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Council weighs building fees |
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Monday, 09 March 2009 |
A proposed ordinance that would place a six-month moratorium on all building permit fees in the city will be considered at tonight’s Benton City Council meeting.
The measure, if approved, would apply to both residential and commercial development in the city.
A majority of the council members agreed in a joint meeting of the council’s Finance and Economic Develop-ment committees that the action should be taken.
Alderman Doug Stracener, the council’s senior member, chairs both groups.
He said the elimination of the fees is recommended in order to spark new building and remodeling projects in today’s sagging economy.
Stracener said inspection fees and associated fees still will apply while the building permit fees are lifted.
“This action will, hopefully, be enough to spur new building and remodeling projects in Benton, thus increasing our sales tax collections through the sale of materials for the construction,” Stracener said, adding that the building trade has been the city’s number-one source of revenue during the past 10 years.
Stracener initially had recommended that the fees be “cut in half,” but said the council members attending the joint committee session ultimately agreed it would be advisable to go with a straight moratorium for six months.
Alderman Bill Donnor recommended elimination of the fees altogether.
During the six-month period, inspections and inspections fees will not go away, Stracener said. “Really, our direct aim is to make sure buildings are safe, but on a typical 2,500-foot structure, it will cut the cost about $500,” he said.
“There also was some discussion regarding connection fees, but that may be the second part to reducing those connection fees as much as we can,” Stracener said.
Stracener acknowledged that the decision to eliminate any fees was a difficult one because “in a tight budget it’s hard to take away potential revenue.”
“I told them (other council members) that building could go to zero if we don’t do something,” he said. “But if we spur this, then our sales tax collection outweighs anything we’re giving up on permits. With sales tax, everything delivered to the site goes into the Benton sales tax.”
Another matter the council will consider tonight is the adoption of the 2009 budget for the general, animal control and street funds. The council recently voted to continue operating under the 2008 budget.
Other matters slated to come before the council include a proposed ordinance amending the personnel polices and practices for city employees pertaining to funeral/bereavement leave.
The ordinance states that bereavement leave of up to three calendar days with full pay will be granted in the event of the death of an immediate family member, which is classified as mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, grandchild and grandparents, whether by blood or marriage; and those relatives living in the employee’s household. Leave will not be paid if the employee is not scheduled to work during this time.
The department head may grant funeral leave of not more than one day per year for an employee to be a pallbearer or attend a funeral of someone not within the employee’s immediate family, the policy states.
The policy also addresses leave for voting and jury duty. It states that city employees are encouraged to exercise their legal right to vote and, if necessary, reasonable time off shall be granted for this purpose.
Council will consider an ordinance appropriating funds from the district court automation fund to add court-related technology.
Aldermen also plan to vote on appropriating funds for repairing a water line on Sharon Road and a change order for work on Fairfield Road.
The council will meet in an agenda session at 6 p.m. in the mayor’s conference room and reconvene in its regular session at 7 in the council chambers at Benton Municipal Complex.
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Razorbacks
