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Marquette County health staff say state code changes force fee adjustments; board forwards revised fee schedule to county board
Summary
Marquette County health officials told the Board of Health that new state lodging-code fees and a higher state-share percentage will raise the county's cost of issuing licenses; the board voted to forward the department's revised REHA fee schedule to the county board for final approval.
Marquette County health department staff told the Board of Health that recent changes in state administrative code and higher state fee percentages mean the county must adjust local licensing fees. The board voted to send the department's revised REHA (food safety, recreational licensing and lodging) fee schedule to the county board for final action.
The department said the state has increased certain license fees and raised the percentage counties must remit on permits (from about 10% to 14%), which together will increase the county's payment to the state. Staff provided a budget example showing last year's state remittance of about $16,600 rising to nearly $23,000 under the new figures. To respond, the department proposed limited local increases (roughly 15–25% in affected categories) and a flat 3% increase in areas the state did not change.
The revision also reflects new license categories created by the updated state lodging code, including a new “specialty lodging” class and more granular hotel/motel and tourist-rooming-house distinctions. Staff said the new categories and added inspection requirements (annual water sampling, expanded fire/safety equipment) increase local inspection workloads and administrative costs.
The proposed schedule adds or adjusts several program fees: a modest increase in the late-payment fee (from $75 to $100), a new plan-review/consultation fee to recover staff time spent on large renovations and iterative plan reviews, and fees for an in-house water-testing program (sample fees described as roughly $30–$35 per test). The department also described a certified food protection manager class to be offered locally at competitive pricing to reduce travel burdens for operators.
Department staff said the radon-test-kit section of the schedule was deferred pending vendor price changes; existing inventory will cover the current year. Staff also said they tried to limit increases so the program remains cost-recovery, not a revenue source for the county.
Board members moved and seconded a motion to recommend the revised REHA fee schedule to the county board; the motion carried. The county board will consider the schedule in a future meeting for final approval.
