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Stevens Point amends community development fees to better match costs and simplify permits
Summary
The finance committee approved a revised fee schedule for community development that replaces several variable fees with flat rates, adds thresholds for large projects and includes an escalator (implemented as 5% every two years for two cycles) to keep fees aligned with costs. Staff said changes aim to recoup costs without producing revenue beyond expenses.
The City of Stevens Point Finance Committee approved a set of changes to the community development department fee schedule on April 13 intended to align permit fees with the department's actual costs and to simplify the schedule for staff and the public.
Director (addressed in the meeting as) Director Kivola described the review process: staff analyzed processing times, inspections and ancillary costs and converted some permits (for example roofing, siding and windows) from variable formulas to flat-rate fees where appropriate. The changes also add provisions for very large projects where fee calculations can be redundant; for such large projects the schedule includes a reduced incremental fee so applicants are not doubly charged.
Staff proposed an escalator to reduce annual fee-setting workload: a 2.5% annual figure was used to justify a 5% increase every two years, to be applied for two cycles before a comprehensive review. Director Kivola said the goal was to recoup costs, not to generate revenue. Committee members asked about how the flat-rate approach would affect large projects and whether the city would "leave money on the table." Staff responded that calculations anticipate recouping costs and that attorney review emphasized fees must not be revenue-generating.
A public commenter said she would raise additional concerns at the common council meeting. The committee voted to approve the revised fee schedule.
