Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building Permits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council tables proposal to add commercial/industrial building permit fee after lengthy discussion
Summary
Councilmembers debated a proposed $250 commercial/industrial building permit fee tied to ECIA review costs, then voted unanimously to table the resolution while staff gathers more fee and contract information.
The Cascade City Council on Monday tabled consideration of an update to building inspection and permit fees after extended discussion about fees charged by Eastern Iowa Construction Inspection Authority (ECIA) and whether the city duplicates work done by outside reviewers.
Staff and council members discussed plans-review charges ECIA bills to the city — including plan review, site inspections and final inspections — and a proposed $250 flat permit fee for commercial and industrial buildings to recover some of those costs. City staff said the $250 fee would be in addition to existing plan-review charges tied to building size; ECIA's fees for larger buildings were cited as examples during the discussion.
Councilmembers questioned whether ECIA duplicates work that could be done internally and asked staff to verify current charges under the 2022 agreement. Councilmember Weber moved to table the resolution and Councilmember Gale seconded; the motion passed on a unanimous roll call.
Council members asked staff to track a recently proposed commercial project'to compare what the city charged versus ECIA fees and to return with a recommendation. Craig from ECIA was referenced in the discussion but did not speak at the meeting.
No fee change was adopted; the item will return to a future agenda after staff brings back additional information about ECIA charges and the impact on city revenues.
