Oakdale to trim fees for builders

OAKDALE -- The City Council lowered some building development fees and agreed to seek bids from private companies interested in taking over public park maintenance.

Both decisions came on split votes Monday night.

The lower fees will save home builders thousands of dollars per house. The city's capital facilities fees were reduced 29.6 percent for streets and 38.6 percent for parks.

Depending on the home's location, that could save builders $4,198 per house. Street fees for retail and commercial construction also were reduced.

Council members Pat Paul, Tom Dunlop and Katherine Morgan supported the fee cut, with Councilman Michael Brennan voting against it.

A different three-member majority voted to seek bids from private companies interested in taking over maintenance of Oakdale's public parks.

Currently, about eight city employees care for the parks, but Oakdale is trying to find more economical ways to provide public services.

If private firms submit maintenance bids that are significantly less than what it costs to care for the parks with public employees, the city may decide to contract out those jobs.

Council members Paul, Dunlop and Brennan voted to request park maintenance bids, and Morgan voted against the idea.

The city has been considering outsourcing virtually all the jobs performed by its Public Works Department. The park maintenance bid request is one of the first steps in that privatization process.

Bee staff writer J.N. Sbranti can be reached at jnsbranti@modbee.com or (209) 578-2196.