At the time of an application, the applicant shall pay a filing fee pursuant to a fee schedule, which shall be determined by the commissioner of the department of public infrastructure and approved by the city council. Any subsequent changes to the fee schedule shall be submitted to the city council for approval.
Pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner of the department of public infrastructure, reasonable fees may be imposed upon applicants for the purpose of securing outside consultants including, engineers or other experts, in order to aid in the review of proposed projects. Such funds shall be deposited into a revolving fund, which shall be established specifically for this purpose. Additional consultant fees may be requested where the requisite review is more expensive than originally calculated or where new information requires additional consultant services.
Only costs relating to consultant work done in connection with a project for which a consultant fee has been collected shall be paid from this account and expenditures may be made at the sole discretion of the department of public infrastructure. Any consultant hired under this provision shall be selected by and report exclusively to the department of public infrastructure. The department of public infrastructure shall provide applicants with written notice of the selection of a consultant, identifying the consultant, the amount of the fee to be charged to the applicant, and a request for payment of that fee. Notice shall be deemed to have been given on the date it is mailed or delivered. The applicant may withdraw the application or request within five (5) business days of the date notice is given without incurring any costs or expenses.
