Brandon Twp.- Commercial developers or individuals seeking permission for something a township ordinance does not allow will be paying more in Brandon? in some cases, nearly double? after the board unanimously approved increases in the planning commission fee schedule during their March 1 meeting.
‘If you’re a user of the system, you have to pay for it,? said Building Director Bill Dinnan.
‘Taxpayers shouldn’t have to subsidize someone else’s desire to develop land or do something that the ordinance doesn’t allow. We’re not trying to make money, just cover costs.?
The newly approved application fees include rezoning? $600; site plan review for commercial, industrial, site condos, PUD and special use requests? $600; platted residential subdivisions? $600; all special land use requests requiring planning consultant’s review? $600; private roads planning commission fee? $350; and all projects requiring woodlands review per Brandon Township Zoning Ordinance? $1,500.
Previously, the majority of these fees were $350, with the exceptions of the private roads, which was $100, and the woodlands review, a $1,000 prior fee.
The move to increase the fees was prompted by the fact the existing fees were not covering the costs of holding a planning commission meeting, which includes paying the boardmembers ($460 total cost per meeting), the recording secretary ($85), advertisement of the meeting ($30 on average), and administrative time ($25). With the prior application fees costing $350, and the total cost of a meeting at $600, this resulted in a negative balance of $250.
Under the new fee schedule, escrow accounts will be used to pay consultant fees plus 10 percent administrative costs, and second and subsequent meetings will be charged half the original fee.
In January, the Groveland Township Board approved an increase in administrative fees for site plan procedures and mining applications from $500 to $820 for preliminary and final approvals, also because the fees weren’t covering the cost of meetings.
‘It shouldn’t come out of residents? tax money for someone to come before the board for site plan work,? said Clerk Pam Mazich. Both townships have seen a decrease the past several years in new developments, affecting the number of applicants at meetings. Dinnan said it’s possible that the fees could be modified in the future if there are multiple applicants on the agenda consistently. He believes the current local economic climate may be improving. ‘We’re seeing some increase in activity,? he said. ‘It isn’t coming down to the point where we’re processing permits, but we have a lot of communication with people who are expressing a desire to move forward with their projects, which we hope means they will be applying for permits…Foreclosures are starting to turn over, they’re selling. Once that clears up, then I think we’ll see a return of the new housing. I’ve been in the industry for 31 years and I’ve never seen the likes of this recession in that time, so I’m not sure how long it will take, but I am optimistic.?