Council adopts updated fire fees and tightens penalties for unauthorized burning

Council approved a package of updates to the city’s fire‑related fees intended to modernize inspection and plan‑review charges that have not been broadly updated since 2014.

Dylan Poult, North East County Fire Marshal, and city staff explained the new matrix‑based fee schedule, designed to align permit and inspection fees with staff and third‑party review time and with practices used by similar jurisdictions. Staff said the package adds items such as annual inspection fees, a more consistent approach to reinspection and cancellation fees, and fees related to electric‑vehicle review and high‑pile storage plan checks.

Council amended staff’s proposal for unauthorized burning: members added a higher minimum charge for first offenses that would include a two‑hour minimum response cost and a higher base fine during declared burn bans. The amendment also phases in escalations — doubling and tripling fees for repeat offenses in a calendar year — intended to discourage repeat violators. The council vote approved the fire fee section with the amended unauthorized‑burning penalty scheme; two members voted against the package overall but the fire section passed.

Staff said the changes will improve cost recovery for fire inspections and reviews and enable clearer fee collection for services such as after‑hours inspections and radio coverage testing. The city will return with the full fee ordinance and implement those fire fees on a schedule discussed in the packet.