by Colin Smith
A few months after Council passed Morinville’s Fees and Charges bylaw it has come back for a few tweaks.
At its regular meeting on Tuesday Council gave First Reading to a bylaw amending that bylaw, which was approved November 26.
The purpose of the bylaw is the adjustment of some of the Town of Morinville’s building permit fees, enhancing regulatory efficiencies and “red tape reduction,” according to Permit and Licencing Officer Danielle Craib, who presented it to Council.
“Since the implementation of Fees and Charges Bylaw 10/2019 it was identified that additional language and some fee amendments were required to best serve our clients,” Craib told Council.
The amendments also reflect the fact that municipalities within the region have also been revising their fee schedules.
“The Town of Morinville’s approved Corporate Fees Policy goal is moving towards cost-recovery, competitive regional market prices, and affordability, and striving towards median fee rates within the Edmonton metropolitan region,” stated Craib.
Both the Town’s contracted safety codes inspections agency, The Inspections Group Inc. (TIGI), and local developers were consulted about the proposed changes.
If the bylaw passes, changes would be made to the fees for several categories of municipal building services, some of them rising, others going down.
They include development permits, subdivision processing fees, copies of plans and bylaws, property file search requests, and electrical, gas and plumbing permits.
Building permits would be issued for accessory buildings, a category that takes in basement development, decks, residential additions, in-ground pools, sheds, greenhouses and garages, which are treated separately in the current bylaw.
The permit for an accessory building of up to 300 square feet would cost $159, while the permit cost for a building over 300 square feet would be $159 plus 30 cents per square foot.
Second and Third Reading is set for the February 25 Council meeting.
