Committee raises concern over surprise billing for engineering and inspection fees

The committee discussed fees related to subdivision review, on-site inspections and engineering costs. Several members said fee schedules should be clear and avoid surprise billing for landowners; one member recalled an outside engineering visit that resulted in an unexpected $2,500 bill and said that was excessive. "It ended up being, like, $2,500 to have somebody come out and look at an elevation," said Speaker 5, who asked that the ordinance or fee schedule include an estimate or requirement for advance notice.