Council adopts amended fee schedule, pares proposed building-permit increase and reduces cannabis fee hike

At the Aug. 4 workshop the council considered an order to replace Appendix A (the master fee schedule), incorporating changes proposed by the fee committee and a compromise presented by councilors Weisner and Walker.

Quentin Chapman, a member of the public, opposed fee increases and said they are an additional burden for homeowners and small contractors: "It's another fee. It's another tax," Chapman said, asking the council to find alternatives that would not penalize small, do-it-yourself residents.

Council debate focused on who bears inspection costs, whether fees should cover staff time rather than property taxpayers, and whether fee changes were properly presented before the budget. Manager Phil Kroll explained staffing and inspection demands for marijuana licensing and other regulated activities and said the city’s current fees did not fully recover inspection costs.

The council accepted a compromise that reduces the proposed building-permit charge for new single- and two-family construction to 15¢ per square foot (from 30¢) and amended the cannabis-licensing increase on the floor from 10% to 5% to offset budget impacts discussed in the meeting. A show-of-hands vote on the amended order carried 6–1.

Councilors asked staff to ensure future fee proposals include clear redlines and full revenue calculations before they are relied on in budgets; several members recommended a fuller workshop on fee policy ahead of next budget cycles.