27.01.300 Fees.
The County shall require fees for its environmental evaluation activities in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 5.100 CCC.
(1) Threshold Determination. For every environmental checklist the County will review when it is lead agency, the County shall collect a fee pursuant to Chapter 5.100 CCC from the proponent of the proposal prior to undertaking the threshold determination. The time periods provided by this chapter for making a threshold determination shall not begin to run until payment of the fee. When the County completes the environmental checklist at the applicant’s request or under CCC 27.01.090(3), an additional fee as provided in Chapter 5.100 CCC shall be collected.
(2) In the majority of cases most of the County’s cost in making a threshold determination will be covered by the normal checklist fee. However, in some cases where impacts are more significant and varied, the research and analysis required may become more costly and regular costs do not adequately cover the County’s expenses in consideration of the applications. This is particularly true when expanded environmental checklists or extensive addendums to the checklist are developed and submitted for an application for a license. In cases where such applications are submitted, Planning Department time involved in review of the application may become extensive. When expanded checklists or applications with extensive addendums are submitted or when a checklist application and related project takes more than eight work hours to review and analyze, an additional fee shall be collected as provided by Chapter 5.100 CCC.
(3) Environmental Impact Statement.
(a) When the County is the lead agency for a proposal requiring an EIS and the responsible official determines that the EIS shall be prepared by employees of the County, the County may charge and collect a reasonable fee from the project proponent to cover costs incurred by the County in preparing the EIS. The responsible official shall advise the applicant(s) of the projected costs for the EIS prior to actual preparation; the applicant shall post bond or remit payment of such costs pursuant to Chapter 5.100 CCC.
(b) The responsible official may determine that the County will contract directly with a consultant for preparation of an EIS, or a portion of the EIS, for activities initiated by a person or agency other than the County and may bill such costs and expenses directly to the applicant. Such consultants shall be selected by mutual agreement of the County and applicant after a call for proposals. The County may require the applicant to post bond or remit payment of such costs prior to the consultant beginning work on the preparation of the EIS.
(c) If a proposal is modified so that an EIS is no longer required, the responsible official shall refund any fees collected under subsection (3)(a) or (3)(b) of this section which remain after incurred costs are paid pursuant to Chapter 5.100 CCC and CCC 27.01.170.
(4) The County may collect a reasonable fee from an applicant to cover the cost of meeting the public notice requirements of this chapter relating to the applicant’s proposal.
(5) The County shall not collect a fee for performing its duties as a consulted agency.
(6) The County may charge any person for copies of any document prepared under this chapter, and for mailing the document, in a manner provided by Chapter 42.17 RCW.