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Cole County staff propose updated utility permitting rules and new fees as broadband work surges
Summary
Public works staff told the Cole County Commission that permit requests have jumped this year and presented a draft update to 1995 permitting rules that would add fees, minimum restoration standards and weekly charges for long-running projects to help the county recover inspection and pavement-repair costs.
Public works staff briefed the Cole County Commission on proposed updates to the countys utility permitting policies, saying decades-old rules and low fees leave the county struggling to inspect and restore rights-of-way amid a surge of broadband and other utility work.
"Were getting 40 since the first of the year," the public works official said, describing a sharp rise in permit requests and the operational strain on existing staff. The official said the current rules date to 12/07/1995 and the department stopped consistently charging for permits years ago, leaving inspections underfunded.
The draft posted by staff highlights two permit categories: a basic permit (staff cited a $60 fee in the draft) and a "complex" permit used for large, multiweek installs. For complex jobs, staff proposed a weekly monitoring…
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