The Culver Town Council has sent an ordinance designed to revise its permit fees back to committee.
During Tuesday night’s Culver Town Council meeting, that measure was considered after causing a bit of an outcry from members of the public at their previous meeting. Under the original proposal, fees paid to the Town for new construction or major renovations would be calculated under a valuation model.
Culver Town Council member Ed Pinder says local contractors thought it was a disincentive.
“We had a number of contractors that basically made a comment that ‘we’re going to pass that cost down to the people that build the homes so we’re not going to take the brunt of it, but we don’t think we’ll be building as many homes’ if the fees are this high,” says Pinder.
A primary concern for those speaking out against the revisions is the price increases that would accompany approval. In certain instances, new construction would be raised by a significant margin.
Culver has been searching for ways to compensate Marshall County for the use of their building inspectors while maintaining a certain level of service at the Town level. Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe says Marshall County’s concerns about differing fees from other communities could create future consequences.
“It will be a problem if we can’t adjust our fees. If we always have to wait on the county or vice versa, that could become an issue,” says Pinder.
Under the advice of their legal counsel, the Culver Town Council sent the measure back to the Plan Commission for additional comment and possible amendment.
A second permit fee proposal has already been developed by the Plan Commission – which was sent to the Town Council. Due to the timing, that measure will not see a public hearing until sometime in December.
Culver desired having the new permit fee schedule in place by the New Year. That likely will not happen.
