PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County commissioners unanimously approved higher land-use permit fees to avoid deeper staff cuts in the county Department of Community Development.
The commissioners on Monday approved 3-0 an hourly fee increase from $55 to $70.67.
County Administrator Philip Morley said that although the situation needed more analysis, he believed that without a fee boost, it was likely that the only option would be “adjusting staff resources,” meaning layoffs and cuts to services.
Stacie Hoskins, the Department of Community Development’s planning manager, agreed.
Al Scalf, the department’s director, said that higher fees are intended to recoup $117,000 in overhead.
Up 27 percent
The proposed new hourly rate also would be factored into the cost of boundary line adjustment reviews, conditional-use permits and short plat applications, so those costs also would go up roughly 27 percent.
The department laid off six people in December and reduced remaining employee hours to 36 a week, closing the department on Fridays.
Scalf said Monday that labor and benefit costs and the cost of supplies “have gone up over the years,” justifying the fee increase.
“With the economic trend, we all know everything is in decline,” Scalf lamented.
Morley said that the proposed fees were intended to pay the full cost of development review activity done by the building and development review divisions “so that applicants pay for services rendered.”
The fee increase is based on an updated hourly rate for staff time spent on review activities, he said.
The proposal did not go without public protest on Monday.
Feels overcharged
“You know what bugs me about these fees … is the feeling that I am getting ripped off,” Port Townsend-area resident Tom Thiersch said to the commissioners during the public comment period.
Thiersch complained that he felt overcharged, paying $200 for 10 minutes work to get a propane tank permit.
Department staffers said that the average time spent handling a permit, which includes an inspection, is about three hours and includes travel time.
Barbara Blowers, a real estate agent who lives at Beckett Point, also criticized the county for proposing higher fees.
“To suggest that fees need to be increased because of workload is silly,” she said, adding that she questioned the need for planners to inspect decks and fences.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
