Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fee Structure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sharon Conservation Commission adopts most proposed bylaw fee increases, keeps RDA and advertising fees at $50
Summary
The commission voted to double most local bylaw permit fees at its Jan. 22 meeting, but retained the RDA filing fee at $50 and restored the advertising fee to $50, citing recent local printing costs that had pushed notices to $275.
At its Jan. 22 meeting the Sharon Conservation Commission approved revisions to its local bylaw fee schedule, adopting most of Conservation Administrator Josh Philibert’s proposal to raise rates while keeping the Request for Determination of Applicability (RDA) filing fee at $50 and setting the advertising fee at $50.
Philibert told the commission the Finance Committee asked boards to review fees so that revenue covers administrative costs without producing profit. "The money should cover costs but not profit," he said while presenting comparative research from other municipalities and a proposed fee schedule that would double most existing local bylaw fees. He recommended keeping the RDA fee at $50 because a steep charge could discourage filing and shift costs to homeowners who discover compliance obligations later.
Commissioners discussed the COC fee schedule (currently $50 within three years of an Order of Conditions, $100 thereafter) and the advertising fee, which in recent years had risen to $275 because The Patriot Ledger is the only local print publication. Philibert noted that by Home Rule petition and Town Meeting action the town no longer must publish notices in a daily newspaper; posting online and at Town Hall suffices, so the commission restored the administrative advertising fee to $50 to reflect actual costs.
The motion to adopt the proposed changes as written, except for the RDA filing fee and advertising fee, passed in a roll-call vote: Cremer moved; McKeen seconded. The vote was recorded as Cremer — aye; Drisko — aye; McKeen — aye; Geller — aye; Arguimbau — aye (5–0–0).
Commissioners asked staff to circulate the revised rules and regulations and the new fee schedule for implementation and to confirm whether additional public notice or Select Board action is required for specific adjustments.
A complete revised fee schedule was not read into the record at the meeting; the commission approved the structure in principle with the stated exceptions.
