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Muscatine council agrees on $25 flat fee for roofing and siding permits, asks staff for offset options
Summary
Councilors on Feb. 10 agreed to direct staff to draft ordinance language creating a $25 flat fee for roofing and siding permits and asked staff to return with options to offset any revenue shortfall.
The Muscatine City Council on Feb. 10 gave staff direction to prepare ordinance language establishing a $25 flat fee for roofing and siding building permits and to present options to offset estimated revenue loss.
Andrew, presenting the staff analysis, said the city issued 443 roofing and siding permits over the past three years and that, because the current fee schedule is valuation‑based, fees vary widely and sometimes exceed the city's processing costs. Andrew told the council that roofing and siding fees accounted for roughly $35,000 per year of permit revenue and that a $25 flat fee would better match the city's administrative effort for most residential projects.
Council members were split over the trade‑offs. Council member Gordon and others supported a modest flat fee to simplify permitting and reduce barriers for homeowners, with one councilor saying a low flat fee "covers our costs" and makes it easier for property owners and contractors. Council member Gendrich said he opposed losing roughly $30,000 in revenue and cautioned about increasing other permit fees to compensate: "I'm not in favor of losing $30,000 in revenue," he said.
Staff presented offset scenarios showing that raising other building permit fees across the board by roughly 8.5% would recover the estimated shortfall, but council members suggested smaller increases or phased approaches and asked staff to return with options. Several councilors also raised an alternate idea of eliminating residential permitting for smaller roofing jobs and charging only for commercial projects, but staff noted the city uses permits to maintain records that insurers and future buyers rely on.
Next steps: council directed staff to draft the fee amendment reflecting a $25 flat fee for roofing and siding permits and to bring back a recommended ordinance and revenue‑offset options for further council consideration. No formal ordinance vote was taken at the meeting.
