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Isle of Wight staff outline proposed FY27 fee schedule: animal shelter, EMS, water and tourism changes
Summary
County staff presented a proposed FY27 fee schedule that adds and adjusts fees across animal control, EMS transport (1.5× CMS rates), GIS/digital data, inspections and water and stormwater rates; the board sought clarifications on donations and GIS staffing.
County finance and administration staff presented a proposed FY2027 fee schedule that would alter a broad set of user charges, and the board asked questions about donation tracking and the rationale for some changes.
Finance staff (Bill) outlined specific adjustments at the work session. For the animal shelter, proposed fees include $50 for senior pet adoptions, $50 for barn cats, a 2‑for‑1 adoption bundle for $100, and a $25 small farm‑animal adoption fee. Microchipping would be reduced from $35 to $30 and a $10 microchip‑reclaim fee would be added. On emergency medical services, staff recommended charging 1.5 times the CMS allowable ambulance rates; examples provided included BLS at $6.75 and ALS1 at $8.50.
Other changes include removal of certain GIS printing services (digital shapefiles available at $20 each), a $500 after‑the‑fact permit fee for inspections when work requiring a permit proceeds without one, accessory structure fees ($50 for structures over 256 sq ft), a $150 resubmittal fee after a second plan review, and a $125 reinspection fee. Parks and recreation fees were increased modestly (generally +$5) rather than a larger jump. Water rates in the proposal would be $15.50 per 1,000 gallons for the 0–50,000 gallon bracket and $8.25 per 1,000 gallons for usage over 50,000 gallons. The stormwater fee recommendation was a slight reduction from $3.42 to $3.25 per month per ERU.
Board members asked staff to report back on how shelter donations are tracked and whether a separate 'friends' nonprofit could improve fundraising and grant eligibility; staff said finance had started a dedicated donation spreadsheet and that the county cannot itself apply for nonprofit status for a county‑managed shelter. Supervisors also questioned a GIS staffing request while print services were being reduced; staff said maps are now online and that the requested position would be split between GIS and Community Development for OpenGov work.
Staff asked for feedback and indicated the changes were intended to bring fees more in line with regional practices while avoiding steep sudden increases.
