City of Laconia
Mayor and Council
45 Beacon Street East
Laconia, NH 03246
Re: Licensing Fee Recommendations
To the Honorable Mayor and Members of the
City Council:
Please be advised that on November 24,
2003, at a duly noticed public meeting of the Motorcycle Week Advisory
Committee, the Committee unanimously voted to adopt the following findings and
recommendations of the Public Safety and Infrastructure Subcommittee:
FINDINGS:
1.
That the current vendor fee
structure does not adequately cover administrative costs or generate revenue
and is projected to result in a net loss to the City of $52,000 in 2004; and,
2.
That the current vendor fee and site
plan review fee structure is not reviewed annually; and,
3.
That the practice of unauthorized
expansion and merger of vendor sites creates an enforcement problem and results
in a loss of revenue to the City; and,
4.
That the current site review fee
structure, including those charged for such uses as temporary campgrounds, beer
tents, parking, special events and the like, does not adequately cover
administrative and infrastructure costs or generate revenue for the City; and,
5.
That ordinances relating to
Motorcycle Week licensing and site plan review should be amended to prevent the
current practice of expanding and merging vendor sites and more fairly and
equitably distribute the associated costs among all participants.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1.
Site plan and user licensing fees
should be charged by area ($x per square foot) with a fixed minimum fee for small
sites.
2.
Fees (per square foot) should be
based on use. (For example: (a) Vending, (b) Non-vending/exhibition, and (c)
Charitable)
3.
Site plan review applicant should be
responsible for collection and payment of user fees.
4.
The City should review fees annually.
5.
These recommendations should be
forwarded to the Mayor and Council forthwith, so as to allow the Council the
opportunity to act thereon prior to January, in which month the licensing
packets are usually mailed to participants.
I will be prepared to make a brief
presentation of the foregoing findings and recommendations to the City Council
during its December 8, 2003 meeting. Advisory Committee members will be present
to answer any questions.
In addition, supporting documentation and a
subcommittee executive summary have been made part of the Advisory Committee’s
public record and are available upon request.
Please be advised that the Advisory
Committee is now meeting semi-weekly and anticipates concluding its
deliberations in approximately eight weeks, and hopes to have completed its
final report for submission to the City Council on or before its meeting of
January 26, 2003.
Respectfully
submitted,
Motorcycle Week Advisory Committee