronically $59.24 per certificate – prepared by City of Langford |
| Tax Demand Notice (to other than a registered owner) | $21.00 per notice |
| Annual Gross Tax Information List | $402.00 per copy |
| Accounts Outstanding Beyond 30 Days | Interest charge of 1.5% per month, compounded to an annual rate of 19.56% |
| Returned Cheque Service Charge | $34.00 per cheque |
| Mortgage Company Tax List | $8.00 per folio |
| Statement of Financial Information (printed) | See Schedule A per page cost for photocopies |
| Five-Year Financial Plan (printed) | See Schedule A per page cost for photocopies |
Schedule C – Planning and Development
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Property Information Letter / Request for Written Response to Zoning Enquiries (Price is Per Property) | $142.00 plus $0.50/page plus $135.00/hour* plus $33.00/box** *Hourly charges apply after the first two hours of research **To be included if file is in off-site storage and must be returned for photocopying |
| Official Community Plan (printed document) | $50.00 per printed document |
| Zoning Bylaw (printed document) | $75.00 per printed document |
Schedule D – Mapping
| Address, Street, or Zoning | Cost |
|---|---|
| Poster - regular | $39.00 each |
| Poster - custom | $51.00 each |
| Booklets | $51.00 each |
| Available hard copy maps 8.5x11 | $8.00 |
| Available hard copy maps 11x17 | $10.00 |
| Available hard copy maps 24x36 | $15.00 |
| LiDAR imaging/mapping | $25.00 per tile |
| USB Drives supplied by City | At cost |
| Electronic Adobe Format | No charge |
| Custom Map Requests – such as data manipulation, analysis, labeling | $120.00/hour with 1-hour minimum charge plus cost of printing on 36x48 paper |
Schedule E – RCMP
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Collision Report/ MV6020 (Law firms, insurance companies) | $72.00 |
| Collision Report/ MV6020 (First copy to ICBC, driver, property owners, passengers, etc.) | No charge |
| Each additional copy | $30.00 |
| Traffic Analyst/ Reconstruction Report (Per report) | $298.00 |
| Mechanical Inspection Report (Per report) | $119.00 |
| Field Diagrams/Scene Sketch (Not to scale) | $30.00 |
| Field Diagrams/Scene Sketch (To scale) | $60.00 |
| Court Orders (1-2 hours) | $95.00 |
| Court Orders (Each additional hour) | $36.00 |
| Search fee for multiple files (Per hour) | $36.00 |
| Investigative reports (Police report/synopsis of incident/insurance claim report) | $72.00 |
| Police Information Check | May be waived by staff in cases of undue hardship |
| Adoption/homestay/employment | $83.00 |
| Practicum | $42.00 |
| Fingerprints (Manual and electronic) | $83.00; Each additional set $30.00; May be waived by staff in cases of undue hardship |
| Criminal records review program (Electronic fingerprints – volunteer and employment) | $83.00; Each additional set $30.00 |
| Transcribed statements (Per statements) | $36.00 |
| Electronic media (photos, videos, in-car video, etc.) (Per file) | $30.00 |
| Audio recordings (transcribed) (Per recording) | $36.00 |
| CD/DVDs (Supply of a single CD or DVD) | $3.00 |
Alternate and Historical Fee Tables (Consolidated extracts from pages)
Below are additional consolidated schedule excerpts and historical fee values as contained in the pages provided. These reflect earlier or alternate fee presentations in the document package.
Schedule A – Administration (Alternate/Older values)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Photocopies (for materials not provided under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Bylaw of the Municipality) - Single-sided | $0.37 per page |
| Photocopies (for materials not provided under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Bylaw of the Municipality) - Double-sided | $0.69 per sheet |
| Staff Time to Obtain and Photocopy Documents | $11.33 per ¼ hour after first 3 hours |
| City of Langford Pins - First pin free of charge to Langford residents and business community; Groups active in the City may be given 20 free pins per year for distribution at special functions, each additional pin after 20 pay full price | At cost |
| City of Langford Branded Merchandise | Cost plus of up to 15% for administration |
Schedule B – Finance (Alternate/Older values)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Taxes and Charges Outstanding (to other than a registered property owner) | $31.00 per certificate – available electronically $52.70 per certificate – prepared by City of Langford |
| Tax Demand Notice (to other than a registered owner) | $18.33 per notice |
| Annual Gross Tax Information List | $358.00 per copy |
| Accounts Outstanding Beyond 30 Days | Interest charge of 1.5% per month, compounded to an annual rate of 19.56% |
| Returned Cheque Service Charge | $30.00 per cheque |
| Mortgage Company Tax List | $7.31 per folio |
| Statement of Financial Information (printed) | See Schedule A per page cost for photocopies |
| Five-Year Financial Plan (printed) | See Schedule A per page cost for photocopies |
Schedule C – Planning and Development (Alternate/Older values)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Comfort Letter / Request for Written Response to Zoning Enquiries (Price is Per Property) | $126 plus $0.37/page plus $120/hour* plus $29/box** *Hourly charges apply after the first two hours of research **To be included if file is in off-site storage and must be returned for photocopying |
Schedule D – Mapping (Alternate/Older values)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Poster - regular | $34.30 each |
| Poster - custom | $45.40 each |
| Booklets | $45.40 each |
| Hard copy 11x17 or smaller | $6.80 each |
| Electronic Adobe Format | No charge |
Schedule E – RCMP (Alternate/Older values)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Collision Report/ MV6020 (Law firms, insurance companies) | $63.65 |
| Collision Report/ MV6020 (First copy to ICBC, driver, property owners, passengers, etc.) | No charge |
| Each additional copy | $26.55 |
| Traffic Analyst/ Reconstruction Report (Per report) | $265 |
| Mechanical Inspection Report (Per report) | $106 |
| Field Diagrams/Scene Sketch (Not to scale) | $26.55 |
| Field Diagrams/Scene Sketch (To scale) | $53 |
| Court Orders (1-2 hours) | $84.80 |
| Court Orders (Each additional hour) | $31.85 |
| Search fee for multiple files (Per hour) | $31.85 |
| Investigative reports (Police report/synopsis of incident/insurance claim report) | $63.65 |
| Police Information Check (Adoption/homestay/employment) | $74.25 |
| Practicum | $37.15 |
| Fingerprints (Manual and electronic) | $74.25; Each additional set $26.55 |
| Criminal records review program (Electronic fingerprints – volunteer and employment) | $74.25; Each additional set $26.55 |
| Transcribed statements (Per statements) | $31.85 |
| Electronic media (photos, videos, in-car video, etc.) (Per file) | $26.55 |
| Audio recordings (transcribed) (Per recording) | $31.85 |
| CD/DVDs (Supply of a single CD or DVD) | $2.70 |
(End of pages 66–89 content)
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