Scott County panel previews higher inspection fees, seeks to send schedule to commissioners for public hearing

At its Feb. 11 meeting the Scott County Advisory Plan Commission reviewed a proposed revision to the building-inspection fee schedule and agreed to send the changes to the county commissioners for formal notice and a public hearing.

Ben, the county's building inspector, said he proposed increasing many inspection fees and adding brackets tied to square footage so larger projects pay more than small ones. "I kind of took everything to $20 in inspection as far as going out there," Ben said, explaining that the change reflects inspector travel time across a rural county and the number of site visits. He said an average 1,200–1,800-square-foot house typically requires about seven inspections.

The proposed schedule includes a $50 reinspection fee for failed inspections, higher fees for larger commercial projects and a penalty that doubles the permit fee for work begun without a permit. Stacy Turner, the area plan director, said the draft was compiled by staff after reviewing neighboring counties and that the commission could adjust numbers after a trial year.

Members discussed demolition fees and said they preferred a low charge for minor residential removals; Ben and the panel agreed the schedule could be revisited one year after implementation to match actual workloads and revenue. Because the current meeting was a workshop, members did not adopt the schedule. They directed staff to list a fee-schedule vote on the next meeting agenda and to forward the proposal to the commissioners' office for advertisement and a public hearing.

No ordinance or fee was adopted at the meeting; the commission recommended procedural steps to place the revised schedule before the county commissioners for formal action.