Bigly fee increases
Not good for housing.
City Council's adoption last week of a general fund budget that will prompt a historic tax rate election overshadowed another important aspect of the budget that could have a big effect on affordability in Austin: development fees.
As part of the budget, the Development Services Department proposed dramatic hikes to a number of fees charged to developers. The department says the increases are necessary to cover the cost of service, but builders say they are unreasonable and out of line with what other cities charge.
In some cases, the fees for various inspections or reviews are more than doubling:
