Board reviews broad 2026 fee-schedule changes, debates driveway permits, fines and cemetery increases

Supervisor Elizabeth Feldman opened the fee-schedule portion of the Dec. 16 work session by noting the town’s budget has already been adopted and that the fee schedule adjusts departmental charges for 2026. "The budget has been passed ... so these are just kind of schedules," Feldman said as she introduced proposals largely requested by the building department and other town offices.

Key building-department proposals discussed included a new, separate driveway permit (proposed fee: $100 for work up to $1,000, plus $15 for each additional $1,000), and a broader set of modest increases to electrical, plumbing and HVAC permit fees. Christie and board members debated whether a driveway permit must be made mandatory in code to address impervious-surface and stormwater concerns; one board member said the permitting requirement is intended less to raise revenue than to ensure runoff and drainage are reviewed.

The board also considered enforcement for unpermitted work. Staff proposed keeping the existing practice of tripling fees for legalization but setting a minimum floor: "if tripling those fees would be less than $1,000 then you have to pay $1,000," the staff presentation said, prompting discussion of whether a tiered fine structure would better deter longstanding unpermitted alterations and how often assessors encounter such cases.

Dale Cemetery’s manager proposed increases across internment and grave categories (single/double depth, children’s and baby graves, cremation niches and foundation pricing). Several board members voiced reluctance to raise fees for infant burials; cemetery staff and board members suggested a percentage-based approach and asked the manager for a recommended percentage increase.

Parks and recreation proposed raising resident and nonresident pavilion and field rental fees (many line items double), increasing annual tennis/pickleball permits at Ryder Park from $40 to $80, and reworking a $75 security-deposit practice that has caused accounting headaches with online payments. Board members asked staff to examine how neighboring municipalities handle deposits (preauthorization, online holds) and to refine the operational procedure so deposits are reliable and administratively feasible.

On tree removal, the building department recommended keeping a $100 residential tree-removal permit with $50 per additional tree and adding a $1,000 penalty per tree removed without a required permit. Board members supported deterrence but asked staff to clarify the size/threshold that triggers a permit and to return with clearer enforcement language.

Several items were approved for inclusion pending technical edits; others (driveway permit code language, legalization fine tiers, cemetery increases, subdivision-fee sizing and security-deposit procedures) were sent back to staff for additional research and comparative data. No fees were adopted at the session; the board expects to revisit these items at the January work session and before the reorganizational meeting.