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Williams Township board approves 2025 fee schedule after debate over higher permit and construction fees
Summary
After discussion about why some permit and development fees rose from roughly $150–$200 toward $250, the Williams Township board approved the 2025 fee schedule and passed several routine resolutions including job-description and conservation-monitoring amendments.
The Williams Township board approved its 2025 fee schedule at the January meeting after a short but pointed debate about increases in several permit and development fees.
A board member asked, "Why did we raise why did we double some of these figures?" raising concerns that lines in the draft moved some fees from roughly $150 to $250 and others from about $200 to $250. A Committee member responded that staff compared fees with similar townships and that the increases reflect the "cost of doing business," including staff time spent processing applications. "Suzanne explained that it can take a long time from the time and application and many hours of work by staff to complete that," the Committee member said.
After discussion, the board approved the 2025 fee schedule (cited in the record as Resolution 2025-7) and redopted a sewer fee schedule. The board also approved several other routine items on the agenda: reauthorizing the identity-theft prevention policy (Resolution 2025-3), adopting an unlocked storage system fee schedule (Resolution 2025-8), approving municipal bid items totaling $21,009, updating the township secretary-treasurer job description to change Hannah's title from "secretary assistant treasurer" to "secretary treasurer," and approving Amendment 1 to a monitoring agreement with Heritage Conservancy to add two properties for conservation-easement monitoring on behalf of Williams Township. The board also moved to appoint an alternate to a primary seat on the zoning hearing board; the transcript records the appointee's name inconsistently as "Dave Freeman" and "David Raymond." The board approved the appointment by voice vote.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of bills/treasurer's report (November and December 2024): motion made and seconded; voice approval recorded. - Approval of municipal bid items (total $21,009): motion made and seconded; voice approval recorded. - Approval of 2025 fee schedule (Resolution 2025-7): motion made, discussed, and approved by voice vote. - Redoption of sewer fee schedule (Resolution 2025-7 as noted in the record): motion and voice approval recorded; transcript indicates no substantive changes. - Reauthorization of identity-theft prevention program (Resolution 2025-3): adopted by voice vote. - Adoption of unlocked storage system fee schedule (Resolution 2025-8): adopted by voice vote. - Job description change for secretary/treasurer: motion made and seconded; adopted by voice vote. - Amendment 1 to professional services agreement with Heritage Conservancy (monitoring of two additional conservation properties): motion made and seconded; adopted by voice vote. - Appointment to zoning hearing board (appointee named as "Dave Freeman" / "David Raymond" in record): motion made and seconded; adopted by voice vote.
The board did not record detailed roll-call tallies in the transcript for these items; approvals were recorded by voice vote.
