LAKEPORT – After making a half-dozen amendments to the proposed city fee increases, three of five Lakeport City Council members present voted unanimously to approve some of the largest fee hikes in Lakeport municipal history.
After hearing objections previously from the Board of Realtors and a local business owner in person Tuesday night, Council members Roy Parmentier, Ronald Bertsch, and Jim Irwin still passed the numerous increases with little debate as a gallery of 12 citizens murmured.
Lakeport resident and business owner Ross Kauper expressed his opposition to the increases, saying “I don”t think the city should have used a Maximus study to determine these fees. It will be really interesting to see how this will work. I would have liked to have seen a gradual CPI basis fee increase instead.”
Irwin said in response, “We”re trying to get on board with that.
Kauper says he fears the fee increases will discourage citizens to make improvements on their businesses and homes.
“There will be eye sores that won”t get fixed, or people will build without the proper permits in order to avoid fees,” he said.
With little debate instead doing more tweaking and adjusting the Council members examined and discussed several individual line items for close to an hour.
The few amendments to the fee increases determined by the council included the removal of all double-charged fees until they can be reassessed. Appeals to the council to remain at $150 instead of increasing to $258, and the terminology of “fence permit” adjusted to “fence variance,” so that the public will understand that people will not be charged a fee to build a fence, rather, they will be charged for any unusual fence building, according to Irwin.
Meetings for planning commission fees are to remain the same, at $250. Planning consensus time in excess of 30 minutes are to be eliminated completely a fee that would have been $123.
Additionally, a fee imposed on displaying a banner across Main Street in Lakeport was discussed by the City Council, which decided that the proposed fee of $250 would be too steep, especially when considering the banner method of advertising is used by non-profits such as the American Red Cross.
The new fee of $100 will be effective immediately, “In time to get the Rodeo advertising banner,” said City Manager Jerry Gillham.
Further amendments to the fee hikes include that all code enforcements are to be effective immediately, and that plan checking within the building services plan would be removed from a three-year phase-in.
“I think there should be some kind of reimbursement or else people will do them without inspections,” said Kauper.
Council members Buzz Bruns and Robert Rumfelt were not present at the meeting Tuesday night, but the Council proceeded with a quorum of three.
