Everything from getting a business license to installing solar panels on your rooftop comes with a fee paid to cover the city's expenses, and those fees were recently raised.
Last summer the Santee City Council authorized an overhaul on the entirity of city fees, which went into affect in August. The updated fees are expected to raise an extra $471,690 annually for the city's general fund.
Many fees had been in effect since the early 1980s and had not been adjusted since. According to the city, the fee increases were necessary in order to combat the loss of city income due to property tax decreases and loss of redevelopment funds.
The bulk of the fee increases come from the planning and engineering department ($260,000), followed by fire ($82,000) and community service ($57,000).
Not all fees were raised, some were adjusted down to reflect actual costs to the city. For example, a residential re-roof went from $483 to $114.
Attached to this post you will find a PDF with a schedule of all Santee city fees.
