HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanningFeeStudy_RFP_02-2026REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT PERMITTING
FEE ANALYSIS
CITY OF BOZEMAN
Bozeman, MT
City of Bozeman
PO Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771-1230
February 2026
NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the City of Bozeman (City) is seeking proposals from firms to analyze
the Community Development Department’s cost of services and fee structure associated with
planning review applications. The selected firm will be expected to study the City’s costs to
provide planning and development review services, review the existing fee schedule and
revenues, study effective fee for service models in other jurisdictions, and provide research-
backed recommendations to ensure the City’s fees for services appropriately and accurately
reflect costs.
Copies of the Request for Proposals are available on the City’s website.
All proposals must be provided as a single, searchable PDF document file and be submitted
digitally as an email attachment to the RFP Recipient email address below. Respondents are
advised that Recipient’s email attachment size limit is 25MB and that only one PDF file will be
allowed per response. The subject line of the transmittal email shall clearly identify the RFP title,
company name and due date/time. File sizes greater than 25MB in size may be uploaded to
bzncloud.bozeman.net upon special arrangement of the Recipient; however, it is the
respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure the file upload is completed, and that the Recipient is
separately notified via email of same, prior to the given deadline.
Deliver RFPs via email to the City Clerk by February 25, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. MST. It is the sole
responsibility of the proposing party to ensure that proposals are received prior to the closing
time as late submittals will not be accepted and will be returned unopened.
The email address for submission is: procurement@bozeman.net
NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY
The City of Bozeman is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Discrimination in the performance of any agreement awarded under this RFP on the basis of race,
color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or actual or perceived sexual
orientation, gender identity or disability is prohibited. This prohibition shall apply to the hiring
and treatment of the awarded entity’s employees and to all subcontracts.
As such, each entity submitting under this notice shall include a provision wherein the submitting
entity, or entities, affirms in writing it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion,
creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual
orientation, gender identity or disability and which also recognizes the eventual contract will
contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and that this prohibition on
discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the submitting entity’s employees and
to all subcontracts.
In addition, pursuant to City Commission Resolution 5169, the entity awarded a contract under
this RFP and any subcontractors must abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104,
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MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and affirm it will abide by the above and that it has visited the
State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, or equivalent “best
practices publication and has read the material.
Any administrative questions regarding proposal procedures should be directed to: Mike Maas,
City Clerk (406) 582-2321, procurement@bozeman.net.
Questions relating to the RFP should be directed to: Rebecca Harbage, Deputy Director of
Community Development, (406) 582-2940, rharbage@bozeman.net.
DATED at Bozeman, Montana, this Wednesday, February 4th, 2026.
Mike Maas
City Clerk
City of Bozeman
For publication on:
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Saturday, February 14, 2026
I. INTRODUCTION
The City of Bozeman (Owner), is seeking proposals from firms to analyze the Community
Development Department’s cost of services and fee structure associated with planning review
applications.
The Owner intends to enter into a contract with the selected firm that will include conducting a
cost of service analysis to understand current cost recovery rates for planning and development
review activities (including costs incurred by other reviewing departments such as Transportation
& Engineering, Parks & Recreation, Fire, and others), researching effective fee for services models
in other municipalities of similar size and complexity in Montana and other states in the
Mountain West, and providing research-backed recommendations to ensure the Owner’s fees
for services appropriately and accurately reflect costs. The selected firm will be expected to
present several options to improve cost recovery rates.
This RFP shall not commit the Owner to enter into an agreement, to pay any expenses incurred
in preparation of any response to this request, or to procure or contract for any supplies, goods
or services. The Owner reserves the right to accept or reject all responses received as a result of
this RFP if it is in the Owner’s best interest to do so.
This procurement is governed by the laws of the State of Montana and venue for all legal
proceedings shall be in the 18th Judicial District Court, Gallatin County. By offering to perform
services under this RFP, all Submitters agree to be bound by the laws of the State of Montana
and of the Owner, including, but not limited to, applicable wage rates, payments, gross receipts
taxes, building codes, equal opportunity employment practices, safety, non-discrimination, etc.
II. PROJECT BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION
Bozeman is the fourth largest city in Montana, with a 2024 estimated population of 57,894. The
City encompasses an area of approximately 20 square miles with the nearest municipality being
the City of Belgrade, approximately seven miles from the City’s outermost boundary. Bozeman
sits in the center of Gallatin County, flanked by the Bridger Mountains and Custer Gallatin
National Forest, just south of the Missouri River Headwaters. This diverse Rocky Mountain
landscape creates easy access to year-round outdoor activities for Bozeman residents and visitors
alike including hiking, mountain biking, climbing, camping, fishing, and downhill and cross-
country skiing. Bozeman’s excellent access to public lands and year-round outdoor recreation has
attracted an influx of new residents, increasing the population by approximately 44% since 2015.
Over the last two decades, Bozeman has been among the fastest growing cities in the Mountain
West. If current growth trends continue, Bozeman is forecast to reach a population over 87,000
by 2045.
In addition to being a hub for outdoor recreation, Bozeman is also home to Montana State
University with its enrolled student population of just over 17,000 in Fall 2025. The presence of
the university creates opportunities such as stable jobs and access to innovative research
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alongside an educated workforce. Seasonal population shifts associated with the school year and
large population of renters can also create challenges to planning and development.
The growing population drives development demand in the City – through both improvements
to existing buildings and infrastructure as well as development of previously undeveloped or
underused land – to meet the housing, employment, and services needs of residents and visitors
alike. The Community Development Department handles much of the regulation and oversight
of such development. The Department houses the Building Division – responsible for reviewing
building plans, issuing building permits, and conducting inspections – and the Planning Division,
which is responsible for long-range planning, development review, historic preservation, impact
fees, and staffing of related advisory boards. A team of administrative staff support the work of
both divisions, manage multiple licensing programs, and provide customer service via a public
counter open daily to walk-in traffic.
This project focuses on the fees collected by the Planning Division, which support the Owner’s
Planning Special Revenue Fund (hereinafter “Planning Fund”). The Planning Fund accounts for
expenditures related to planners’ review of development applications, as well as long-range
planning for the city. There are two major revenue sources for the Planning Fund: property taxes
and planning fees. Recently, the Owner increased planning fees by 15% in fiscal years 2025 and
2026 to support required staffing and operations, but revenues continue to fall short of projected
expenses and the Owner is interested in exploring alternative fee structures that may better align
fees with associated expenses and increase cost recovery in the Planning Fund.
The Planning Fund collects fees for planning applications, business licenses, and short-term rental
permits. For reference, a current list of planning application types and associated fees can be
found in the FY26 Fee Schedule for Planning Review Applications, included in Appendix A.
Services provided by the Owner for Planning Review Applications include review of materials
submitted in compliance with the Unified Development Code (UDC) found in Chapter 38 of the
Bozeman Municipal Code. Specific application requirements can be found in Division 38.710
Submittal Materials and Requirements.
The recently revised UDC has not yet been codified and may be found at the following location:
https://library.municode.com/mt/bozeman/ordinances/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=1403331
More information can be found on the Owner’s website at:
www.bozeman.net/departments/community-development
III. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The Owner is seeking proposals from qualified firms to study the fees for services collected by
the Community Development Department in support of the Planning Fund. The goal of the
project is to improve cost recovery in the Planning Fund by evaluating the existing fee structure
for equity, consistency, and comprehensiveness. This analysis will also identify opportunities to
establish or update fees for additional departments—such as Development Review
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Engineering—so they can more fully recover the cost of providing services. A key component of
this evaluation is ensuring that all direct and indirect costs, including administrative overhead,
are appropriately captured and reflected in the fee structure. The review will also consider
alternative fee models and benchmarking against peer agencies, with an openness to new
approaches to charging fees rather than solely adjusting existing fee amounts.
The successful firm will be expected to perform three main tasks, which are described in detail
below. The first two tasks may be completed consecutively or in parallel and the firm should
propose an approach that achieves the described outcomes on schedule.
a) Cost of Service Analysis
The Owner desires to ensure that, to the extent practical, it recovers from each customer
the cost of providing service to that customer. For planning review applications, the
customer is the applicant and service includes all tasks involved with accepting and
reviewing applications and issuing decisions. Key steps in the review process vary by
application type and include, but are not limited to:
• pre-application meetings,
• application intake and pre-screening by technicians,
• ongoing conversations with the applicant,
• coordination between reviewing departments,
• issuance of public notice materials,
• presentation to boards and commission, if required,
• review and approval by management,
• issuance of final decisions,
• inspection of certain types of facilities by planners, and
• potential appeals (currently a separate application type).
In Bozeman, planning applications are reviewed by staff in the Community Development
Department as well as multiple other departments before a decision is made. In addition
to staff review, decisions often require public notice, acceptance of public comment, and
occasionally presentation to one or more boards including City Commission. Planning
application fees are processed by the Community Development Department and a
portion of the revenue is subsequently transferred to other departments to support their
contributions to development review. The analysis should consider costs incurred within
the Community Development Department by Community Development Technicians,
Development Review Coordinators, Planners, and Planning Managers, as well as by other
departments that have a role in reviewing planning applications, such as Parks &
Recreation, Transportation & Engineering, and Fire. The selected firm should consider
whether current fees are sufficient to support the Owner’s services and whether the
current structure of charging a single planning fee that encompasses the work of multiple
departments is the most effective method of collecting and allocating fees.
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The Cost of Service Analysis should include:
• An accurate accounting of expenses, including, as appropriate, salaries and
benefits, supplies, equipment, software, and indirect costs, incurred for types of
applications listed below. Expenses should be broken out by reviewing
department and should include, at a minimum, Community Development, Parks
& Recreation, Transportation & Engineering, and Fire. Types of applications to
include are:
o All types of planning applications listed in the Fee Schedule in Appendix A.
o Business licenses.
o Short term rental permits.
b) Municipal Fee for Services Research
The Owner seeks information about effective ways to better align fees collected with the
cost of services, increasing the rate of cost recovery for planning and development
review. The selected firm should evaluate the Owner’s existing fee structure with regard
to trends and changing patterns of development, annual revenues from fees, demand for
and cost of services, and adequacy of reserves for operating revenues to determine
sufficient levels to offset periods of low development/revenue while right-sizing and
providing stability in fees over the long term.
Municipalities across the country charge applicants for the costs associated with permit
application processing and review. The Owner is aware that a variety of fee models exist
and cost recovery rates likely vary widely. The selected firm should review the fee
schedules in other Montana municipalities of similar size and complexity, including
Belgrade, Billings, Missoula, and Kalispell or Whitefish. Outside of Montana, the selected
firm should provide examples from at least two mid-size municipalities in the Mountain
West with similar development characteristics and challenges.
Where possible, the study should go beyond a snapshot of the fee schedules and provide
information about cost recovery rate, what services the fees support, whether the fees
are distributed among multiple departments, and what other revenue sources, if any,
support planning and development review in each municipality. To the extent feasible,
the selected firm should seek to learn whether the selected examples function well and
effectively support the cost of services.
c) Final Report and Presentation of Recommendations
The selected firm shall prepare a final report that documents the methodology, analysis,
findings, and recommendations resulting from the cost of service analysis and municipal
fee research. The report should clearly explain the purpose of the study, the planning and
development review services evaluated, and the application types included in the
analysis.
The report shall describe the planning and development review process in Bozeman,
including the roles of the Community Development Department and other participating
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departments, and summarize how costs were identified and allocated across application
types. The analysis shall include a comprehensive accounting of direct and indirect costs,
including salaries and benefits, operating expenses, technology, administrative support,
and overhead, and shall identify the full cost of providing planning review services by
department and application type.
The report shall evaluate the adequacy and equity of the existing fee structure, including
current levels of cost recovery, revenue trends, demand for services, and the
effectiveness of the existing approach to collecting and distributing planning application
fees across multiple departments. The analysis should identify areas where services are
subsidized and assess whether the current bundled fee structure is the most effective
mechanism for recovering costs.
The report shall summarize findings from the municipal fee for services research,
including comparisons to peer municipalities in Montana and the Mountain West. Where
available, the report should describe how peer jurisdictions structure their fees, the
extent to which fees recover costs, what services are supported by those fees, and
whether additional revenue sources are used to support planning and development
review.
Based on the analysis, the report shall present clear, actionable recommendations to
improve cost recovery and long-term fee stability. Recommendations may include
adjustments to existing fees, proposed fees for additional departments or services, and
consideration of alternative fee models informed by benchmarking and best practices.
Recommendations may also include a phase in of fees over time to avoid sudden or
unsustainable jumps in costs to applicants. The report should also discuss key
implementation considerations and policy choices for the Owner.
The Owner expects the final deliverables will be presented no later than September 1,
2026, with preliminary research available for review and discussion in Summer. The
selected firm shall submit a draft of the final report to the Owner and provide at least
three (3) weeks for review and comment prior to finalizing the report.
The selected firm will be expected to attend (in person or via Zoom) at least one regularly
scheduled Tuesday evening meeting of the City Commission in late-Summer 2026 to
present key findings and answer questions.
IV. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
Firms interested in providing the services described above are requested to submit the following
information. Responses to each item should appear in the same order as in this RFP and should
identify the item to which the response applies.
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a) Letter of Transmittal
Include an introductory letter expressing interest in the project. The letter should include
name of firm, RFP contact person, email address, mailing address, telephone number, and
must be signed by a person authorized to bind the firm.
b) Project Approach and Related Experience
Provide a detailed narrative of the services proposed including an explanation of the
methodology to be used for effectively addressing each main component in the Scope of
Services. Describe any software or analysis tools to be used in data collection, analysis,
and reporting.
The proposal should also describe the firm’s experience analyzing municipal costs of
service and fee-for-service models. Include examples of alternative or innovative fee
structures the firm has implemented or evaluated in other municipalities, and explain
how these approaches could inform the Owner’s review of planning and development
fees. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the necessary procedures to successfully
complete all aspects of this work.
The proposal should also describe the firm’s experience analyzing municipal costs of
service and fee for services models and demonstrate a working knowledge and
understanding of the necessary procedures to successfully complete all aspects of this
work. Include examples of alternative or innovative fee structures the firm has
implemented or evaluated in other municipalities, and explain how these approaches
could inform the Owner’s review of planning and development fees.
Provide descriptions of up to five recent projects similar in nature to the proposed work,
including completion dates, measures that indicate quality and successful completion.
Indicate the involvement of proposed key project staff on those or similar projects.
Include the names and contact information for client references associated with the
projects.
c) Firm Profile
Provide information about the firm, including:
1. History, location, number of employees, and ownership. Include information about
how many years the firm has worked in this topic area, typical annual volume of
business, and capability to meet the project timeline.
2. Project team. Describe the experience and qualifications of staff who will be working
on the project, including the applicable skills and accomplishments of the project
manager. Include resumes reflecting education, certifications, and experience of key
staff as attachments to the proposal.
3. Familiarity with Montana and the Bozeman community. Describe any experience
working in the local community or similar communities.
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d) Proposed Schedule
Provide an outline of the schedule for completing tasks. Include deliverable milestones,
with final presentation of findings and recommendations to be completed within about
four (4) months of contract award.
e) Cost Proposal
Provide a cost proposal to perform the scope of services. Include estimated person hours,
labor costs, and expenses for each task required to successfully perform the services.
Identify any subconsultants that will perform services, if applicable.
f) Affirmation of Nondiscrimination (see Appendix B)
Non-completion of the Affirmation of Nondiscrimination is cause for disqualification of
firms.
V. TIMELINES, DELIVERY DEADLINE, AND INSTRUCTIONS
EVENT DATE/TIME
Publication dates of RFP Saturday, February 7, 2026
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Deadline for receipt of proposals February 25, 2026
Evaluation of proposals March 18, 2026
Interviews (if necessary) and Selection of
consultants
Week of March 23, 2026
With the exception of the advertising dates and advertised due date, the City reserves the right
to modify the above timeline.
Deliver RFPs via email to the City Clerk (procurement@bozeman.net) by 3:00 p.m. MST on
February 25, 2026. It is the sole responsibility of the proposing party to ensure that proposals are
received prior to the closing time as late submittals will not be accepted and will be returned
unopened. All proposals must be provided as a single, searchable PDF document file and be
submitted digitally as an email attachment to the RFP Recipient email address
agenda@bozeman.net. Respondents are advised that Recipient’s email attachment size limit is
25MB and that only one PDF file will be allowed per response. The subject line of the transmittal
email shall clearly identify the RFP title, company name and due date/time. File sizes greater than
25MB in size may be uploaded to bzncloud.bozeman.net upon special arrangement of the
Recipient; however, it is the respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure the file upload is
completed, and that the Recipient is separately notified via email of same, prior to the given
deadline.
VI. AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION
Any interpretation or correction of this request will be published on the City’s webpage. The
deadline for questions related to this document is 12:00 p.m. on February 18, 2026.
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VII. CONTACT INFORMATION
Any administrative questions regarding proposal procedures should be directed to: Mike Maas,
City Clerk, (406) 582-2321, procurement@bozeman.net
Questions relating to scope of services should be directed to: Rebecca Harbage, Deputy
Director of Community Development, (406) 582-2940, rharbage@bozeman.net
VIII. SELECTION PROCEDURE
A review committee will evaluate all responses to the RFP that meet the submittal requirements
and deadline. Submittals that do not meet the requirement or deadline will not be considered.
The review committee will rank the proposals and may arrange interviews with the finalist(s)
prior to selection. Selection may be made directly based on the written RFP submission.
If interviews occur, the selection of finalists to be interviewed will be made by a selection
committee representing the City of Bozeman. The selection of interview candidates will be based
on an evaluation of the written responses to the RFPs.
All submitted proposals must be complete and contain the information required as stated in the
"Request for Proposals.”
IX. SELECTION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1. Project Approach and Related Experience – 40 points
• Clarity and feasibility of proposed methodology (10)
• Relevance and quality of prior projects, including similar municipal fee studies (10)
• Examples of alternative or innovative fee structures implemented or evaluated (10)
• Demonstrated ability to address full scope of services, including cost recovery,
overhead, and multi-department coordination (10)
2. Qualifications of Firm and Project Team – 20 points
• Direct experience of proposed team members on similar projects (10)
• Demonstrated capacity to complete work on time and meet deliverable quality (5)
• Education, certifications, and relevant professional expertise (5)
3. Familiarity and/or Previous Experience with Montana Municipalities – 5 points
• Knowledge of Montana statutes, municipal processes, and community context (5)
4. Proposed Schedule and Capability to Meet Required Schedule – 15 points
• Realism of schedule and resource allocation (10)
• Ability to meet the desired timeline (5)
5. Cost Proposal – 20 points
• Reasonableness relative to scope (5)
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• Lowest-to-highest cost scoring (15) The lowest-cost proposal receives full points.
Other proposals receive proportionally fewer points based on their cost relative to
the lowest proposal.
X. FORM OF AGREEMENT
The Contractor will be required to enter into a contract with the City in substantially the same
form as the professional services agreement attached as Attachment C.
XI. CITY RESERVATION OF RIGHTS / LIABILITY WAIVER
All proposals submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the City and public
records and, as such, may be subject to public review.
A SUBMISSION IN RESPONSE TO THIS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS CONFERS NO RIGHTS
UPON ANY RESPONDENTS AND SHALL NOT OBLIGATE THE CITY IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER.
THE CITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE NO AWARD AND TO SOLICIT ADDITIONAL REQUEST
FOR QUALIFICATIONS AT A LATER DATE.
A. This RFP may be canceled or any or all responses may be rejected in whole or in part, as
specified herein, when it is in the best interests of the City. If the City cancels or revises
this RFP, all Respondents who submitted will be notified using email.
B. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals; to add or delete
items and/or quantities; to amend the RFP; to waive any minor irregularities,
informalities, or failure to conform to the RFP; to extend the deadline for submitting
proposals; to postpone award for up to 60 days; to award one or more contracts, by
item or task, or groups of items or tasks, if so provided in the RFP and if multiple awards
or phases are determined by the City to be in the public interest.
C. The City of Bozeman reserves the right to reject the proposal of any person/firm who
previously failed to perform properly to the satisfaction of the City of Bozeman, or
complete on time agreements of similar nature, or to reject the proposal of any
person/firm who is not in a position to perform such an agreement satisfactorily as
determined by the City of Bozeman.
D. The City of Bozeman reserves the right to determine the best qualified Contractor and
negotiate a final scope of service and cost, negotiate a contract with another Contractor
if an agreement cannot be reached with the first selected Contractor, or reject all
proposals.
E. The professional services contract between the City of Bozeman and the successful
Contractor will incorporate the Contractor's scope of service and work schedule as part
of the agreement (see Appendix C for form of professional services agreement. The
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professional services agreement presented to the Contractor may differ from this form
as appropriate for the scope of services).
F. This RFP does not commit the City to award a contract. The City assumes no liability or
responsibility for costs incurred by firms in responding to this request for proposals or
request for interviews, additional data, or other information with respect to the
selection process, prior to the issuance of an agreement, contract or purchase order.
The Contractor, by submitting a response to this RFP, waives all right to protest or
seek any legal remedies whatsoever regarding any aspect of this RFP.
G. The City reserves the right to cancel, in part or in its entirety, this RFP including, but not
limited to: selection procedures, submittal date, and submittal requirements. If the City
cancels or revises this RFP, all Contractors who submitted proposals will be notified
using email.
H. Projects under any contract are subject to the availability of funds.
XII. NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY POLICY
The City of Bozeman requires each entity submitting under this notice shall affirm, on a
separate form provided, that it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed,
sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation,
sexual preference, gender identity, or disability in fulfillment of a contract entered into for the
services identified herein and that this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring
and treatment of the submitting entity’s employees and to all subcontracts it enters into in the
fulfillment of the services identified herein. Failure to comply with this requirement shall be
cause for the submittal to be deemed nonresponsive.
The City also requires each entity submitting under this notice shall affirm it will abide by the
Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited
the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website,
https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best practices publication
and has read the material.
XIII. MISCELLANEOUS
A. No Oral Agreements. No conversations or oral agreements with any officer, employee, or
agent of the City shall affect or modify any term of this solicitation. Oral communications
or any written/email communication between any person and City officer, employee or
agent shall not be considered binding.
B. No Partnership/Business Organization. Nothing in this solicitation or in any subsequent
agreement, or any other contract entered into as a result of this solicitation, shall
constitute, create, give rise to or otherwise be recognized as a partnership or formal
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business organization of any kind between or among the respondent and the City.
C. Employment Restriction and Indemnity. No person who is an owner, officer,
employee, contractor, or consultant of a respondent shall be an officer or employee of
the City. No rights of the City’s retirement or personnel rules accrue to a respondent,
its officers, employees, contractors, or consultants. Respondents shall have the
responsibility of all salaries, wages, bonuses, retirement, withholdings, worker’s
compensation and occupational disease compensation, insurance, unemployment
compensation other benefits and taxes and premiums appurtenant thereto concerning
its officers, employees, contractors, and consultants. Each Respondent shall save and
hold the City harmless with respect to any and all claims for payment, compensation,
salary, wages, bonuses, retirement, withholdings, worker’s compensation and
occupational disease compensation, insurance, unemployment compensation other
benefits and taxes and premiums in any way related to each respondent’s officers,
employees, contractors and consultants.
D. Accessibility. Upon reasonable notice, the City will provide assistance for those persons
with sensory impairments. For further information please contact the ADA Coordinator
Mike Gray at 406-582-3232 or the City’s TTY line at 406-582-2301.
E. Procurement. When discrepancies occur between words and figures in this solicitation,
the words shall govern. No responsibility shall attach to a City employee for the
premature opening of an RFP not properly addressed and identified in accordance with
these documents.
F. Governing Law. This solicitation and any disputes arising hereunder or under any future
agreement shall be governed and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws
of the State of Montana, without reference to principles of choice or conflicts of laws.
XIV. ATTACHMENTS
The following exhibits are incorporated in this RFP:
Appendix A: FY26 Fee Schedule for Planning Review Applications
Appendix B: Non-Discrimination Affirmation
Appendix C: Form of Professional Services Agreement
END OF RFP
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Appendix A
FY26 FEE SCHEDULE FOR PLANNING REVIEW APPLICATIONS
FY26 Fee Schedule for Planning Review Applications
Pursuant to City Commission Resolution 5622 (August 2024)
Effective September 1st, 2025
Application Type Base Fee Scaled fee by project size
Pre-Application Consultation - If these charges are incurred, the fees must be paid prior to final project approval.
0 Pre-application Consultation with City Planners $80 per hour after initial 2
hours
Concept Review
1 Concept Review $250
Site Development
2 Master Site Plan $3,850
3 Site Plan $4,180
$165 per Dwelling Unit (DU), not to
exceed 150 DU’s; Non Residential
Space 0-150,000 SF: $530 per 1,000 ft2
Subdivision Development
4 Subdivision Pre-Application (Step 1) $950 minor/ $1,810 major $70 per lot
5 Subdivision Preliminary Plat (Step 2) $3,850 minor/ $6,130 major $120 per lot subject to sketch plan;
$50 per lot subject to site plan
6 Subdivision Final Plat (Step 3) $3,410 minor/ $5,685 major $60 per lot
7 Subdivision Exemption $265
8 Condominium Review (Independent of site development process) $350
*Planned Development Zone (PDZ)
9 PDZ Concept Plan (Step 1) $2,955
10 PDZ Preliminary Plan (Step 2) $3,400 $100 per requested exemption
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PDZ Final Plan (Step 3)
$2,715 $100 per requested exemption
Ordinance 2104 repealed and replaced Planned Unit Developments (PUD’s) with Planned Development Zones (PDZ) effective 10/24/2022.
Annexation
12 Annexation
(Including Initial Zone Map Amendment) $3,325
Appeals
13 Appeal of Administrative Interpretation $1,545
14 Appeal of Administrative Project Decision $3,175
Zoning Reviews & Design Reviews
15 Commercial Reuse $270
16 Commercial/Non-Residential COA
(Independent of a Site Plan or Reuse application) $725
17
Historic Neighborhood (NCOD) Design Review /
Residential COA (both new applications and
renewals)
$255
18 Informal Review $580
19 Zoning Variance or Subdivision Variance –
independent $3,530
20 Zoning Departure, Deviation, or Variance $465 each
21 Special Use Permit (SUP) $2,375
22 Special Temporary Use Permit $355 per week
23 Comprehensive Sign Plan Review $475
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Zoning Verification Single Household/Duplex
All other property types
Expedited Letters (less than 15 business days)
$150 per geocode/parcel $340 per geocode/parcel
$340 additional per geocode/parcel
Wetlands Review $250
25 Regulated Activities in Wetlands no fee
Regulatory Changes
26 Zoning Map Amendment
(non-Annexation) $3,850
27 UDC Text Amendment $3,495
28 Growth Policy Amendment $6,130
Penalty / Special Consideration Fees - If these charges are incurred, the fees must be paid prior to final project approval.
29 After the Fact Permit $500 in addition to all other applicable fees
30 3rd and Subsequent Submission of Revised Materials 1/4 of total original
application fee
31 Modification / Amendment to Approved Plan $435
32 3rd or Subsequent Occupancy Site Inspection $190
33 Extension to Approved Plan $545
34 Initial Improvements Agreement (IA)
$770 OR 1% of face value
(1.5 times estimated cost),
whichever is greater
35 Reduction in Security (other than final) $380
36 Impact Fee Deferral $105
Abbreviations: UDC = Unified Development Code; DU = Dwelling Unit; COA = Certificate of Appropriateness; NCOD = Neighborhood
Conservation Overlay District;
Planning Review Fees for Building & Sign Permits
These fees will be assessed and collected by the Building Division as part of the permitting process. No planning
application is needed.
Permit Type Planning Review Fee
Sign Permit Review $200 if in Overlay District; $40 all others
Residential Building Permit Review $80
Commercial/Industrial Building Permit Review $165
Registration and Inspection Fees for Short Term Rentals
These fees will be assessed and collected by the Department of Community Development as part of the
registration process. Registration is required annually. A zoning review may be required in addition.
Action Fee
Short Term Rental Registration $250
Fire Inspection $225
Appendix B
NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY AFFIRMATION
____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will
not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national
origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and
acknowledges and understands the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting
discrimination as described above and this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the
hiring and treatments or proposer’s employees and to all subcontracts.
In addition, ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby
affirms it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana
Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices”
website, https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best practices
publication and has read the material.
______________________________________
Name and title of person authorized to sign on behalf of submitter
Appendix C
FORM OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT