Nantucket ZBA raises application fee to $1,000; postage to be billed separately

The Zoning Board on Nov. 13 adopted staff recommendations to revise the ZBA fee schedule: the base ZBA application fee was raised to $1,000 and mailing/postage costs will be billed separately to applicants; the zoning administrator (ZA) application fee was set at $7.50.

Staff summarized a cost study of staff time, administrative overhead, and other processing expenses and recommended raising the fee from its prior level to better reflect true costs. As presented in the hearing, “staff recommends increasing the base CBA application fee to $1,000, which more accurately reflects the true cost of reviewing and processing a typical application,” staff said.

Board members debated how far to raise fees. One member argued the fee should be substantially higher — as much as $1,500–$2,000 — to better capture benefits and staff overhead; staff cautioned that making fees “cost prohibitive might be troubling” for less-affluent applicants. The board discussed logistical issues such as collecting postage fees (applicants will provide a separate check to cover Pitney Bowes costs at the time of submission) and whether ZA reviews should be handled the same way. Zoning Administrator Billy Saad said the collection practice will mirror the planning board’s system in which abutter postage checks accompany the application.

After discussion the board voted to adopt the staff proposal: ZBA application fee $1,000, ZA fee $7.50, and separate postage payments for abutter notifications. Members signaled willingness to revisit amounts if staff or the planning director recommends changes in a future cycle.