Council Revises Building Permit Fees

LINCOLN — Lincoln City Council suspended the rules and approved an ordinance at its March 14 meeting to adopt revised building permit fees.

The Council tabled the ordinance last month after members questioned whether the city should charge fees for home improvement projects, such as installing new carpet or hardwood floors or painting a house. Wording in the initial measure made it seem to some aldermen that home improvement projects would fall under the ordinance.

Under the new ordinance approved last week, building permit fees will not be required for projects that do not increase the footprint of a house.

“We cleaned up the verbiage where there are no gray areas,” said Mayor Rob Hulse.

The ordinance is called the 2016 Inspection Fee Building Permit Amendment.

Revised fees were approved for a building permit. The fee for a single family/duplex structure, for example, is 33 cents per square foot for the first 2,000 square feet and 30 cents per square feet above

2,000 square feet. Fees also apply for multi-family units, commercial and public buildings, industrial, and detached garages or other non-portable structures.

Inspections are required for footing, plumbing, concrete slab, electrical, insulation, mechanical, drywall and final. Inspection fees are $100 for each specific inspection or re-inspection, regardless of the number of inspections performed in any one trip.

Applicants for permits are required to file a bond with the city, which will be retained until the final inspection has been conducted.

Council members also amended the city’s Personnel Policy. The changes limit the number of vacation hours that an employee can sell back to the city and states that the city of Lincoln will follow the holiday schedule used by Washington County, instead of following the state’s schedule.

Janet Pettigrew- Elliott with Lincoln Pound and Paws addressed the Council with an update on its proposal to help the city of Lincoln with its stray animals. Discussions will continue on this. Hulse set up a meeting April 6 in the Council room to meet with Pettigrew-Elliott and anyone else who would like to meet.

The City also scheduled a special meeting 7 p.m., Thursday, March 31 to discuss refinancing bond issues.