Council pushes consultant to lower some 2025 permit fees, seeks lower deck and basement costs

City staff and consultant Rum River Consultants presented proposed 2025 building‑permit fee increases and comparisons with peer cities. Council members challenged many of the increases as higher than state averages and urged limiting the hikes on maintenance and small permits so residents will continue to pull permits.

One council member said the consultant's deck valuation example — $45 per square foot — is "about twice what it should be" and warned the higher fees would push residents to skip permits. Several members argued for a modest across‑the‑board increase (for example, a $5 bump per permit) rather than the consultant's steeper proposals. Others noted that some nearby cities with in‑house inspectors charge lower flat fees for items such as basement finishes.

Council discussed the tradeoffs of keeping Rum River as an external contractor versus hiring an in‑house building official. Staff noted that in‑house inspection staffing has larger fixed costs (salary, benefits) and that Rum River's rates are partly driven by per‑inspection travel and hourly costs. Council reached a consensus to "meet in the middle" on most proposed increases but to press for a lower flat deck permit (proposed by several members at $150 plus plan review) and to match Big Lake on basement finish pricing. Council also asked staff to advertise for an in‑house building inspector to assess feasibility and to negotiate the consultant contract if lower prices are required.