Lake City adopts new permitting fees, clarifies inspection authority for private sewer and water lines

Lake City's Growth Management officials on Thursday summarized a newly adopted ordinance that raises permitting and inspection fees and expands the local building department's inspection responsibilities for privately owned sewer and potable water distribution lines.

My name is Dave Young. I'm the director of growth management for the City of Lake City, and I've got Scott Thomason in here. He's our building official and assistant director for the City of Lake City, Young said as he opened the presentation.

The council held two hearings on the fee changes and approved the ordinance on Jan. 6 and Jan. 21, Young said; the measure is filed as ordinance number 20252301. The ordinance text says the changes are effective immediately, but Young told attendees, "By what this ordinance says, it says effective immediately. We are not doing that immediately," and said the city expects to have the new fee schedule operational within about a month while the department completes administrative setup.

Why it matters: Growth Management officials said the changes bring the department closer to being self-sufficient and align local charges with regional practice. Officials also said state regulators limit what the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) permits (mains only), which leaves…