Union County permitting fee proposal to charge 50¢ per square foot fails in committee

Chairman Powers, sponsor of House Bill 14-30, described the measure as a local bill for Union County that would set building permit fees at 50 cents per square foot for residential and commercial permits and said the last fee increase occurred in February 2005.

The bill matters because it would change the local revenue collected for building permits in a county described in the record as a destination for country-music-related tourism; the measure drew questions about whether the change is a tax or a fee and did not receive committee approval.

Sponsor Chairman Powers said the bill “simply recalculates the rate of building permits from a flat fee to 50¢ per square foot for both residential and commercial. The last time they increased the permitting fee was in 02/2005.” When Representative Warner asked whether the change would be considered a tax, Powers responded, “No. I I think taxes have to be, usually have to go vote on by the general public and put on the put on the ballot. This is a fee increase…”

Representative Warner moved to send the bill to summer study; the motion was called but failed for lack of a second. Representative McCallum then moved the previous question, and the committee proceeded to a vote. The clerk announced the tally: 4 ayes, 6 nays, and 7 present not voting. The chair declared the bill failed.

The transcript records the sponsor’s description, an exchange about whether the measure is a tax or a fee, the failed motion to send the bill to summer study, and the final vote; it does not record precise revenue estimates, the identities of permit categories beyond “residential and commercial,” or implementation dates.