Committee forwards ordinance adjusting Board of Appeals surcharges on permit fees

The Budget & Appropriations Committee on May 25 forwarded an ordinance to the full Board that would adjust Board of Appeals surcharges on permit, license and renewal fees to align fee revenue with departmental cost recovery.

Ashley Grafenberg, the mayor's budget director, said the surcharge adjustments reflect updated cost recovery analyses; examples cited in the presentation: surcharges for the Department of Building Inspection and Planning would increase from $22.50 to $37, the Department of Public Works surcharge would rise from $7 to $9, while some other surcharges would decrease (Public Health from $46 to $43; Police from $6 to $3; Entertainment Commission from $4 to $2).

Public commenter David Topel asked for clearer drafting of dollar-line edits in the ordinance and highlighted Charter Section 2.109 timing requirements that could require resubmission if final Board action does not occur within 30 days of mayoral submission. Chair Ronan moved to forward the ordinance with a positive recommendation; the committee recorded a roll-call vote and forwarded the item to the full Board.