Ashwaubenon air-quality board approves temporary 50% permit fee cut for homes damaged by Helene

The Ashwaubenon Air Quality Agency Board of Directors voted June 17 to adopt a temporary reduction of certain residential demolition and asbestos-removal permit fees for properties damaged by storm Helene.

At a special meeting, the board approved a rule change to cut those fees by 50 percent for eligible residential repair and renovation work, effective June 17, with a sunset date of Dec. 31, 2025. The board opened a public hearing on the change, received no public comment, closed the hearing and approved the rule by voice vote.

Ashley, a staff member for the agency, told the board the county had already voted to move forward with similar reductions on June 1 and that the agency’s fees are set in its rules, which required a 30-day public-notice period. “The proposal was to reduce by half fees associated with residential repair and renovation work, on structures damaged by Helene,” Ashley said. She identified the agency’s relevant fees as demolition permits and asbestos-removal permits for residences.

Ashley said the agency issued a public notice on May 14 and the comment period closed June 13; the agency received no public comments. She said staff have been working with county information-technology staff to implement a verification system that will confirm eligibility using a county damage list, property damage assessments or the FEMA database.

Board members asked whether applicants who already paid fees at the prior rates would be refunded. A board member asked, “Would there be any fees that would be refundable that we have collected at the old rate that then would be acceptable under this new rule?” Ashley replied that the agency is not planning refunds; because the county’s fee reduction took effect June 1, and the agency’s rule change takes effect on the date of adoption, staff do not expect to issue refunds though an applicant could inquire.

Ashley said the agency had a high volume of residential demolitions in the first three months after the storm — “I think there was maybe a 130” — and staff are still processing FEMA buyout applications and private-property debris removal permits. She said FEMA has not yet issued contracts for some commercial programs, and those commercial jobs would not be subject to the agency’s residential fee reduction because they are handled by FEMA.

The board’s motions included opening the public hearing, closing the public hearing after no commenters appeared, and a motion to approve the permit fee modification with the Dec. 31 sunset. Each procedural motion was approved by voice vote. The board noted the agency will record the effective date of the rule change as the date of adoption and that, because the action was taken at the special meeting, staff will implement the verification process with county IT to make the reduced fee available to eligible applicants.

The board adjourned after a short meeting and scheduled its next regular meeting for July 24; one member, Gary, was noted as likely absent for the July meeting.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the permit fee modification (50% reduction for eligible residential demolition and asbestos-removal permits for properties damaged by Helene), effective June 17, 2025, sunset Dec. 31, 2025. The change was adopted by voice vote after a public hearing that produced no public comment.