When RCS undertakes a Development Impact Fee (DIF) Calculation and Nexus Report, one of the exhibits included in the Report is a table...

In the line of work that I’m in I hear lots of people mention overhead percentages.  But that is usually not followed by what exactly...

I noticed the other day that some of the groups I’ve joined on LinkedIn are discussing benchmarking. I went through my benchmarking phase...

1927 – State creates (requires) authority for cities/counties to prepare a General Plan. 1955 – Circulation and Land Use Elements...

Lately, there seems to be some confusion about the difference between Capital Impact Fees and Operational Service fees and the rules...

Given the renewed interest in contracting as a way to save money, it seems like a good time to review the experience of agencies that...

Does your agency have a Revenue Book and someone assigned as Revenue Czar? The Revenue Czar is charged with knowing everything there is...

A young girl calls the police while hiding in a closet to say that her father has just killed her mother and is looking for her to kill...

A recent report by the California Statewide Needs Assessment Project, a coalition of local government groups, identified more than $82...

The Levels of Service (LOS) provided to the residents or businesses of any given City service is based upon (or limited by) the finite...

Those of you with your own in-house police departments have sworn officers (henceforth “officers”) and police department space for them...

There is a favorite game being played today called “Catch the Fee that’s Really a Tax.” This game is played by many well-intentioned...

Often times during public hearings a Council member will opine that fees are the same as taxes.  I then feel the need to offer a...

I have been completed over one hundred Development Impact Fee Calculation (DIF) studies since 1987 (a quarter of a century, yikes!).  ...

In October of 2009, I wrote an article about what Firefighters could teach Police Officers. Thanks to an article in the Los Angeles Times...

There has been much talk lately in budgeting circles about Budgeting for Outcomes. In short, this means making an effort to determine an...

I’m at heart a “budget” guy. In the four cities I worked in as an employee (full disclosure, it was over 25 years ago) I was always...

Will I calculate service costs based on a single unit of service? Yes, but I don’t like to. It’s often hard to make the case for...

We are living in a time of change. Redevelopment Agencies in their current form have disappeared. No one knows what the State budget will...

Let’s jump into the “wayback machine” and travel back to 1975 when I was a 23 year old Administrative Analyst (i.e. “punk”) with a fresh...