Abby looks at lowering building permit fees
While reviewing a list of building permit fees from eight other local municipalities on Monday, council members quickly realized just how much more expensive those permits are in Abbotsford.
The city currently charges $2 per thousand dollars of construction value, with no maximum limit, so larger buildings can end up costing tens of thousands of dollars.
DPW Craig Stuttgen said the problems with the current fee structure became obvious when Abbyland Foods had to spend $60,000 in 2016 to obtain a building permit for its $30 million sausage plant.
“The taxes collected in the TIF district for that building are over $8 million,” he said. “Why would you want to discourage someone from building something that’s going to give you $8 million in revenue?”
Ald. Jeremiah Zeiset said the permit fees should simply cover the time it takes for city employees to process the application. City administrator Dan Grady said there isn’t much time involved with handling building permits.
The fee structures presented from other cities came in a wide variety, from flat dollar amounts to graduated rates based on square footage or construction value.
Ald. Sarah Diedrich said she liked the simplicity of Neillville’s permit fees, which are $25 for residential buildings and $50 for commercial. She initially planned on making a motion to set Abbotsford’s fees at $50 for residential and $100 for commercial, but several questions were raised about when building permits are required in the first place.
A building permit is required in Abbotsford if a minimum of $5,000 worth of work is going to be done on a house or business. However, a permit is also required if an accessory building is built or placed onto a property, regardless of its value.
Ultimately, the council voted to table the issue so members had more time to consider their options.
Other business
_ Resident Jim Colby addressed the council regarding stormwater issues on a couple of his properties, including one next to the new Dollar General store site on STH 13. He said he’s had problems with standing water on his land since a concrete slab was put in, but he said the company is willing to work on a solution for him.
The other issue involves a house of his on Second Street, which has had water running into the yard ever since a homeowner across the street filled in his yard with dirt, essentially creating a dam that redirects stormwater onto his property.
“If there is not a city ordinance on that, there probably should be,” he said. “It is not right for any man to fill in a lot to create problems for the neighbor.”
Grady urged Colby to contact Stuttgen, who has a possible solution to the stormwater problem on Second Street.
Colby also raised concerns about the lack of proper windows at two residential rental properties on East Spruce Street that were formerly commercial businesses. He said not having big enough egress windows is a safety liability.
“If there was a fire and somebody died in the bedroom, you’d feel really bad if they couldn’t get out,” he said.
_ The council approved a temporary Class B license for the Abbotsford Public Library to be able to have wine at a Bring Your Own Book event on Aug. 27. Ald. Jeremiah Zeiset voted against the motion, citing his personal opposition to alcohol consumption based on the problems it can cause.
“Everybody has the right to have a drink, but to promote it seems counterproductive,” he said.
_ The council approved a final pay request of $97,391 from Melvin Companies for work done on the Safe Routes to School project. MSA project engineer Dan Borchardt said the project came in $30,000 underbudget due to areas where money was saved along the way.
_ The council approved a final pay request of $32,575 from Melvin Companies for reconstructing West Spruce Street. Borchardt said the public works crew saved the city about $56,000 by replacing curb stops and doing other work along the construction route that did not have to be done by the contractor.
_ The council approved a final pay request of $25,202 from Haas Sons for extending Opportunity Drive to the west. The final payment is contingent on the contractor putting up signs and placing manhole covers, work that had not been done as of Monday’s meeting.
_ The council approved a $195,972 pay request from Switlick and Sons for work done so far on Fourth Avenue. The council also approved a $19,459 change order to account for an extra block of water main that needed to be replaced because it had old lead fittings.
_ Soyk told the council that the Wisconsin DNR is now requiring a discharge permit for flushing the city’s water hydrants, which means he will have to sample the water coming out of the hydrants and record the flow.
“It’s just more work on our end,” he said. “It’s nothing we can’t get done ourselves.”
_ The council approved the purchase of a vacuum trailer with valve exerciser, which will be used to fix underground water mains and maintain the valves. Soyk said the estimated cost of the device is $35,000, which is available in the water utility’s operational budget.
_ The council approved alcohol operator licenses for Jennifer Barrett at Fatboys, Pamela Marg at Dollar General, Kayla Rase, Max Rue for Express Lane, and Amanda Vanderhof at Dollar General. Ald. Zeiset abstained from voting.
