Each application for development must be accompanied by payment of an escrow fee in addition to the nonrefundable application fee set forth above, to be deposited with the City. The amount of the escrow fee is as set forth in below:

A waiver of all or part of the escrow fee requirement for performance standard review applications or site plan applications containing ten or fewer residential units, or 20,000 square feet of gross floor area of nonresidential space, may be granted at the sole discretion of the Planning Board, after receiving a staff recommendation. The granting of a full or partial waiver will be based upon review of a completed application and a finding that the nature of the application and its potential impacts are such that no substantial technical or professional review is required.

Escrow fees will be utilized to cover the cost of professional services required for the review of application materials, the conduct of hearings on the application, and necessary follow-up activities arising from approval of an application, including, but not limited to, engineering, professional planning, environmental analysis, historic preservation, urban design, and traffic analysis.

The applicant must execute an escrow agreement with the City to authorize payment of such expenses. Sums not utilized by the City in the review process will be returned to the applicant within a reasonable time after adoption of a resolution of memorialization by the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment disposing of the pending application, except with respect to matters where either Board approves an application subject to outstanding conditions requiring action, monitoring or analysis by the City or the applicant subsequent to such action. In such cases, escrow funds must be retained until such time that all outstanding conditions have been satisfied.

If the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment finds that the initial escrow fee deposit is inadequate and that additional funds are deemed necessary to continue processing an application, the applicant will be notified of the additional amount required and must add to his/her escrow fee deposit such additional amount. The Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment may withhold final action on any application until all required escrow fees are paid.

No building permit or certificate of occupancy will be issued until all escrow fee deposits have been made. All charges which are due and owing will become a lien upon the premises with respect to which such charges are required and remain until paid. The City has the same remedies for the collection thereof, with interest, costs and penalties, as it has by law for the collection of taxes upon real estate. All escrow fee deposits are administered by the City in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-53.1.

All applications for development will be charged an additional processing fee for any time that the Attorney, the Planning Board/Zoning Board Secretary, stenographer, and/or the staff expend reviewing the application and considering the application for development at the public hearing and any other meetings required.

The applicant will be assessed the processing fee in quarter-hour increments at the following rates:

An initial escrow deposit of $530 must be submitted to the City Treasurer in an amount of $530, which includes one hour of the Attorney and one hour of the Board Secretary's rate and two hours of the staff reviewer's rates. Any unexpended escrow funds for the administrative review will be returned to the applicant within 30 days after the applicant has secured a certificate of occupancy.

If additional funds are needed from the applicant to pay for the administrative review, the City will notify the applicant and the applicant will submit payment to the City within 15 days. The Division of Planning staff will not sign off on the certificate of occupancy until all administrative fees have been paid to the City.

Outside consultants: The applicant will reimburse the City for all professional fees and costs incurred by the City in the event that the City, in its sole and exclusive discretion, determines that it is necessary or desirable to obtain outside professional services, including, but not limited to, attorneys, engineers, planners, architects, surveyors, traffic engineers, drainage engineers, or other consultants.

Certified list of property owners: $35.00.

Copy of minutes, transcripts, or decisions, per page: $0.50

Court reporter. If an applicant desires a court reporter, the cost for taking testimony, transcribing it and providing a copy of the transcript to the City is at the expense of the applicant, who must arrange for the reporter's attendance.