Commissioners pause individual fee-waiver approvals, table Crossings waiver until county policy is drafted

County staff told the board they will pause decisions on individual fee-waiver requests while they conduct a historic review of fee waivers and forecast budget implications. Commissioners directed staff to return with a proposed fee-waiver policy at the Oct. 21 meeting.

Beth Helmke, interim county administrator, and Dan Short, finance director, said departments set fees based on staff time and that the county needs a consistent, equitable policy because fee-waiver volume and value are growing and can materially affect departmental revenues.

Commissioners discussed the equity of ad-hoc waivers and the need to budget for anticipated fee-waiver activity. One commissioner said staff should take four weeks to prepare a policy and that requests should not be handled as one-offs.

Separately, the board considered a building-fee waiver request of up to $32,000 from the Crossings apartments developer for AMI-restricted affordable units. Staff and commissioners agreed to table that waiver until a fee-waiver policy and process exist and set a return date of Oct. 21. A commissioner emphasized that if the waiver is approved later, the waiver should be tied to specific affordability commitments: two units at 30% AMI and two units at 60% AMI.

Why this matters: Fee waivers reduce departmental revenue used to cover review and permitting costs; without a policy, waivers can create uneven outcomes and budget uncertainty. Linking any waiver to firm affordability targets is a way commissioners signaled they will protect the public benefit in exchange for fiscal concessions.

What happens next: Staff will perform a historical data lookback, model budget impacts, draft a fee-waiver policy covering building permits and other departmental fee waivers, and present the policy at the Oct. 21 commissioners' meeting. The Crossings waiver remains tabled pending that policy.

Ending note: Commissioners said they support affordable housing projects but want a consistent policy and a budgeted approach before committing waivers that could affect departmental operations.