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Wallowa County Community Development proposes 6% building‑fee increase and wider planning fee hikes
Summary
Community Development Director Lauren Prentiss told commissioners the department faces a roughly 6% shortfall in building‑permit revenue for 2025 and proposed structural changes and targeted increases to better recover staff costs, plus larger increases for several planning application types.
In a Dec. 16 workshop, Community Development Director Lauren Prentiss outlined proposed amendments to Wallowa County’s building, fire and land‑use planning fee schedules for 2025, saying the department estimates a roughly 6% shortfall in building‑permit revenue absent changes.
Prentiss said the building‑permit package would add a $50 base application fee for over‑the‑counter permits (to clarify refund practice), increase fees tied to staff time such as plan rereview and reinspections, and raise the base for certain compliance and safety review permits. "We looked at our current fees and revenue from the last 12 months and roughly estimated that with the preliminary 2025 budget for the building and fire division, we would be about 6% under," Prentiss said.
On the planning side, Prentiss presented a data‑driven set of fee worksheets that allocate planner and hearing examiner time across many application types. She said boundary line adjustment fees, critical‑areas permits and short plats would see comparatively larger percentage increases (examples cited: boundary line adjustments up about 16%; critical areas up ~18%), while major land‑use application fees (shoreline, preliminary plats) would increase more modestly.
Prentiss described procedural clarifications as well: moving certain flat fees to valuation‑based charges (e.g., communications tower modifications), clarifying demolition permits for manufactured homes, and shortening temporary certificate‑of‑occupancy renewals to a 90‑day interval with a follow‑up fee. She said the planning side will not reach full cost recovery but that the changes will reduce the gap between revenue and staff expenditures.
Commissioners thanked staff for the clear presentation and noted the amendments will be scheduled for a public hearing next week. Prentiss said she will provide a hearing packet that includes the worksheets and estimated revenue projections based on 12 months of recent activity.
What happens next: The board scheduled a public hearing on the fee changes in the next week's meeting; interested members of the public may testify then.
