Uxbridge Select Board approves higher plumbing and gas permit fees after departmental cost review

The Uxbridge Select Board voted to approve revised plumbing and gas permit fees at its Oct. 27 meeting after the building commissioner presented a cost analysis.

Joe Fitzpatrick, Building Commissioner, said the department recorded $31,149 in permit fees so far this fiscal year: "$31,149 in fees taken. That consists of 23,164 in plumbing and $7,985 in gas," he said during the presentation. Fitzpatrick told the board that the department recorded 253 plumbing permits and 80 gas permits this year and that his per-permit cost calculation (including inspector time and administrative support) comes to about $144.90, leaving roughly a $30 gap per permit compared with current fees.

Board members pressed for a supporting spreadsheet and clarification of how reinspections and commercial permits would be handled. Several members said any percentage-based commercial fee should be backed by documentation of job cost and that the town should treat all applicants consistently. Fitzpatrick and the plumbing/gas inspector said the application does request job cost information and that inspectors use experience to detect outliers; they also said they could provide a spreadsheet breakdown on request.

After discussion, the board moved to approve the fee schedule as presented (motion carried; aye recorded) and asked staff to provide the detailed spreadsheet and to post the new fee schedule online for public access.

What’s next: Department staff will provide the requested spreadsheet to board members and post the updated fee schedule online so contractors and residents can review the new rates.

Provenance: Topic introduced SEG 1032; vote recorded SEG 1474–1483.