Council to review and discuss the proposed traffic control permit and right-of-way management fee schedule. (Katie Wilken, Development Services Director)
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed fee schedule (Attachment A) represents an increase in fees and potential fines and is anticipated to recover costs associated with management of the traffic control program. Notice of the proposed increase in fees was provided in accordance with state law. The proposed fee schedule is attached to this staff report.
No changes are proposed to application and plan review fees. There is currently no permit fee charged for traffic control permits which is meant to recover costs associated with inspections related to traffic restrictions and closures. The new fee is proposed at $264 per application, which at 950 Traffic Control Permits (TCPs) per year would be a net impact of $250,000 for the fiscal year.
BACKGROUND AND PREVIOUS ACTIONS
Traffic control permits are required for all construction work that takes place in City right-of-way or impacts traffic in the City's right-of-way. This includes work completed by private development, public and private utilities, and City capital improvement projects. The type of work being completed may include street and underground utility construction or maintenance, but can also include construction on adjacent private property that encroaches into city right-of-way. Road closures for community events may also require a traffic control permit.
Traffic Control Permit submittals have increased by 180% since 2020. There are significantly more construction projects occurring in Goodyear, which means there are more associated traffic restrictions. Some of these projects have had significant disruptions to our roadways, which impacts our residents and business community.
The City's traffic control policy was last updated in 2016. The current policy includes a base fee for most types of restrictions and closures of $75 per day, with the only exception being full arterial road closures. Whether a project restricts lanes on an arterial roadway or a local roadway, or if it is one lane or multiple lanes, it is the same fee. This means there is no financial incentive for developers or contractors to minimize the restrictions in our right-of-way or complete work in an expedient manner. Furthermore, our fee structure does not include sanctions for working outside of standards or approved timeframes, which makes enforcement of approved traffic control permits challenging.
In addition, to help mitigate the impact of increased development activity, City staff updated our internal Traffic Control Policies, and a traffic restriction and closure moratorium was issued in 2024 to coordinate construction work impacting City streets during Spring Training, NASCAR events, and the holiday shopping season. The moratorium was noticed to the development community and utility providers that Traffic Control Permits may be restricted or prohibited in certain areas of the City during the moratorium period. Moratoriums are common practice in many communities and have generally had a positive response.
STAFF ANALYSIS
City staff researched fee schedules of other Valley cities and there are a variety of approaches. However, Phoenix, Glendale, and Chandler have fee schedules that discourage full closures and major restrictions and encourage completing right-of-way work per an approved schedule. They also have sanctions that address non-compliance concerns, including life safety issues, working without a permit, working beyond the approved timeframe, and use of unacceptable traffic control devices.
Staff is proposing a fee structure (Attachment A) that is aligned with the Phoenix, Glendale, and Chandler models. The proposed fees were presented to the development community at our Development Advisory Forum meeting on September 10th, distributed via e-mail to the development community, and posted in accordance with state statute. To date, there have been no objections received.
The proposed fee structure includes:
Fees based on number of lanes restricted and the length (distance) of the restriction.
Fees that distinguish between arterials, major collectors, and all other roadway classifications.
New fees for restrictions impacting bike lanes, turn lanes, medians, and sidewalks.
Different fees for peak hours, non-peak hours and 24-hour closures to encourage minimal interruptions.
Proposed sanctions would address life safety issues, working without a permit or beyond the approve timeframe, and unacceptable traffic control devices.
Should City Council direct staff to move forward with the proposed changes, this item will be brought to City Council for action at the November 18, 2024, regular meeting. If approved at that meeting, the new fee schedule would go into effect on January 1, 2025. Staff will provide notice of the fee changes to stakeholders ahead of time through the website and development contacts.
