Commissioners review master fee schedule; hear road, building and budget updates

Polk County officials on Tuesday reviewed the county’s proposed annual master fee schedule for the upcoming fiscal year and received several departmental and infrastructure updates.

County staff presented the draft fee schedule for board review; formal approval is scheduled for the board session on July 2. "Most of his are just a 4 percent, 4 and a half percent increase in normal per permit cost, which he's done for the last 4 or 5 years," said Mr. Hanson, who presented the schedule and said the changes reflect both small and larger adjustments across departments, plus several new fees. He said some charges for larger building rentals increased significantly, while many routine fees remain substantially lower than neighboring counties.

Commissioners also received non‑agenda reports. Commissioner Jerry reported that north‑south traffic has begun using the 99W and Cloudhorn roundabout's east side connection and encouraged patience while the west side is completed. "First off, today is the first time traffic is rolling through 90 9 W and Cloudhorn Roundabout, or north and south traffic, and the east side is open," Jerry said.

County staff updated the board on the annex at the academy site, saying the annex building is on track to open around Sept. 1 with moves beginning in August; the new parking lot is striped and landscaping work remains. Staff said the Woodburn construction project remains on time but is somewhat over budget due to unforeseen changes. The board also heard that a reroofing project for the academy building will be advertised for bid after architectural plans finalize.

The board was reminded that the county will re‑adopt the budget at its next session the following day. No final action was taken on fees or projects at Tuesday’s meeting; the fee schedule will return for a formal vote on July 2.