Freeman council reviews broad fee schedule — camping, rentals, permits and licenses on the table

The council undertook a line-by-line review of the city's fee schedule, discussing camping fees, pet-licensing compliance, building-permit and variance publication costs, peddler's permits (including how the rule should apply to the farmers market), and community-center rental tiers. Members noted that some fees are set by state statute (certain alcohol license fees) while others are locally controlled and may need ordinance changes.

On community center rentals, councilors debated tiered pricing (city use, nonprofits, individuals/companies), the adequacy of cleaning deposits and whether certain small fees should be raised to better cover rising janitorial costs. A clerk noted the rental agreement recently added a prohibition on glitter, and members suggested modest increases for some tiers or a small departmental charge when city departments use the room.

The council also discussed the water turn-on fee and late fees; the Chair recommended a first reading to consider doubling the water turn-on fee to better reflect staff costs associated with shutoff/turn-on service, while members expressed concern about burdening low-income residents. For other items (digging permits, recycling, fingerprint/background fees), staff were asked to confirm ordinance authority and publication costs and return with suggested wording for the next meeting.