Kings County to waive local dairy permit application fees while county updates Dairy Element monitoring program

The Kings County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 14 authorized the Community Development Agency to waive certain local application fees for bovine dairy projects while the county works to bring its Dairy Element monitoring program into compliance with state requirements.

Chuck Kenny, director of the Community Development Agency, told the board the county was notified earlier this year by the state that it was "out of compliance with a portion of the monitoring program for the dairy element." He said the county hired a consultant and expects the work to take about a year. Kenny said the cumulative local application and program costs have effectively increased dairy applicants' local costs by about $5,800, with an additional roughly $3,000 in state fees. "This comes at a time when the dairy industry is hurting economically, and this has become a stress point for the dairy industry," Kenny said.

Staff recommended a partial fee waiver for local application fees — not state fees — for applications submitted after the attorney general's February letter and for applications submitted while the county is implementing the monitoring program work. The waiver will remain in effect until the board rescinds it after the Dairy Element Monitoring Program is fully compliant.

Supervisor Joe Neves moved to approve the staff recommendation; Supervisor Rusty Robinson seconded. The clerk called the roll and recorded a 3-0 vote in favor with two supervisors absent.

The board did not waive any state-imposed fees; applicants are still responsible for state costs. The county said the fee waiver is intended to make it easier for dairies to proceed with proposed manure-processing projects that are eligible for state grant funding while the county completes the monitoring program work.