Boone County health officials recommend 25% food and 40% well/septic fee increases; committee votes to forward to county board

Amanda, a health department official, presented a multi-year review and an 11‑page proposed overhaul of environmental health fees and code changes and said the Board of Health voted to recommend a package of fee changes to the county board. The recommendation the board of health forwarded to county staff was a 25% across‑the‑board increase for food program fees and a 40% across‑the‑board increase for well and septic program fees, to take effect July 1 to align with the state fiscal year and grant cycles.

The department’s program specialist, Allison O’Hearn, described the drivers behind the request: many environmental programs are state‑mandated and lack dedicated grant support; well and septic work is labor intensive and can take inspectors half a day to a full day for some projects; and laboratory costs for required water sampling — which the county must send out of county — add materially to per‑permit expense. “We do have to use a state‑certified lab for our water samples,” Allison said, noting the county does not have a local lab and that those fees rise annually.

Staff presented a three‑option analysis that showed the proposed fee increases paired with modest levy adjustments would better align program revenues with operating costs. The department also highlighted that Boone County has historically waived fees for many not‑for‑profit organizations (churches and civic groups that operate occasional food events), which the department estimates costs the county roughly $17,000–$35,000 a year. The health director told the committee the department wanted to preserve that waiver practice but also to mitigate the program deficit through a combination of fee increases and levy options.

Committee members asked about regional comparables (Winnebago, DeKalb, McHenry), the mechanics of notifying vendors, and whether a graduated or phased increase would soften the impact on small vendors and food trucks. Amanda said the department preferred a three‑year cycle for fee adjustments — a cadence the county has used — and offered to work with board members and vendors on outreach and examples. Allison explained some proposed new permits (for sampling and temporary events) and edits to plan‑review/site‑verification rules to reflect staff time and risk.

After extended discussion about the fiscal implications for businesses and the potential to price vendors out of the market, a motion was made and carried to accept the department’s presentation and forward the recommended fee changes to the full county board for formal ordinance action. The committee did not set a levy number at this meeting and asked administration and the health department to model levy options for the upcoming budget cycle.

The county will present the ordinance language and fee schedule to the county board for a vote. The health department asked that the changes, if adopted, take effect July 1 to align with the state fiscal year and to give vendors advance notice.