County to consider sliding scale for permits
By Keri Brenner | The Olympian
• Published March 25, 2008
OLYMPIA – Thurston County commissioners will consider a sliding scale for permits involving home businesses, appeals, docks and other items.
Proposed for select permits (could be revised)
•Appeal of a hearing examiner decision: original proposal from $530 in 2007 to $1,645. New, $550 baseline, plus hourly rate if necessary
•Appeal of an administrative decision: original from $530 to $2,345. New, $550 baseline, plus hourly.
•Boundary line adjustment: original from $760 to $2,645. New, $940 baseline, plus hourly.
•Hearings examiner reconsideration: original from $530 to $1,165. New, $550 baseline, plus hourly.
•Home based industry: kennel for personal use: original from $2,660 to $6,260. New, $2,765 plus hourly.
•Home occupation: original from $1,295 to $2,270. New, $1,350 plus hourly.
Joint Aquatic Resource Project Application (docks, bulkheads)
•JARPA conditional use: Original, $3,280 to $6,355; new, $3,570 plus hourly
•JARPA exemption: Original, $940 to $2,275; new, $1,370 plus hourly
•JARPA variance: Original, $2,620 to $6,350; new, $3,570 plus hourly
•JARPA shoreline substantial development: Original, $3,430 to $6,450; new, $3,570 plus hourly
Proposed new hourly permit processing rates
•Environmental health: $130
•Development review: $110
•Roads and transportation: $105
The plan is in response to protests by irate residents at a Feb. 28 public hearing about a proposal to have large, across-the-board increases in permit fees.
At a briefing Monday, commissioners said they would look at charging a baseline fee for select permits, with an hourly rate added if the application has problems that take longer than normal for county staff to sort out.
"What this does is if the customer and the staff have their checklists in place, and if they both do a good job in completing the application in the least amount of time, then the customer will pay the baseline rate," said Art Starry, director of the county's environmental health division.
"Other times beyond that would be billed at the hourly rate."
Review
Gina Suomi of development services said she would go over the entire permit list to see whether more items could be changed to a sliding scale.
"You looked at the ones mentioned at the public hearing," Commissioner Diane Oberquell said to Suomi, who prepared the new plan. "Are there others?"
Commissioners plan to review the new draft next week for possible adoption in April.
Sherri McDonald, director of public health and social services, said she hopes the new fee schedule will be set soon because she is scrambling to adjust staff to meet changing permit needs.
Similarly, Mike Welter, head of development services, said he has 15 staff positions in the permits department.
At issue is a need to recover $700,000 in general fund subsidies that had formerly paid to support permit processing.
In 2005, the county took the $700,000 out of the permits budget and put it back in the general fund to pay for basic needs such as corrections, public safety, the coroner's office, children's nutrition and family planning programs.
The county asked the permit department to recover the $700,000 from the fee system, said Don Krupp, the county's chief administrative officer.
Mike Kain, county planning manager, said the policy change meant the permit-processing services needed to achieve 100 percent cost recovery. The fees to achieve 100 percent were calculated by a county consultant.
Starry said the new hourly rates were needed to "reflect actual costs to provide services
even with reduced staff."
Oberquell requested that copies of all letters and other correspondence that are sent to permit applicants or the case manager also be sent to property owners.
"This is so the property owner always knows what's going on," she said.
Keri Brenner covers Thurston County for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435 or kbrenner@theolympian.com.
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