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Council approves immediate change to building permit fire-alarm fees after staff warns rates could deter projects
Summary
Wilmington City Council passed an emergency ordinance to revise fire-alarm permit fees after the Service Director said the old fee schedule could impose fees of roughly $45,000 on very large buildings and risk deterring development.
Wilmington City Council voted to revise its building permit fee schedule for fire alarms, adopting Ordinance 25-31 with an emergency clause after department leaders said current fees could discourage development.
Service Director Crow told council that the prior fee schedule produced disproportionately large fees for big projects: “If you have a million square foot building, you're talking about $45,000,” he said during committee discussion, arguing that such charges could put the city at a disadvantage when competing for development projects. Councilman Schlebach said the change was important to keep business coming to Wilmington.
Council moved to adopt Ordinance 25-31 at the meeting. The motion was made by Councilman Schlebach, seconded by Councilman Knowles, and passed by unanimous roll call (7-0). Immediately following passage, council instructed the Building Department to update the fee table and notify pending permit applicants.
Council members said they would revisit the fee schedule if unintended consequences appear. Council also noted that the item was intended to be time-sensitive because several active projects were awaiting inspections and fee payments.
