Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fee Schedule topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ennis adopts revised fee schedule, adds fire inspection charges for places of worship after split comments
Summary
The Ennis City Commission approved a revised FY2026 fee schedule that includes new fire inspection and permit fees and, after debate, will charge inspection fees for places of worship; commissioners asked staff to provide public education before the fees go into effect.
The Ennis City Commission voted Sept. 16 to adopt a revised FY2026 schedule of fees that creates new administrative and public‑works charges and adds a suite of fire department inspection and permit fees — including a contested decision to assess inspection fees for places of worship.
Fire Chief Evans outlined the new fire department structure: the schedule ties fees to services required by the International Fire Code, establishes operational and construction permits, and proposes annual inspection fees for higher‑risk occupancies. "This fee schedule has been a long time coming," Evans said, noting the intent to recover inspection and plan‑review costs rather than subsidize them through general taxes (SEG 2360–2372). He recommended a $75 base inspection fee for businesses over 12,000 square feet and described a set of operational permits and construction permit categories drawn directly from the fire code (SEG 2406–2440).
Commissioners debated whether to exempt places of worship from the new inspection charges. Mayor Rayburn objected to adding the charge for places of worship because many local churches operate on low budgets: "I do not support that … we have a number of churches in this community that operate at a very low budget" (SEG 2716–2721). Other commissioners favored uniform application of the fee for equity and transparency; one commissioner said excluding faith institutions could be seen as inconsistent policy (SEG 2649–2651).
After discussion, the commission adopted the fee schedule printed 09/16/2025, including inspection fees for places of worship and striking an extraneous whereas clause in the ordinance. Staff and the fire department agreed to educate affected businesses and faith communities before enforcement; the fire chief said the department plans outreach on social media and direct contacts 30–60 days before annual inspections to explain new permit requirements (SEG 2524–2531). The commission also amended the fee handout on the dais to correct earlier omissions and strikeouts.
What was approved: a consolidated fee schedule adding administrative charges (public information/copy fees), new planning and engineering review fees, revised parks and recreation rates, a suite of fire operational and construction permits (with regional comparisons), and inspection/after‑hours fees. The resolution was adopted by voice vote (ayes have it).
Next step: staff will circulate a clean, final fee schedule and implement an outreach plan to notify affected businesses and places of worship before the fees take effect.
