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County staff to test new online payments, propose RFP and fee study for planning/building permits
Summary
County planning staff said a new online payment vendor will be tested and staff plan an RFP and fee study to update permit fees last set in 2018; commissioners were advised that statutory limits require fee studies and fees should not generate profit beyond cost recovery.
County planning staff told commissioners the clerk’s office will test a new online payment system with a contractor and the county expects to publish the service on the website and go live in a few weeks.
Planning staff said both planning and building permit fees date from 2018 and lag neighboring counties; the building department is operating at a deficit and state statute requires certain program fees to be cost‑recovery rather than profit centers. Staff proposed issuing an RFP for a fee study to establish updated, defensible fees.
Finance staff outlined a modest budget adjustment and proposed a $5,000 line item for software that links to property-appraiser records for real‑time updates; they said the vendor PayRox (payment vendor mentioned by staff) would place user costs on permit applicants rather than the general fund.
County counsel and procurement staff advised that fee changes and the RFP should follow statutory limits: fee studies typically calculate effective hourly rates and recommend fees tied to actual cost. Commissioners asked staff to bring a fee-schedule review and to return with recommendations as part of the RFP process.
No formal fee changes were adopted at the meeting; staff said any change would require board approval and legal review to ensure compliance with program fee regulations.
