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Somerset council reviews permit-fee overhaul, asks staff to study graded fees and truck permits
Summary
Council discussed updates to Somerset’s fee schedule — from demolition and building additions to separate generator and HVAC fees — and directed staff and the town attorney to research graded fees by house size, truck/weight permit options, and potential bonding for demolition-related street damage.
Somerset council members spent the work session examining the town’s fee schedule and requested targeted research and draft proposals from staff and the town attorney.
Councilors compared Somerset’s permit and activity fees with neighboring towns, noting items missing from Somerset’s line-by-line schedule such as separate charges for porches, decks and fences. Rohit asked whether the town’s “all building additions” line includes porches and stoops; planning staff replied it does and that the code treats permanent attached or accessory structures as building additions.
The town attorney, Ron Bolt, told the council that case law requires permit fees to bear a close nexus to processing costs and warned that fees cannot be used simply to raise revenue. Members debated whether fees should signal policy — for example, higher charges for very large new homes — and asked staff to research graded fees by square footage and how neighboring jurisdictions handle them.
Councilors also raised street-damage concerns tied to heavy trucks used in demolitions and large renovations. Several members suggested a bonding mechanism to cover potential repairs; Ron advised that bonds — not permit fees — are the usual legal tool to cover post-construction street restoration. The body asked town staff to research truck/weight-permit options (including examples from nearby towns) and to evaluate the feasibility of a weight threshold or a truck-size permit that would fund broader street maintenance.
On discrete fees, members proposed separating generator and HVAC permits, arguing HVAC replacements are often urgent and quieter while generators can cause sustained noise and neighbor impacts. Staff said HVAC permits include plan review and a post-installation sound confirmation. Council asked staff to prepare options — including raising generator fees — for discussion at the next meeting.
Next steps: staff will return with a comparative analysis of neighboring fee schedules, legal constraints described by the town attorney, and draft language for graded home-size fees and truck-permit options.
