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Germantown committee adopts fee increases for inspection and planning services
Summary
The committee approved a revised fee schedule for building inspection services (3% CPI-based increase) and a general 15% increase for planning and zoning fees (many last changed in 2012); SafeBuilt recovers 50% of many inspection fees under contract.
The General Government Finance Committee voted to approve a 2026 fee schedule that raises building inspection fees by 3% and increases most planning and zoning fees by roughly 15%.
Jeff Retzlaff, director of the Community Development Department, told trustees inspection fees are adjusted annually under the village's agreement with SafeBuilt of Wisconsin using the prior 12-month CPI-U; the 2025 adjustment was 2.7% and the proposed 2026 inspection increase is 3.0. Planning and zoning fees had not been comprehensively reviewed since 2012, and staff proposed a 15% increase to better reflect current review costs, with the caveat that applicants may be billed for extraordinary consultant or expert costs at 100%.
Trustees asked whether SafeBuilt recovers part of the fee; staff confirmed SafeBuilt recovers about 50% of most inspection fees. Trustees and staff agreed the schedules should be revisited every three to five years and discussed adding automatic CPI adjustments for planning and zoning in future budget cycles.
The committee voted to adopt the fee schedules; the schedules will be included in the village board packet for final action.
