Uxbridge Select Board debates higher plumbing and gas permit fees, tables item for more information

The Uxbridge Select Board spent an extended portion of its meeting on a proposed revision to the town’s plumbing and gas permit and inspection fee schedule, ultimately deciding to table the proposal and request additional documentation.

Town staff explained the proposed schedule would update fees that had not been reviewed since 2020 and aim to cover inspection costs rather than produce revenue. Proposals include a $100 base plumbing inspection fee for a new home plus $10 per fixture, water‑heater and boiler replacements at $75, and a commercial plumbing fee set at 3% of project cost plus a $150 flat fee in some cases. Board members pressed for clarification on which items would change, how fixtures are defined, whether hot-water heaters are counted as fixtures, and how the 3% commercial fee would be calculated.

"I'd like to see something in that format — current state, future state, and this is the reason why," one member said, requesting a side‑by‑side spreadsheet and time‑cost justification from the plumbing and gas inspectors. Members repeatedly emphasized municipal policy that fee schedules should be cost‑neutral and asked staff to show the labor and inspection-time basis for the increases. Several members suggested inviting the plumbing inspector (Joe/Haas) and the gas inspector to the next meeting to answer technical questions and to provide data showing whether the new rates would break even.

The board voted to table the proposal and asked staff to return with a clearer spreadsheet comparing the 2020 schedule to the proposed schedule, a breakdown of inspector time and costs, and explicit definitions for fixture categories. No fee changes were approved at the meeting.