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Cass County schedules vote on new SESC permit application and fee increases after staff briefing
Summary
Planning staff briefed commissioners on a proposed Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC) application, updated fee schedule and violation guidelines, saying permit volume is rising and prior math on revenue was corrected; the board moved the item to its April 10 meeting for final action.
The Cass County Board of Commissioners voted to move consideration of a new Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC) application, revised fee schedule and updated violation guidelines to its April 10 regular meeting after a detailed county staff briefing on permit volume and fee changes.
Corey, a county planning staff member, said the fee schedule proposal reflects a recent review with Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) guidance and an attempt to capture program costs that have not been fully covered. "Right now, we are at 104 permits. And last year, we had 156... so we're definitely gonna be at the more of a 200 range this year," Corey said, citing rising workload.
Corey acknowledged a calculation error in an initial revenue estimate, saying the corrected difference was "a little over 17,000" and that, with growth, the change would likely be closer to $20,000. He described several specific changes: removing certain discounts for gravel-pit permits, grouping major project categories (utilities, linear projects, commercial) for simpler administration, and treating seawall work more like major projects because of shoreline risk and EGLE permitting.
Commissioners asked about the timing of the last fee increase; staff said fees were last changed in 2023. Corey told the board that some neighboring counties have not recently adjusted fees and that Cass County's structure has drawn attention during inter-county review. He also said the county's new inspector has already begun work and is expected to increase inspection capacity.
The board approved a motion to place the SESC application, fee schedule changes and violation guidelines on the April 10 agenda for a formal vote; the motion carried by voice vote. Staff asked to be available to answer additional questions at the next meeting and to provide corrected calculations and line-item detail.
The transcript record included line-item discussion of gravel pits, seawalls, and linear utility permits but did not include final fee amounts for every line item. Several specific numbers were cited by staff (current permits, prior-year permits and a corrected revenue estimate), but a full fee table and final revenue projection were not provided during the meeting.
