TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Brooksville To Raise Fees On Building Permits, Zoning Reviews

ADVERTISEMENT

By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: December 3, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The cost to secure zoning reviews and building permits for everything from fences to mansions are about to rise in the city of Brooksville.

A reluctant city council voted 4 to 1 late Monday to raise the fee schedule at the recommendation of staff and the Orlando firm that is providing building services on a contractual basis, PDCS Inc.

The council added a caveat that the fees would be reviewed after six months and then on an annual basis.

PDCS receives 80 percent of the fees. The city takes the rest.

PDCS is losing money in Brooksville and could leave if the situation worsens, Community Development Director Bill Geiger told the council.

That made council members worry that the city could be left without a building official.

Council member Joe Johnston III called the rate hikes a "stopgap measure" to help PDCS Inc. get out of the red.

"At least get it started so we have something to assist them in getting over the hump," Johnston said.

Next September, PDCS will be free from its lease on Liberty Street and can move into City Hall. That, in turn, might allow the firm to adjust the rates again. The firm tried to break its lease but was unsuccessful, Geiger said.

"We're doing everything in our power to reduce costs," Lewis Chandler, a PDCS employee and the city's building official, told the council.

The fees haven't changed since 2003 and need to rise for the city to cover the cost of providing the services, Geiger said. The rates bring the city more in line with those in cities of similar size, such as Crystal River and Inverness, he said.

That, he said, explains why the fee increases are in some cases substantial.

A permit for a swimming pool or fence, for example, will rise from $50 to $75.

A so-called Group Two permit, which includes permits for projects such as a storage building bigger than 200 square feet, will jump from $150 to $250.

The ordinance would put in place a new range for residential building permits based on square footage. The range will run from $1,450 to $5,350.

A similar fee schedule would take effect for commercial permits, but the fees will be based on the value of the project and run from $75 to $135,000.

Both residential and commercial permitting fees had been based on square footage.

The cost of a residential zoning review will double to $100; a commercial zoning review will more than double, from $100 to $250.

Council members agreed PDCS is doing a good job. Mayor Joe Bernardini was among them, but he dissented in the vote.

"I just don't think now is the time to be raising the rates," he said.

Council member David Pugh Jr. said the city should at least consider whether it's time for the city to provide the services in-house, with support from a private firm when necessary.

"We should at least investigate it," he said.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT