PDS’ One Stop Shop codes administration program will celebrate its tenth anniversary this coming June. As part of the agency’s look back and look forward for this popular service program, its FY15 annual work program calls for the creation of a taskforce to review fees charged by the program to pay for the services provided.
An 11-member group met this past week to begin the process of reviewing the fees along with a number of other issues specific to the program. Included among those issues are the following.
Mixed use buildings were a novel idea when the current fees schedule was created; that’s not the case today. How should PDS’ fee schedule respond to projects including mixed uses in the same building?
- The current fee schedule is the result of adjusting the base fee schedule adopted on the inception of One Stop Shop on an annual basis with the percentage increase tied to the consumer price index promulgated each year by the Kentucky Department for Local Government. The taskforce will be asked to provide its opinion on that policy.
- Should homeowners planning to do their own work be charged the same amount as a professional hired to do the same work?
- Some have suggested that remodeling/rehabbing projects should be charged a lower permit and inspection fee since: (a) the base fee schedule was created with new construction in mind; (b) remodeling/rehabbing projects generally include less work than new construction projects; and (c) PDS should be encouraging remodeling/rehabbing. The taskforce will be asked to provide its opinion on this question.
Those agreeing to serve on the taskforce include: Tony Kreutzjans, Orleans Development; John Toebben, the Toebben Company; Bob Schroder, Arlinghaus Builders; Larry Klein, Covington City Manager; Jeanne Schroer, Catalytic Fund of Covington; Chris Moriconi, Independence city administrator; Chris Meyer, Covington architect; Paul Meier, Crestview Hills mayor; Josh Gunther, the Drees Company; Amanda Igo, Fischer Homes; and Chuck Eilerman, Covington Commissioner.
“I’m pleased with the caliber people we were able to enlist for this important review,” said Dennis Gordon, FAICP, PDS’ executive director. “I hope their work will stand the test of time as well as did their predecessors’ work completed in 2005.”
Gordon hopes the taskforce can have their review and recommendations complete by next March.