(a)  No district with an annual budget of less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) shall increase any existing fees for authority-to-construct permits or permits to operate by more than 30 percent in any calendar year, unless required to comply with the minimum fee requirements of Title V.

(b)  No district with an annual budget of one million dollars ($1,000,000) or more shall increase any existing fees for authority-to-construct permits or permits to operate by more than 15 percent in any calendar year.

(c)  Notwithstanding subdivision (b), this section shall not apply to the south coast district.

(d)  (1)  Notwithstanding subdivision (b), effective January 1, 1998, any of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District’s individual fees for authority-to-construct permits and permits to operate may reflect the district’s actual costs, as determined by the district’s fee-for-service calculations.

(2)  Notwithstanding paragraph (1) or subdivision (b), on and after January 1, 1999, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District may increase any individual fees for authority-to-construct permits and permits to operate by more than 15 percent in any fiscal year only if the total, aggregate increase in existing fees for authority-to-construct permits and permits to operate does not exceed 15 percent in that fiscal year.

(3)  (A)  This subdivision shall remain operative so long as the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District continues to determine fees for authority-to-construct permits and permits to operate pursuant to a cost-based fee system in which all of the following requirements are met:

(i)  Fees for authority-to-construct permits and permits to operate are specified for a minimum of 120 separate equipment and process categories.

(ii)  Labor expended to issue authority-to-construct permits and permits to operate is tracked in increments of 0.5 hours or less for each of those categories.

(iii)  The fees for authority-to-construct permits and permits to operate are determined from the costs of labor tracked in increments of 0.5 hours or less and other actual and projected costs related to permitted stationary sources.

(B)  This subdivision shall become inoperative if, and at the time that, the San Diego district ceases to determine fees for authority-to-construct permits and permits to operate as specified in subparagraph (A).

(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 406, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1998.)