The Stark County Commission on Sept. 4 adopted a revised County Road fee schedule that raises permitting fees and adds penalties for unauthorized approaches and utility installations.

County Road operations specialist Todd Miller presented a draft fee schedule modeled on neighboring counties. Notable changes approved by the commission include raising the approach-permit fee from roughly $25 to $250, a temporary approach permit of $100, and an unauthorized-approach penalty set at $1,000; the commission agreed to set an unauthorized approach/utility-installation fine at $2,500 (the presenter had proposed $7,500 and the commission settled on $2,500). Miller said the county has previously lacked a consistent fine structure and that surrounding counties use comparable fees.

Commissioners discussed whether penalties might be onerous for producers and asked for clear wording (for example, combining “unauthorized approach” and “utility installation” language). The commission approved the revised permit fee schedule with the $2,500 unauthorized-installation fine and directed County Road staff to update permit forms and publish the schedule on the county website.

Action: roll call approved the fee schedule change. County staff will revise public-facing permits to reflect the new schedule and implement fines for unauthorized approaches and utility installations per the approved amounts.

Next steps: County Road will publish the new fee schedule on the county website and update permit documentation; staff said they will coordinate with neighboring counties for consistent enforcement practices.