Essa Township staff are recommending fee increases to dozens of township services in an effort to recoup the increasing costs of those services.
At Wednesday’s township council meeting, staff was directed to schedule a public meeting to allow for public comment prior to the passage of a bylaw to amend the township’s fees and charges bylaw.
The public meeting will be held May 15 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the township’s administration centre, located at 5786 County Rd. 21.
“Municipalities face increasing costs to deliver essential services that residents and ratepayers require daily while maintaining reasonable and affordable tax rates,” wrote Lisa Lehr, Essa Township’s clerk/manager of legislative services, in her report to council.
“Fees and charges help to recover all or a portion of the cost of delivering specific services so that ratepayers are not adversely impacted financially for the delivery of the item or service," she added.
Lehr said that while total cost recovery isn’t always realized, all budgeted user-fee revenue is applied against the total cost for the service.
She added that fees and charges have traditionally been developed using a combination of actual direct costs to deliver the service, including, in some instances, the overhead and administrative costs, as well as market comparison with neighbouring municipalities.
The vast majority of the changes are in the township’s building fees.
The minimum building permit fee and the tents and temporary structures fees are set to increase $25 to $125 each.
The cost of new construction or additions is increasing 10 cents a square foot to $1.35.
Fees for temporary office/trailer/demountable stages and related structures and other temporary structures including bleachers (each) will also increase $25 to $175 each.
Installing an in-ground fence around your pool will cost $150, up $25.
In an effort to recover the cost of standalone items, based on administrative review and inspection time, the following items will all increase by $25 to a $175 flat rate — fire alarm, sprinkler, standpipe. electromagnetic lock, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), commercial cooking hood, spray booth and dust collector.
The fee for installing a communication tower, an exterior storage tank, a satellite dish, a wind turbine, per 10kWh or portion thereof, and other Ontario Building Code structures not noted, is increasing $25 to a $175 flat rate.
To separate solar farms and other solar production from residential solar, the township is recommending a fee of $175 per 10kWh or portion thereof.
To establish new planning fees, Essa reviewed the costs of similar services with neighbouring municipalities — Innisfil, Clearview and Springwater — in an effort to ensure comparable market rates.
For telecommunications application review and comments, the proposed fee is $2,500, which is a $1,500 increase.
The recommended fee for an Official Plan amendment (minor) is $3,500, an increase of $1,000.
The subdivision application fee is recommended to increase $500 to $7,500.
A minor zoning bylaw amendment is scheduled to increase $500 to $2,500.
The township is also considering three new fees.
A new condominium (per unit) fee of $25; a new Ontario Land Tribunal documentation preparation fee of $150 and a new pre-consultation (committee of adjustment applications) fee of $250.
To cover department overhead and fuel costs, the planning department has recommended increases to half a dozen services.
The road occupancy permit fee for major work is recommended to increase $50 to $350 while a minor work permit will increase $40 to $150.
The entrance permit fee for residential will increase $50 to $200 plus a $400 deposit. An entrance permit fee for commercial will increase $150 to $400 plus a $1,000 deposit.
Planning is also proposing a new connection fee of $350, a significant increase from the current $75 fee.
The fee for dump trucks is recommended to increase $45 to $185.50 and the fee for graders is also going up $35 to $205.
The recreation department is looking to establish new advertising fees for the township’s arenas, community centre, sports fields and dog parks.
Putting a business name on both sides of a change room door will cost prospective advertisers $200 per door.
A three-by-foot advertising rink board in an arena is priced at $400.
A letter-sized ad in a frame in the community centre will cost $100 and a banner ad for a sports fields or dog park is $100 per sign, per location.
The township’s fire department is recommending $50 for a burn permit, a $10 increase. It’s also proposing a $75 fee for residential on-site inspections, a $25 increase. The department is recommending a $200 fee for commercial and industrial inspections under 280 square metres, a $50 increase, and $300 fee for commercial and industrial inspections over 280 square metres, also a $50 increase.
Lastly, the fire department is recommending a fee of $150 for on-site inspections (residential and commercial) for two to 10 units, a hike of $50 and a new fee of $200 for on-site inspections residential and commercial, 10 units or more, up $50.
According to the justification notes included in the report, burn permit fees have not been updated since 2015 and inspections are more complex today as code compliance is more extensive.
The public meeting is open to all township residents. If you cannot attend but want to comment, written submissions can be directed to the Manager of Legislative Services/Clerk prior to 3 p.m. on May 15.
No decisions regarding the proposed changes have been made or will be made at the public meeting. Following the public meeting, staff will prepare a bylaw for council’s consideration.
Staff hope to have it on the June 5 council meeting agenda.
