Sonoma City Hall is pushing a new master fee schedule designed to close a roughly $1.1 million shortfall in the proposed 2026‑27 budget. The plan would tack on new charges and raise many existing fees on everything from building permits to park and plaza rentals, cemetery services and routine administrative work. It would also layer in new surcharges, including a permit technology fee and a general‑plan maintenance surcharge. The City Council will hold a public hearing this Wednesday to review the proposal, and if the schedule gets the green light, staff says the changes would take effect 60 days later, on August 2.
Matrix Consulting Group, which the city hired in August 2024 to update the master fee schedule, used a full cost‑allocation methodology to calculate fully burdened staff rates and the time required for each service. The study found that Sonoma is currently recovering roughly 40% of its service costs and is under‑recovering by about $1.1 million, with Building Services recovering only about 25% of its costs. These findings and the related policy recommendations are laid out in the agenda materials for the council meeting, according to the City of Sonoma.
How fees would change
The draft master fee schedule would significantly reshape how the city charges for development and day‑to‑day services. Staff is proposing a General Plan Maintenance surcharge equal to 23% of a major building permit (about $23 per $100), an 8% technology surcharge on all permits (replacing the current flat $48 charge), and a reworked building permit schedule that is tied to occupancy and square footage instead of valuation. The plan would also set the building plan check at 75% of the permit fee and the planning plan check at 10%, raise cemetery fees by roughly 5–8%, and add or expand administrative and special‑event charges, including fees for use of the council chamber, notary services, wedding licenses, amplified sound and equipment storage, as reported by the Sonoma Valley Sun.
Examples and revenue impact…