Peotone trustees flag permit-refund and code cleanup after two partially-funded projects

Staff reported two recent cases in which contractors paid fees for plan review, permits and inspections but the associated projects did not move forward. Staff noted the village had already paid consultants for services and said the village code currently states there are no refunds for building permits when permits expire. The staff member suggested the board consider clarifying the code and possibly creating limited hardship exceptions.

Trustees generally expressed caution about routinely refunding permit fees because the village incurs staff and consultant costs; several trustees recommended discussing the topic further at the building-committee level. Staff also commended Diane Nielsen's invoice reviews, which already produced several credits to the village. "If we, the village, have put money out to our contractor, we shouldn't be, obviously, subsidizing projects," the staff member said.