Boone council approves fee waiver for county radio project, awards CDBG grant administration and passes two ordinances

The Boone City Council at its regular meeting approved a request to waive building fees for the Boone County Public Safety Radio Project, awarded grant-administration work for two Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) applications, set a Dec. 16 public hearing on the sale of city property and passed second readings of two ordinances.

Council action mattered because the fee waiver and the grant-administration contract affect the timeline and budget for public-safety and utility infrastructure projects and because the council set a public hearing to consider the sale of a city parcel at 616 Harrison Street in Boone.

On the most contested item, the council approved a request to waive building permit fees for the Boone County Public Safety Radio Project. Council discussion recorded concern that waiving fees could set a precedent for future requests; a council member said the practice raised policy questions. The council approved the waiver by roll call vote.

The council's utility…