§ 503. Administrative and Professional Review Fees

A. Application Fees. Application fees for review and approval of all subdivision and land development projects shall be set by the Town Council, and shall be payable to the Town of New Shoreham upon submission of said application to the Planning Board. The current fees, identified by the type and phase of the subdivision or development, are listed in a separate fee schedule available from the clerk of the Planning Board. The Board shall review the fees on an annual basis and recommend to the Council amendments to the fee schedule, as needed.

B. Recording Fees. Fees for the recording of plats and other documents in the Land Evidence Records shall be in an amount as set by the Town Clerk of New Shoreham.

C. Inspection Fees. An inspection fee, as set by the Town Council, of shall be paid to the Town of New Shoreham for each time an inspection is required and for each person, or town department, required to do inspections of the necessary improvements or conditions of any approved project.

D. Professional Review Fees.

1. In addition to administrative fees, the Planning Board shall impose a project review fee on all subdivisions and land development projects that, in the judgment of the Board, require review by outside professional consultants due to the size, scale or complexity of the project; the project's potential impacts; or because the Town lacks the necessary expertise to perform the review work related to the necessary permit or approval. In hiring outside consultants, the Town may engage the services of engineers, planners, scientists, landscape architects, architects, attorneys or other appropriate professionals able to assist the Planning Board and to ensure compliance with all relevant laws, ordinances and regulations. Such assistance may include, but shall not be limited to:

a. Analysis or design review of an application to determine consistency with the Comprehensive Plan;

b. Review and identification of site features including fresh and saltwater wetlands, significant trees or stands of trees, wildlife habitats, archeological sites and historically significant structures and sites;

c. Soil or water sampling and testing;

d. Assessing the environmental, archeological and/or historic impacts of a proposed development, with recommendations for mitigation;

e. Review of all proposed design elements, including roads and stormwater management systems;

f. Review of landscaping plans and other proposed site amenities;

g. Review of building architecture and design;

h. Inspection of a project during construction or implementation; and

i. Monitoring or inspecting a completed project or site for on-going compliance with the Town's approval.

The fee shall not exceed the cost of the professional review or services required for the project in question.

2. The Planning Board may request such professional project review at any stage of a proposed subdivision or development, although efforts will be made to identity such a need by the time of master plan review for a major subdivision or land development project, or preliminary plan review for a minor subdivision or land development project. As part of the public record, the Planning Board will indicate what outside professional services will be contracted, as well as the specific scope of their review.

3. The professional review fee is to be deposited into a special account as established by the Finance Director for the Town of New Shoreham. Outside consultants retained by the Town to assist in the review of an application shall be paid from this account. When the balance in an applicant's escrow account falls below twenty-five percent (25%) of the initial professional project review fee, as imposed above, the Planning Board may require a supplemental fee to cover the cost of the remaining project review.