Council raises certificate-of-occupancy fee to cover service costs; director says fee could be phased

The Common Council adopted changes to the Madison General Ordinances updating the building code fee schedule to increase the certificate-of-occupancy fee from $10 to $50, a change city staff said brings the fee closer to the cost of the service.

Why it matters: Certificate-of-occupancy work requires coordination across building inspection, fire and zoning divisions; staff said the existing fee had not been raised for decades and no longer covered staff time and process costs.

What staff said: Director Tucker told the council the increase could be done gradually but that the fee schedule is adopted by ordinance and any additional increases would require further ordinance action. "Yes. Sure. It could be done gradually," Tucker said in response to a question about phased increases. Tucker added that "the fees go to cover the cost of the service" and that the adopted amount would cover current service costs if approved.

Council discussion: Alder Pritchett expressed concern about the jump from $10 to $50 and asked whether relief options existed for small businesses; Tucker said the fee is typically paid by a property owner and applies when a change in use or occupancy requires a certificate. Alder Ugare supported the increase to avoid placing those costs on property taxpayers.

Outcome: The council moved and seconded the ordinance and recorded no objections to adopting the fee schedule change.