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Tualatin staff propose 10–20% building permit fee increase; council leans toward 15%
Summary
Building official presented a proposal to raise building permit fees (10–20%) to rebuild reserves and standardize fees; staff recommended 20% to shore up an 18‑month contingency but several councilors favored a 15% increase and continuing COLA adjustments.
Samantha Vandergriff, the city's building official, presented a detailed review of the Building Division's workload and finances and sought council direction on raising permit fees to rebuild the reserve fund.
"We are here tonight to discuss a fee adjustment for the building inspection or the building fees," Vandergriff said, describing an 18‑month reserve target set by city policy (the state recommends 24 months) and showing revenue and expenditure trends since 2021. She presented jurisdictional comparisons and modeled 10%, 15% and 20% fee increases; staff recommended 20% to build contingency while acknowledging the reserve would still take several years to reach policy levels.
Councilors voiced concern about pricing small projects out of compliance and the effect on affordability, and asked whether a COLA mechanism could be adopted so fees could increase incrementally. Vandergriff said a 5% COLA is already scheduled through 2028 and that staff could incorporate regular adjustments but would need to return to council for further extensions. Several councilors said 15% represented a middle ground that would keep Tualatin competitive with neighboring cities while moving toward healthier reserves; one councilor favored the 20% option to build contingency sooner. Staff will return with an ordinance reflecting council direction.
