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Wolverine Lake raises building‑permit fees to better cover department costs, council approves schedule
Summary
After a consultant review, the council adopted a revised building‑department fee schedule recommending use of the ICC fee multiplier to move toward cost recovery; council approved the new schedule and agreed to review its effect after one year.
A consultant hired to review Wolverine Lake’s building‑permit schedule told the council the village’s fees were about 14% lower than comparable communities and not sufficient to cover building‑department overhead.
Craig Strong of Carile Wartman Associates explained the International Code Council (ICC) formula used to tie permit fees to annual construction valuation and operating costs. Using current construction‑valuation averages (about $3 million annually), the ICC multiplier would move fees toward full cost recovery and could roughly double permit fees if the village opts to recoup 100% of department costs. The consultant also recommended the village consider staged options (for example, 75% cost recovery) and reassess after one year.
Council discussion focused on the steep increases for specific items such as Zoning Board of Appeals applications, the administrative costs of publishing notices, and the fairness of shifting costs from general taxpayers to permit applicants. The council voted to adopt the proposed fee schedule as presented and asked staff to review results after one year and make adjustments if needed.
Next steps: New fees to take effect July 1 (as presented); staff will monitor permit revenue and department costs and return to council with a one‑year review and any recommended adjustments.
