Council debates permit-fee structure and calls for resident discounts, staff says fees align regionally

Forest Park staff told the mayor and council on March 2 that the city’s permit-fee schedule, amended and adopted January 6, 2025, sets building and zoning fees by project valuation rather than by applicant type and that the structure is intended to align fees with the cost of plan review, inspections and administrative processing.

Several councilmembers urged a different approach for residents, arguing that homeowners making modest repairs or property improvements should not pay fees equivalent to those charged to commercial developers. "If a resident wants to put a fence in the back of their home versus a business that wants to put a fence in the back of their property, I don't think that should align," a councilmember said during the discussion.

Staff replied that valuation-based fees account for the scope of work and that in many cases residential projects require multiple inspections and reviews; where warranted the council previously preserved specific lower fees for residents (for example staff noted certain rezoning and certificate-of-occupancy fees remained lower). The fee-comparison chart provided to council compared Forest Park’s rates with Clayton County, Jonesboro, Riverdale and Morrow and showed the city’s post-amendment fees generally mid-range or lower.

Councilmembers asked staff to provide explicit comparisons of resident versus commercial costs for common permit types and to return with options that could reduce barriers for homeowners. One councilmember requested more time to review the materials rather than vote on immediate changes; staff said the item would return for additional review and possible amendment.