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Council introduces grease‑trap inspection ordinance after debate over inspection fee
Summary
Council introduced an ordinance to allow annual inspections of commercial grease traps and interceptors and considered a proposed $50 inspection fee; council members asked staff to implement inspections and revisit fees after 12 months.
The City Council introduced an ordinance to add routine inspections for fats, oils and grease (FOG) controls in commercial and industrial facilities and also considered a companion resolution establishing a $50 annual inspection fee.
Brian, City staff, described staff’s proposal to add a yearly inspection schedule to the sewer ordinance that will identify and track grease traps and interceptors, create a database of locations and require logs of maintenance. “We spend thousands of dollars and lots of man hours every year battling this,” Brian said. Staff said approximately 40 businesses may be subject to inspection based on initial estimates.
The proposed ordinance amendment would authorize inspections and permit council to set an inspection fee. The resolution presented would set a $50 annual inspection fee; council members expressed concern about charging what some called a modest fee for an initial inspection. Several council members suggested waiving the fee for the first year and returning with data after 12 months to reassess whether to impose fees or reinspection charges.
City attorney and staff said the ordinance language is needed to grant authority to carry out inspections even if the council chooses not to charge a fee immediately. Council approved introduction of Ordinance 8-74 and the related Resolution 25-17; council members agreed to revisit fee structure after implementation and favored options such as making the first inspection nominal or free and imposing a reinspection fee for repeat noncompliance.
Staff said inspections would be split across the water and wastewater departments, tapping the meter reader for inline inspections and the wastewater industrial pretreatment (IPP) program for industrial users. Staff estimated the city spends roughly $10,000 annually responding to severe FOG-related blockages and that enforcement measures exist for noncompliant businesses; staff emphasized a preference to work cooperatively and reserve enforcement for persistent noncompliance.
