To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Katherine Smith, Acting Director, Public Works and Development
Prepared By:
prepared
Eva Maines, PE, Engineering Program Manager, Public Works and Development; Fue Vang, Engineering Inspections Manager, Public Works and Development
end
presenter
Presenter: Eva Maines, Engineering Program Manager; Fue Vang, Engineering Inspections Manager, Public Works and Development
end
Subject:
title
10:45 AM *Engineering Services Evaluation of Fees and Proposed Increase
end
Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The purpose of this study session is to present a comprehensive review of engineering fees and propose an update to the Engineering Services fee schedules for Arapahoe County. This session is informational with staff requesting direction from the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) regarding the consideration of adopting a modernized fee structure. Specifically, staff seek guidance on whether to proceed with aligning fees to reflect actual staff effort and administrative requirements.
end
Alignment with Strategic Plan: Good Governance - Plan for future service, infrastructure, and fiscal needs.
Background and Discussion: Over the last few years, there has been a transition in leadership within the Engineering Services Division and many of the processes and practices have been reviewed. One of the questions that arose initially was why the engineering fees were so different than the planning fees. In tandem, the completion of the inspectors manual highlighted discrepancies in how engineering permit fees were being assessed. Those two realizations began a comprehensive review of fee schedules for both the engineering reviews and engineering permitting. Before that review was done, the Grading, Erosion and Sediment Control manual was updated also requiring a change to those associated permit fees. Staff completed a memorandum describing the reviews that were completed, the rationale for the increases, examples of the proposed structure and financial impacts.
Engineering Services dedicates an extraordinary amount of time to reviewing required documents, tracking down violators, obtaining missing or unauthorized contractor documentation, enforcing violations within County right-of-way, adjusting permits, and educating contractors, developers, and residents on County standards, specifications, and procedures. The fee updates and newly added service items are tools that allow staff to reclaim the time needed to guide applicants, reinforce expectations, and ensure that projects built in the County truly meet the level of quality the community can be proud of.
Aligning fees with actual staff time, technical expertise, and administrative requirements strengthens the County’s ability to maintain rigorous engineering standards, support sustainable staffing, and respond effectively to evolving industry demands. This alignment empowers staff, protects the County’s assets, and upholds the commitment to infrastructure that is not only safe and functional, but something the entire community can stand behind with confidence.
Alternatives: The BOCC is presented with 3 alternatives for this session.
Alternative 1: Adopt the Proposed Fee Schedule
Alternative 2: Take No Action and Maintain Current Fee Schedule
Alternative 3: Request Revisions Based on Specific Feedback
Fiscal Impact: Currently, the budgeted revenue is $525,000 from reviews and permits, which covers approximately 33% of the 2026 budgeted expenses. Staff expect the revenue to increase. The other fiscal impact will be the costs to implement this new fee structure in Accela which requires coordination with IT partners. This has not been completed to date.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: The attached framework helps Arapahoe County institutionalize values-based, transparent decision-making, documenting how we make decisions and carry out actions to achieve the county’s strategic plan.
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval to update both Engineering Services fee schedules and work with IT to develop project costs and timelines to implement these new fee schedules. Formal adoption would be requested once the impacts to IT are identified and budgeted if necessary.
Concurrence: No other County departments were consulted in developing the proposed Engineering Services fee updates. However, Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority (SEMSWA), our stormwater referral agency, was consulted and is currently undergoing a similar fee-modernization process, and their review aligns with the direction of this proposal. Staff also received guidance from Legal outside of the standard review process to ensure that the updated fee structure is based on accurate staff-time calculations and actual effort. Following final direction from the BOCC, Engineering Services still needs to coordinate with IT to implement the updated fees within the Accela Customer Access (ACA) system.